Transfer Credit for Undergraduate Students (Policy 31)

Purpose

This policy addresses how credits are transferred to any Governors State University undergraduate major.

1. Transfer into a major has two components: 
   1. The “use of course(s) completed at another institution” entails the use of prior credits from regionally accredited institutions, the post-admissions completion of courses at another institution, and possible use of credit from non-regionally accredited institutions. (Institutions that have been granted candidacy status by a regional accrediting association will be treated as those that are fully accredited.) 
   2. “Credit awarded from military service” entails any credit awarded from military service. These credits are awarded in accordance with the American Council of Education (ACE) recommendations.

1. Scope

   This policy applies to credits transferred to any Governors State University undergraduate major.

2. Transfer of Prior Credits from Regionally Accredited Institutions
   1. The decision to accept transfer credit toward degree requirements is made after admission to a major at GovState. The transfer credits are reflected on the student’s degree audit and should be finalized before the end of the first term of enrollment. 
   2. No more than 80 semester hours of lower-division credit will be applied toward degree requirements, except for programs approved as an exception under the Baccalaureate Degree Requirements. 
      1. Credits for lower-division courses with grades of “D” will be recognized for transfer from colleges and universities holding accreditation from any one of the six regional accrediting associations (e.g. Higher Learning Commission). 
      2. The credits will be evaluated based on the established articulation agreements, the Illinois Articulation Initiative Agreement (IAI), or course-by-course evaluation. 
         1. Completion of Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum guarantees that the university lower division general education requirements are complete. Students may have to complete major requirements if those were not completed as part of IAI. 
         2. Completion of the Illinois Articulation Initiative Major Courses will be applied to meet the lower division major requirements for the specific majors. 
         3. Majors with specific accreditation may require that courses be completed with a minimum grade (e.g., a “C-” or better) to be applied towards the major requirements. Please see the specific major requirements in the catalog (www.govst.edu/catalog) for additional information. 
   3. Courses, which are remedial, developmental, or “pre-college,” will not be accepted for transfer. (“Pre-college” courses are high-school courses taken at a community college. “Pre-college” does not include AP, IB (International Baccalaureate), or dual-credit courses.)
   4. Credits earned at the upper-division level may be applied toward specific degree requirementson a course-by-course basis based upon evaluation. 
   5. Only work completed with a grade of “C” or better or “P” (Pass) will be considered for upper-division transfer credit, satisfactory completion of a course prerequisite, or co-requisite. 
   6. The Junior Seminar and Senior Capstone courses will not be accepted in transfer. Transfer credit applied to meet University general education requirements, at the lower division or upper division level, must have a grade of “C” or better, unless the “D” was accepted for the Associate of Arts degree or the Illinois Articulation Initiative General Education Core Curriculum. Refer to the University General Education Requirement Policy (Policy 51) for additional information. 
   7. Upon approval of the Provost through the curriculum review process, individual degree programs may establish published requirements on transfer credit limiting the time period within which specific course credit must have been earned in order to be applied toward degree requirements.
3. Post-Admission Transfer Credit 
   1. After admission to a degree program, additional transfer credit will not be accepted from another accredited institution unless permission to apply such credit toward degree requirements was obtained from the academic advisor and approved by the dean or designee prior to taking the course(s) at another institution. 
   2. Only courses with grades of “C” or better will be accepted in transfer after matriculation to a degree program. 
4. Transfer Crdit from Non-Regionally Accredited Institutions 
   1. Students seeking admission based on credit/degree(s) earned at non- regionally-accredited institution must petition for admission. 
   2. Applicants seeking to transfer credit from non-accredited institutions toward degree requirements must petition the dean of the college in which the major is offered and, if accepted, the credits will be accepted as block credit. 
5. Credit for Military Experience 
   1. Degree-seeking students with military credit must submit their joint services transcript (JST) or DD214, and the credit will be accepted in accordance with the American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations. 
   2. These credits may be applied to upper- division or lower-division requirements per the ACE recommendations and will be equated to GovState courses wherever possible.