Policies

IB Diploma recipients may be awarded six to eight semester hours of credit, based on articulation, for each higher level (HL) subject examination passed with a score of 4 or higher.

IB Certificate recipients (those not awarded the Diploma) may also be awarded six to eight semester hours of credit, based on articulation, for each higher level (HL) subject examination passed with a score of 4 or higher.

On the CLEP exams, Fitchburg State University adheres to the standards established by the American Council on Education granting credit for tests on which a score of 50 has been achieved.

Students who have earned a score of 3.0 or better on the Advanced Placement (AP) English Examination are exempt from the reading and writing placement exams.

For students who score 3, 4, or 5 on the advanced placement examination, the university grants advanced placement status and credit in the area tested.

ENGL 0100 - Essentials for College Writing —required for first year students who score 3 or lower on essay and if they have no transfer credit equivalent to Writing I and/or Writing II.

Students who score 8 on the essay will be exempted from Writing I and should enroll in ENGL 1200 - Writing II

Official transfer credit evaluations are conducted by the Registrar’s Office when a student is admitted to the university. LPN students who meet the above criteria will receive 18 transfer credits upon admission to the program.

If a student enrolls in academic coursework at an institution of higher education after completion of their secondary school/high school curriculum and officially withdraws from those courses and have no transcript or record documenting attempted credit(s), the student will be considered a freshman for candidate review purposes with the following exceptions: If the student attempts college credit(s) and does not complete or fails, they are still considered a transfer student based upon the attempted registered credits. If a student had previously enrolled in a non degree enrollment status at Fitchburg State University prior to applying for degree seeking enrollment status, they will be considered a transfer student for admission consideration. Military affiliated or veteran students who are awarded credit from a non-academic institution following the completion of their secondary/high school curriculum, such as Joint Services transcript (military record or transcript), will be considered freshmen if they have no other college credits. Transfer students who want to be considered for admission to the university must meet the following criteria: A grade point average of 2.0 or better with 24 or more transferable credits from a regionally accredited college or university or A grade point average of 2.5 or better with 12 to 23 transferable credits. If a prospective student has 23 or fewer transferable credits and a GPA between 2.5 and 2.0, the student’s high school work must also satisfy admissions requirements for freshman applicants. Transfer students who have earned an associate’s degree or higher are not required to submit high school or GED information.

Transfer credit is normally granted for courses completed at regionally accredited colleges and universities, for which the student received a 1.7 (C-) or better, and which correspond with those offered at Fitchburg State University. Students transferring from two-year institutions will be entitled to a maximum of 75 transfer credits. Students transferring from baccalaureate level institutions will be entitled to a maximum of 90 transfer credits and may not transfer more than 50% of the total credit hours required in their major.

Fitchburg State University awards transfer credit to students who are recipients of the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma or Certificate as follows: IB Diploma recipients may be awarded six to eight semester hours of credit, based on articulation, for each higher level (HL) subject examination passed with a score of 4 or higher.

Credit for Prior Learning through Portfolio Assessment (PLA) recognizes that some students may have acquired knowledge and skills through life experiences as well as through formal credit courses. Students will be required to complete a noncredit course that will lead them through the process of creating a portfolio which documents the students prior learning experience as it relates to the learning outcomes for the course/s for which they are seeking credit.

No more than six transfer credits will be accepted as credit towards the minor. Transferred credits must have received a minimum grade of 2.5.

No more than 6 transfer credits from a non-FSU program will be accepted as credit towards the minor. Transferred credits must have received a minimum grade of 2.0.

MassTransfer has two main purposes: to provide community college students who complete approved associate degrees under MassTransfer with the benefits of the full transfer and applicability of credit, guaranteed admission, and a tuition waiver/credit (each benefit based on the student’s final grade point average) to linked baccalaureate programs; and to provide any student in the Massachusetts public higher education system the intermediate goal of completing a portable transfer block (“General Education Foundation”) which satisfies general education/distribution/core requirements across institutions (with the receiving institution able to add no more than six additional credits/two courses). Community college students who matriculated prior to fall 2009 and who choose to continue in the Commonwealth Transfer Compact and/or Joint Admissions Program will be required to complete their associate degrees by August 2013 and must matriculate at a Massachusetts state university or University of Massachusetts campus by fall 2014. Credits awarded by the sending institution through CLEP, challenge examinations, and credit for prior learning shall be included when a student qualifies under MassTransfer. Guarantees the full transfer of college-level credits, including “D” grades, but excluding D- (.70) or lower, applied to the degree requirements of the linked or mapped baccalaureate degree or school at the state university or University of Massachusetts campus such that the MassTransfer student will be required to complete no more credits or courses than a native student with the following stipulations: Unless the student changes his or her major If the linked or mapped baccalaureate program requires a higher grade point average or specific courses for the major which are required of native students, the MassTransfer student must meet these requirements. Guarantees admission to the linked or mapped baccalaureate degree or school at a Massachusetts state university or University of Massachusetts campus with the following stipulations (exceptions): If the linked or mapped baccalaureate program requires a higher grade point average which is required of native students, the MassTransfer student must meet this requirement. Students accepted into the Commonwealth Commitment program will be eligible to receive a 10% discount off of their tuition and fees, payable at the end of every completed semester, in the form of a cash rebate or voucher issued by their campus Commonwealth Commitment policy is the Memorandum of Understanding establishing the program and the implementation guidelines are developed by its Advisory Board. Participating students who do not earn a 3.0 GPA at the time of University admissions will not be admitted under the terms of this agreement, but may be considered for general transfer admission. Commonwealth Commitment students will be granted equal access to available openings in all designated MassTransfer Pathways programs. 3. Students must have earned at least 30 college-level credits (excluding developmental courses and transfer credit) at the community colleges from which they transfer before matriculating at the state universities or UMass campuses. 7. Students must earn grades on courses taken at the state universities and UMass campuses sufficient to meet community college transfer credit minimum grade requirements.

Prior Learning through Portfolio Assessment (PLA) recognizes that some students may have acquired knowledge and skills through life experiences as well as through formal credit courses. PLA allows students the opportunity to demonstrate that their life experiences are equal to undergraduate college credit. Students will be required to complete a noncredit course that will lead them through the process of creating a portfolio which documents the students prior learning experience as it relates to the learning outcomes for the course/s for which they are seeking credit. Credit may be awarded for academically verifiable college-level learning. Students can earn a total of 30 credits through the PLA process. Students must complete the PLA process within two semesters after receiving approval to complete a PLA. If a submitted portfolio is not approved, students have one opportunity to resubmit for credit. Note for Occupational Vocational Program Students Only: Students enrolled in the Occupational Vocational program can also seek credit through a PLA process for verified industry-based learning from vocational institutions or related work. Students enrolled in the Occupational Vocational program can earn up to 12 credits for their vocational experiences and students can apply for these credits after completing 80 credits in the program. The 12 credits will be applied as a block if approved, and students do not have to be linked to specific courses.

The program offers up to 12 credits in recognition of the work experiences of the participating students through the Prior Learning through Portfolio Assessment (PLA). Candidates may apply for the Prior Learning through Portfolio Assessment (PLA) after completing 80 credits in the program.

Transfer credits accepted toward the degree program are neutral for GPA and are counted as credits attempted and completed.

ENGL 0100 - Essentials for College Writing —required for first year students who score 3 or lower on essay and if they have no transfer credit equivalent to Writing I and/or Writing II. Students who score 8 on the essay will be exempted from Writing I and should enroll in ENGL 1200 - Writing II Credit for ENGL 0100 is considered institutional credit only; that is, the credit will not count toward graduation , but will count toward fulltime status for purposes of financial aid and athletic eligibility.

Transfer Credit Credit received for courses completed at other regionally accredited institutions of higher education may be transferred to Fitchburg State University and applied toward degree programs if: The courses are equivalent to courses offered by Fitchburg State University or appropriate to programs at the university The grade of the course is no lower than a 1.7 (C-), except for courses taken in the spring 2020 semester. For spring 2020 courses we will accept grades of P/F or S/U as transfer credit even if they do not have a numerical grade, and we will accept credits for courses in which students received a D (1.0) or above. A maximum of 75 semester hours credit from two year institutions, college level examinations, and/or military training will be considered for transfer A maximum of 90 semester hours of credit will be considered from four year baccalaureate institutions

Transfer Credit If you transfer in 1-29 credits, the registrar during the admission process will evaluate and award credit and determine completed General Education requirements based on previously taken courses, including the FYE requirement. Students who transfer in an FYE course will not be required to take FYE again. If you transfer in 30-59 credits, the registrar during the admission process will evaluate and award credit and determine completed General Education FOUNDATION requirements based on previously-taken courses. Students with 30 credits or more will not be required to take an FYE course. Students must complete 18 credits of the CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING requirements. Students must complete 9 credits of the INTEGRATING AND APPLYING requirements (of these credits, 9 credits may be courses that have been approved to meet LA&S General Education requirements within the major). If you transfer in 60 or more credits, the registrar during the admission process will evaluate and award credit and determine completed General Education FOUNDATION requirements based on previously-taken courses. Students must complete 9 credits of the CRITICAL AND CREATIVE THINKING requirements. Students must complete 3 credits of the INTEGRATING AND APPLYING requirements (of these credits, 9 credits may be courses that have been approved to meet General Education requirements within the major). If you have completed an Associate’s degree or if you transfer in 90 or more credits and have at least 34 credits of general education-type courses (general courses that satisfy the breadth of the General Education) on your transcripts, your General Education requirements will be considered fulfilled. If you have completed a Bachelor level degree, your General Education requirements will be considered fulfilled. If you have transcript evidence of having completed the general education block at another four-year institution, your LA&S General Education requirements will be considered fulfilled. This policy also applies to Dual Enrollment students who subsequently enroll in the university.

Value of transferred credit Transferred credits count only as credit hours earned No quality points or grades are transferred or calculated in the student’s cumulative GPA A minimum of 30 semester hours toward a baccalaureate degree must be completed at Fitchburg State University A minimum of 50% of credits must be completed at Fitchburg State University for Undergraduate certificate programs. For students with one major degree program, no more than 50% of major credits can be completed as transfer credits. In order to receive a minor, a student must complete at least two minor courses (or a minimum of 6 credits) in residence at Fitchburg State University. Major departments may have additional requirements Approval of transfer credit may be authorized by the registrar, or academic deans.