Policies

The HWS credit-granting score is 50 or higher on a CLEP exam, as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE).

Students who earn an Advanced Placement (AP) score of 5 for AP Biology will earn credit toward the biology major as an equivalency with BIOL 167 Introductory Biology.

Admitted students who have earned a score of four or five on an Advanced Placement test may receive general elective course credit toward graduation in accordance with published guidelines of The College Board.

Guidelines for the granting of credit are comparable to those for Advanced Placement (AP) exams, with scores of 5, 6, or 7 on HL exams generally receiving credit.

Advanced Placement Program and International Baccalaureate Enrolled students who have achieved scores of four or five on an Advanced Placement test may receive course credit toward graduation.

Scores of five, six, seven or higher on International Baccalaureate exams generally receive credit.

HOBART AND WILLIAM SMITH COLLEGES CATALOGUE Transfer and Course Credit for Non-HWS Learning Experiences There are three types of credit granted for non-HWS learning experiences: credit by exam, transfer credit, and dual enrollment. First-year HWS students who are not transfer students are allowed to receive up to seven full credits for non-HWS learning experiences completed prior to beginning at HWS, including all transfer credit, credit by exam, and dual enrollment courses. Students may additionally receive transfer credit for courses taken at another insti- tution after they have started their program at HWS, for a total of sixteen transfer credits all together. All current HWS students should obtain required departmental and faculty approvals prior to registering for non-HWS courses using the Transfer Credit Request form. Students who transfer to HWS from another school may be granted a total of sixteen credits for prior non-HWS learning experiences (transfer, credit by exam, and dual enrollment) that meet all criteria. Transfer Credits Transfer credit may be granted for college-level courses completed at another institution prior to beginning study at HWS. Transfer students may be granted up to sixteen credits for work completed at another institution. Entering first-year students may be granted up to seven credits for courses taken elsewhere. Transfer credit may also be granted for college-level courses completed after an HWS student has begun their study at HWS. To make this request, students may use the Transfer Credit Request form. Transferred courses fulfill general elective requirements and may be counted toward the thirty-two credits required for the degree. The use of transfer credits to satisfy prerequisite requirements for other parts of the curriculum, or to satisfy any of the eight goals, also requires approval by the individual departments or programs. Courses taken at another institution through an approved HWS program, such as Global Education, are not consid- ered transfer credits and do not require transfer approval for general credit. Transfer credit is granted only after receipt of an official transcript from the other institution, and only courses passed with a grade of C- (1.7) or better are accepted. When transfer credit is awarded, grades for the courses do not appear on the HWS transcript and are not calculated as part of a student’s grade point average (GPA). Please note these additional restrictions on the awarding of transfer credit:  Courses must be taken at a regionally accredited institution and must be considered by the faculty at Ho- bart and William Smith to be in the liberal arts and have substantial overlap in course content with what is currently taught at HWS.  Only letter-graded courses may be transferred.  Only courses of three or more credit hours are eligible for transfer credit. There can be no partial transfer credit or “bundling” of partial credits or credit hours toward a full credit transfer course.  To receive transfer credit for courses taken outside the U.S.

CLEP is a credit by examination program which provides students with the opportu- nity to earn course credits by taking CLEP exams in a variety of fields corresponding to the HWS curriculum. RCE is a credit by examination program which provides students with the opportunity to earn course credits by taking exams in a variety of fields corresponding to the Colleges’ curriculum. Students may submit any dual enrollment course for review for transfer credit.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges reserve the right to cancel any course without prior notice should minimum en- rollment not be reached, or staffing situations necessitate it. Deregistration Students may be deregistered from a course prior to the first day of classes if they have already received credit for the course through advanced placement or transfer credit from another institution.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges accept a maximum of 16 courses, on a course by course basis, with a minimum grade of C-. Most transfer applicants possess at least a solid B grade average. Transfer credits are used to determine placement in the curriculum. Work so certified is generally treated by other institutions as fully transferable credit, subject to their own policies and procedures.

Grades earned at other institutions for transfer credits are not taken into consideration when de- termining a student’s HWS CUM/GPA or for SAP CUM/GPA requirements.

Transfer credit for courses taken at other institutions for either the major or minor, excepting HWS-sponsored abroad programs, are considered on a case-by-case basis.

No more than one course may be a transfer credit.

Transfer Credits for the Major or Minor Courses taken at other institutions (except for HWS-sponsored abroad programs) are considered on a case-by-case basis.

Students pursuing the Psychological Science minor may transfer a maximum of one course toward the Psychological Science minor, including courses taken abroad that are not taught by HWS Psychological Science faculty. Students planning to transfer courses from another institution while they are students of Hobart and William Smith Colleges must consult with and secure approval from their Psychological Science advisor and the Department Chair prior to enrolling in a course by utilizing the Transfer Credit Request Form or the Course Substitution Form (for courses already listed on a student’s transcript), which can be obtained on the HWS website.

Work so certified is generally treated by other institutions as fully transferable credit, subject to their own policies and procedures.

Transfer credit for courses taken at other institutions for either the major or minor, excepting HWS-sponsored abroad programs, are considered on a case-by-case basis.

CLEP is a credit by examination program which provides students with the opportu- nity to earn course credits by taking CLEP exams in a variety of fields corresponding to the HWS curriculum. RCE is a credit by examination program which provides students with the opportunity to earn course credits by taking exams in a variety of fields corresponding to the Colleges’ curriculum.

Students pursuing the Psychological Science minor may transfer a maximum of one course toward the Psychological Science minor, including courses taken abroad that are not taught by HWS Psychological Science faculty. Students planning to transfer courses from another institution while they are students of Hobart and William Smith Colleges must consult with and secure approval from their Psychological Science advisor and the Department Chair prior to enrolling in a course by utilizing the Transfer Credit Request Form or the Course Substitution Form (for courses already listed on a student’s transcript), which can be obtained on the HWS website.

No more than one course may be a transfer credit.

There are three types of credit granted for non-HWS learning experiences: credit by exam, transfer credit, and dual enrollment. First-year HWS students who are not transfer students are allowed to receive up to seven full credits for non-HWS learning experiences completed prior to beginning at HWS, including all transfer credit, credit by exam, and dual enrollment courses. Students may additionally receive transfer credit for courses taken at another insti- tution after they have started their program at HWS, for a total of sixteen transfer credits all together. All current HWS students should obtain required departmental and faculty approvals prior to registering for non-HWS courses using the Transfer Credit Request form. Students who transfer to HWS from another school may be granted a total of sixteen credits for prior non-HWS learning experiences (transfer, credit by exam, and dual enrollment) that meet all criteria.

Transfer Credits Transfer credit may be granted for college-level courses completed at another institution prior to beginning study at HWS. Transfer students may be granted up to sixteen credits for work completed at another institution. Entering first-year students may be granted up to seven credits for courses taken elsewhere. Transfer credit may also be granted for college-level courses completed after an HWS student has begun their study at HWS. Please note that once a student is matriculated, approval from a dean and any relevant faculty department/program chairs and/or advisors must be obtained (in writing) in advance of the transfer courses being taken. To make this request, students may use the Transfer Credit Request form. Transferred courses fulfill general elective requirements and may be counted toward the thirty-two credits required for the degree. These credits may additionally be used to satisfy major and minor requirements, but only with the expressed approval of the individual department or program. The use of transfer credits to satisfy prerequisite requirements for other parts of the curriculum, or to satisfy any of the eight goals, also requires approval by the individual departments or programs. Courses taken at another institution through an approved HWS program, such as Global Education, are not consid- ered transfer credits and do not require transfer approval for general credit. However, they may require departmen- tal approval to be used to address a major or minor requirement. Transfer credit is granted only after receipt of an official transcript from the other institution, and only courses passed with a grade of C- (1.7) or better are accepted. When transfer credit is awarded, grades for the courses do not appear on the HWS transcript and are not calculated as part of a student’s grade point average (GPA). Please note these additional restrictions on the awarding of transfer credit: Courses must be taken at a regionally accredited institution and must be considered by the faculty at Ho- bart and William Smith to be in the liberal arts and have substantial overlap in course content with what is currently taught at HWS. Only letter-graded courses may be transferred. Courses taken pass/fail or credit/no credit are ineligible for transfer. Only courses of three or more credit hours are eligible for transfer credit. There can be no partial transfer credit or “bundling” of partial credits or credit hours toward a full credit transfer course. To receive transfer credit for courses taken outside the U.S. a student must submit a course-by-course eval- uation by an evaluation service that is a member of either the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services, Inc. (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE). HWS does not accept credit for NOLS or Semester at Sea. EMT courses are not generally accepted. However, if an EMT course has substantial academic content (e.g., the EMT course taken at Finger Lakes Community College), a student may submit a syllabus along with their transcript for review by the Chair of the Health Professions department.

Transfer Credits for the Major or Minor Courses taken at other institutions (except for HWS-sponsored abroad programs) are considered on a case-by-case basis. Students must petition the department for these courses to count towards the English degree.

Hobart and William Smith Colleges accept a maximum of 16 courses, on a course by course basis, with a minimum grade of C-. Most transfer applicants possess at least a solid B grade average. Transfer credits are used to determine placement in the curriculum.