Policies

All degree requirements must be completed through a combination of formally accepted transfer credits and/or courses taken at ESF and Syracuse University.

Credit for Prior Learning At ESF, we acknowledge that some students have acquired skills and knowledge through prior learning experiences that may be equivalent to college-level credit. Credit for prior learning (CPL) is available at SUNY ESF in certain instances to determine if the experiences a student has meets the standards and requirements of college-level learning. Due to the nature of the Ranger School programs, students may not use prior learning credits to apply to any of the required residential courses. Prior learning credits are considered transfer credits and are not GPA eligible. Students cannot apply more than 90 transfer credits towards their bachelor's degree requirements and must complete at least 30 residential credits at SUNY ESF and be actively enrolled to be awarded a baccalaureate degree, superseded only by memorandum of understanding with a partner institution. Prior learning credits awarded at the lower-division level (100-299) cannot be applied to upper-division requirements. Students who are seeking prior learning credit to fulfill program requirements must have their work evaluated by the academic unit(s) that oversees the relevant subject area(s) based on the assessment metrics determined by that academic unit. Prior learning credit cannot replace a failing grade of an attempted course or duplicate a previously earned course credit.

Graduate Transfer Credit Credit hours appropriate to the graduate degree in which a minimum grade of B was earned from an accredited institution can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred. Up to 30 credits of graduate level coursework earned as part of a conferred master’s degree may be transferred (by petition) to a doctoral degree with approval of the steering committee. Under no circumstances can the total number of transferred credits exceed 30 credits. All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final transcripts are received.

Students with cumulative grade point averages less than 2.00 will not be considered for transfer admission to SUNY ESF. College & University Transfer Credit Coursework appropriate to the ESF curriculum can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred. Courses transferred to meet graduation requirements for any curriculum must be acceptable in content, and credit will be awarded only for those completed with a grade of C or higher (a C- is not acceptable). Students cannot apply more than 90 transfer credits towards their bachelor's degree requirements and must complete at least 30 residential credits at SUNY ESF to be awarded a baccalaureate degree, superseded only by memorandum of understanding with a partner institution. All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final transcripts are received. Only coursework completed at institutions that are fully accredited by one of six regional accrediting agencies will be considered for possible transfer credit toward ESF degree requirements.

Credit for Prior Learning At ESF, we acknowledge that some students have acquired skills and knowledge through prior learning experiences that may be equivalent to college-level credit.#Credit for prior learning (CPL) is available at SUNY ESF in certain instances to determine if the experiences a student has meets the standards and requirements of college-level learning.##Students must be able to provide evidence of college level learning that is aligned with their degree plan. Due to the nature of the Ranger School programs, students may not use prior learning credits to apply to any of the required residential courses. Prior learning credits are considered transfer credits and are not GPA eligible. Students cannot apply more than 90 transfer credits towards their bachelor's degree requirements and must complete at least 30 residential credits at SUNY ESF to be awarded a baccalaureate degree, superseded only by memorandum of understanding with a partner institution. Prior learning credits awarded at the lower-division level (100-299) cannot be applied to upper-division requirements. Students who are seeking prior learning credit to fulfill program requirements must have their work evaluated by the academic unit(s) that oversees the relevant subject area(s) based on the assessment metrics determined by that academic unit. Prior learning credit cannot replace a failing grade of an attempted course or duplicate a previously earned course credit. A student previously matriculated at Syracuse University, who is subsequently admitted to SUNY ESF, will have all coursework taken while a Syracuse University student, including SUNY ESF courses, treated and evaluated as transfer credit from Syracuse University. Such Syracuse University courses will not appear or calculate on the SUNY ESF transcript, except as they are included in a block of transfer credits, i.e., total credit hours, accepted from Syracuse University.

The ESF transfer credit policy requiring a minimum grade of C will be waived for Syracuse University students only and any coursework taken at Syracuse University with a passing grade will be treated as if it was taken at SUNY ESF. Credit for prior learning (CPL) will help you save time and money by awarding college credit for demonstrated knowledge gained outside of the classroom, including military education and training. Credit for military service may be awarded by: • Joint Services Transcript (JST) • Community College of the Air Force • DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) • DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests). Courses or exams that do not have a direct equivalency may be eligible for ESF Challenge Examination evaluation or CPL Portfolio review. College Level Examination Transfer Credit The College will consider for advanced standing credit the results of examinations from standardized testing agencies such as the College Entrance Examination Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) or the College Level Examination Programs (CLEP) as well as the Higher Level Exams of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Graduate Record Exam Subject Tests Subject tests are recommended by the following programs: Graduate Program Subject Test Environmental and forest chemistry Chemistry - recommended Biochemistry area of study within Chemistry or Biology - recommended environmental and forest chemistry Graduate Transfer Credit Credit hours appropriate to the graduate degree in which a minimum grade of B was earned from an accredited institution can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred.

Up to 30 credits of graduate level coursework earned as part of a conferred master’s degree may be transferred (by petition) to a doctoral degree with approval of the steering committee. Under no circumstances can the total number of transferred credits exceed 30 credits. All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final transcripts are received.

Treatment of Incomplete Grades, Withdrawals, Repeated Courses, Remedial Courses, Change of Major, and Transfer Credits 1. Incomplete grades Incomplete grades do count as attempted credits, but grade point average will only be affected once the incomplete status has been resolved and a final grade assigned.

6. Transfer Credits For the purposes of Satisfactory Academic Progress reviews, all transfer credits that are accepted as meeting a degree requirement will be counted as both attempted and completed credit hours.

Applicants with a minimum of three (3) years of post-baccalaureate full-time professional experience directly related to the intended area of study may petition for 6 credit hours of advanced standing in the program.

Up to 30 credit hours of transfer credits can be granted for related graduate coursework.

Applicants with a minimum of three (3) years of post-baccalaureate, full-time professional experience directly related to the intended area of study may apply for 6 credit hours of advanced standing in the M.P.S.

degree from the ESF Ranger School meet this requirement through transfer credits.

All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final transcripts are received.

College & University Transfer Credit Coursework appropriate to the ESF curriculum can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred. Courses transferred to meet graduation requirements for any curriculum must be acceptable in content, and credit will be awarded only for those completed with a grade of C or higher (a C- is not acceptable). Students cannot apply more than 90 transfer credits towards their bachelor's degree requirements and must complete at least 30 residential credits at SUNY ESF to be awarded a baccalaureate degree, superseded only by memorandum of understanding with a partner institution. All transfer credit will remain tentative until official, final transcripts are received. It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that official, final transcripts are sent to and received by the College. Only coursework completed at institutions that are fully accredited by one of six regional accrediting agencies will be considered for possible transfer credit toward ESF degree requirements. These agencies are the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, New England Association of Schools and Colleges, North Central Association of Colleges and Schools, Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges, Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and Western Association of Schools and Colleges.

College Level Examination Transfer Credit The College will consider for advanced standing credit the results of examinations from standardized testing agencies such as the College Entrance Examination Board's Advanced Placement Program (AP) or the College Level Examination Programs (CLEP) as well as the Higher Level Exams of the International Baccalaureate (IB) program.

Credit for Prior Learning At ESF, we acknowledge that some students have acquired skills and knowledge through prior learning experiences that may be equivalent to college-level credit. Credit for prior learning (CPL) is available at SUNY ESF in certain instances to determine if the experiences a student has meets the standards and requirements of college-level learning. Students must be able to provide evidence of college level learning that is aligned with their degree plan. To be eligible for CPL, a student must be a matriculated undergraduate student at SUNY ESF in a bachelor’s degree program. Due to the nature of the Ranger School programs, students may not use prior learning credits to apply to any of the required residential courses. Prior learning credits are considered transfer credits and are not GPA eligible. Students cannot apply more than 90 transfer credits towards their bachelor's degree requirements and must complete at least 30 residential credits at SUNY ESF and be actively enrolled to be awarded a baccalaureate degree, superseded only by memorandum of understanding with a partner institution. CPL credit does not count towards residency requirements. Prior learning credits awarded at the lower-division level (100-299) cannot be applied to upper-division requirements. Students who are seeking prior learning credit to fulfill program requirements must have their work evaluated by the academic unit(s) that oversees the relevant subject area(s) based on the assessment metrics determined by that academic unit. Prior learning credit cannot replace a failing grade of an attempted course or duplicate a previously earned course credit. Once credit has been awarded it may not be removed from a student record.

Credit for Prior Learning At ESF, we acknowledge that some students have acquired skills and knowledge through prior learning experiences that may be equivalent to college-level credit. Credit for prior learning (CPL) is available at SUNY ESF in certain instances to determine if the experiences a student has meets the standards and requirements of college-level learning. Students must be able to provide evidence of college level learning that is aligned with their degree plan. To be eligible for CPL, a student must be a matriculated undergraduate student at SUNY ESF in a bachelor’s degree program. Due to the nature of the Ranger School programs, students may not use prior learning credits to apply to any of the required residential courses. Prior learning credits are considered transfer credits and are not GPA eligible. Students cannot apply more than 90 transfer credits towards their bachelor's degree requirements and must complete at least 30 residential credits at SUNY ESF to be awarded a baccalaureate degree, superseded only by memorandum of understanding with a partner institution. CPL credit does not count towards residency requirements. Prior learning credits awarded at the lower-division level (100-299) cannot be applied to upper-division requirements. Students who are seeking prior learning credit to fulfill program requirements must have their work evaluated by the academic unit(s) that oversees the relevant subject area(s) based on the assessment metrics determined by that academic unit. Prior learning credit cannot replace a failing grade of an attempted course or duplicate a previously earned course credit. Once credit has been awarded it may not be removed from a student record.

Graduate Transfer Credit Credit hours appropriate to the graduate degree in which a minimum grade of B was earned from an accredited institution can be transferred to the College, but grades and grade points cannot be transferred.

Up to 30 credits of graduate level coursework earned as part of a conferred master’s degree may be transferred (by petition) to a doctoral degree with approval of the steering committee. Under no circumstances can the total number of transferred credits exceed 30 credits.

A student previously matriculated at Syracuse University, who is subsequently admitted to SUNY ESF, will have all coursework taken while a Syracuse University student, including SUNY ESF courses, treated and evaluated as transfer credit from Syracuse University. Such Syracuse University courses will not appear or calculate on the SUNY ESF transcript, except as they are included in a block of transfer credits, i.e., total credit hours, accepted from Syracuse University. The ESF transfer credit policy requiring a minimum grade of C will be waived for Syracuse University students only and any coursework taken at Syracuse University with a passing grade will be treated as if it was taken at SUNY ESF.

Credit for prior learning (CPL) will help you save time and money by awarding college credit for demonstrated knowledge gained outside of the classroom, including military education and training. Credit for military service may be awarded by: Joint Services Transcript (JST) Community College of the Air Force DANTES (Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support) DSST (DANTES Subject Standardized Tests). Courses or exams that do not have a direct equivalency may be eligible for ESF Challenge Examination evaluation or CPL Portfolio review.