Policies

Students must complete the IB with a score of 70 or higher.

CLEP® score(s) 50 or above subject to examination, less than five years old.

AP credit with scores of “3” or higher, less than five years old and IB with a score of 70 or higher, less than five years old.

College transcripts are not required for admissions; however, official documents are required for consideration of transfer credit.

Awarding of Transfer Credits From Another School Students may be eligible to receive transfer credit(s) to Gaston College from nationally-accredited colleges and universities. Gaston College accepts transfer credits from institutions of higher education that are accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and other national agencies recognized by the Council on Postsecondary Accreditation as described in the current edition of Transfer Credit Practices of Designated Educational Institutions published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers. A transfer credit evaluation is provided for each student with prior college work when the student has an application for admission on file with the Office of Admissions. Students must earn at least 25% of credit hours of their course work at Gaston College in order to receive a degree or diploma from Gaston College. Time limits may restrict the transfer of some courses if it is determined that the course material is outdated. Only course work completed at Gaston College is used in computing grade point averages. The student should meet with his/her academic division to determine how and if the course work will apply toward the student’s degree program and graduation requirements at Gaston College.

courses will transfer, students should earn a C or higher, as receiving institutions require this minimum grade when evaluating transfer credit.

Credit for Prior Learning Options May Include: Credit by Examination Students who wish to receive course credit for competencies acquired through work experience or other non-academic experiences can request Credit by Examination. The student is responsible for requesting credit by examination. The instructor, in partnership with the divisional dean, is responsible for granting or denying the request for Credit by Examination. A grade of “CE” is assigned for successful credit by examination on the student’s academic record. Only hours earned for credit are recorded. Credits by Examination will be applied toward graduation requirements, but students must satisfy the graduation requirements related to credit hours completed in attendance at Gaston College. Quality points will not be awarded. A grade of “CE” is not used in computing a student’s grade point average. The instructor is responsible for keeping records of the examination and reporting the results, using the Credit by Examination form, to the Records and Registration Office by the third week of class. Credit by Examination cannot be earned for classes numbered less than 100 or for courses in which the student earned a grade or was enrolled and did not drop prior to the first day of the class. This includes audits and withdrawals. No student may request Credit by Examination for more than 18 credit hours. Because of the nature of the Emergency Medical Science program, students enrolled in this program are exempt from the college’s policy on maximum “CE” credits. Effective with the Spring 2014 term, a student who wishes to attempt Credit by Examination must meet with the academic department to provide evidence of proficiency in the course in which he/she is requesting Credit by Examination. The Credit by Examination fee is $50 and the student does not need to register for the class. The examination must be administered during the first 10 days of the semester and may be taken only once. A student who receives any type of financial aid should consult with the Office of Financial Aid before attempting

Courses earned through credit by examination.

A student may not re-enroll for a course where credit by examination (CE) has been awarded.

Scores older than five years are not considered for transfer credit. CLEP ® scores older than five years are not considered for transfer credit. Department of Labor and will award Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) for the related instruction portion of a registered apprenticeship based on any approved statewide articulation agreement. Public Safety Training (PST) Prefix Courses Courses in the NCCCS Combined Course Library with a Public Safety Training (PST) prefix will be evaluated for the awarding CPL for industry-recognized public safety training and/or credentials. To be consistent with 1D SBCCC 400.8(c), credit will be considered for public safety training that meets the criteria outlined in the Public Safety Training (PST) course descriptions as listed in the Combined Course Library. The portfolio assessment may also require a Credit by Examination (CBE) exam as per this policy, and if the CBE exam is outside of regular course enrollment, an assessment fee may apply.

Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act of 1974 (FERPA) Students’ Rights to Question of Their Official Student Record Definition and Release of Educational Records Change of Name Change of Address Change of Major Enrollment Verifications Transcripts and Grades Release of Transcripts / Transcript Requests Student Schedules Student Classification Student Registration Registration Process Self-Service (On-line Registration) Adding a Class Auditing Process Dropping a Class Withdrawing from a Class Course Substitutions Awarding of Credit -Credit for Prior Learning Awarding of Transfer Credits From Another School Transferring to Another School From Gaston College Charlotte Area Educational Consortium Grading System Procedure for Final Grade Appeal Satisfactory Academic Progress Academic Forgiveness Grounds for Student Academic Dismissal Honors Lists Catalog of Record Graduation The Records and Registration Office directs registration each semester for curriculum and continuing education classes.

Additionally, all attempted courses including withdrawals and transfer credit and all periods of attendance at Gaston College are considered towards the 150% maximum time frame requirements regardless of whether financial aid was received for these periods.

Transfer Credit – Transfer credits from other institutions that are accepted by the College are factored into the completion rate requirement and maximum timeframe as both attempted and completed credits. Developmental credit hours from other North Carolina community colleges may be included as transfer credit.

Additionally, all attempted courses (excluding developmental coursework) including withdrawals and transfer credit and all periods of attendance at Gaston College are considered towards the 150 percent maximum time frame requirements regardless of whether financial aid was received for these periods.

‘AU’ (Audit), ‘NS’ (No Show), and ‘CE’ (Credit by Examination) are not accepted by the Department of Veterans Affairs for payment purposes.