Policies

Applicants with advanced standing from an accredited college, university, or institute are considered for admission as transfer students. Transfer applicants are evaluated on the basis of their college performance and secondary school completion. Transfer applicants receive full and equitable transfer credit unconditionally for subjects appropriate to the curricula of the respective degree program. The amount of transfer credit is determined upon receipt of the official transcript(s) of completed work. When the student has completed two semesters of work at Cairn with a GPA of 2.0 or above, provisional transfer credit will be fully accepted. Applicants seeking to transfer from another institution are required to submit an official transcript from the higher education institution(s) previously attended, even if not seeking transfer credit.

Credit for Prior Learning Students with extensive background in a subject or ministry paralleling Cairn course offerings may demonstrate university-level competence through documentation of their achievement and thus obtain Cairn academic credit. The documentation should include the competencies learned, time involved, accomplishments, philosophy of approach, goals set and attained, letters of reference detailing certification of accomplishments, and how experiential learning has met the requirements of the specific course as presented in the syllabus for the Cairn course. Credit for prior learning is limited to 12 credits for undergraduate students. For more information, students should contact the School in which the desired course is offered.

Earned credits, Attempted credits, Incompletes, Withdrawals, Repeats, Remedial, and Transfer Credits Credits Earned For purposes of this policy, credits in which a student earns a grade of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, or S are considered “earned” credits, and are counted as both “attempted” and “earned” in the Pace calculation. Credits Attempted In conjunction with and in addition to the academic policy listed in the University catalog, credits earned and credits with grading marks F, NR, and INC (Incomplete) will be considered in both the quantitative (percent completion) and qualitative (GPA) analysis when completed according to the provisions in the University catalog. When an incomplete grade changes to another grade notation, that change will be picked up in the next SAP review. In conjunction with and in addition to the academic policy listed in the University catalog, the grading marks of NC, NP, W, WP, and WF are not considered as successfully completing the course(s) attempted; therefore, the SAP analysis will consider the attempt of these courses in the quantitative (percent completion) analysis but not in the qualitative (GPA) analysis. Withdrawals Credits for courses taken during a semester from which a student has withdrawn count as attempted, but do not count as earned. The student’s GPA is not affected by credits from which a student has withdrawn. This is the same for course withdrawals due to a university withdrawal. Course Repeats Repeated courses are always included in the cumulative credits attempted and maximum timeframe calculation. When a course is repeated, only the highest grade earned will be used to calculate the student’s GPA. Remedial Courses Remedial courses are treated the same as non-remedial courses in the evaluation of GPA, pace, and maximum timeframe. Transfer Credits Transfer credits earned at another school and accepted by Cairn count as both attempted and earned. The student’s GPA is not affected by credits that have been transferred to Cairn from another institution. Grade Changes When a grade is changed, a student’s SAP status must be immediately reevaluated (except for changes in valid incomplete grades as noted above). A student must contact Student Financial Services after the grade change is posted to his or her academic record to request that the SAP status be reevaluated.

A customized dual-level program will contain the entire graduate program (less any applicable advanced standing) and the entire undergraduate program.

Attempted credits are counted for all terms (e.g., semesters or other terms) and include transfer credits, credits for courses taken during a semester from which a student has withdrawn, and credits for which the student did not receive financial aid.

Transfer Credits Transfer credit will be awarded for university-level work successfully completed at a CHEA-recognized, accredited postsecondary institution when appropriate to the student’s degree program. University-level work successfully completed at a non-accredited postsecondary institution and appropriate to the student’s degree program will be evaluated on an individual basis. The following procedures will be used in evaluating and transcripting transfer credit: The registrar has the responsibility of determining transfer credit. Only courses in which a “C” (2.00) or above has been earned will be evaluated for transfer credit. In evaluating work taken at a postsecondary institution for transfer credit, the following factors will be considered: The content of the course and how well it matches with the content of a course in Cairn’s curriculum. The registrar consults with the dean of the school in which the course is offered when specific information on course content is needed. The characteristics of the institution or agency which awarded the credit (i.e., accredited/non-accredited, domestic/foreign, collegiate/non-collegiate). The characteristics of the credit reported on the transcript (i.e., level/basis of credit). The appropriateness of the credit to the student’s degree program. Credits will be computed from a “quarter hour” system to credit hours by multiplying by 0.67. Transfer credits will be applied to a student’s permanent record after the student has enrolled and official transcripts have been received. Cairn course number, title, and hours for which transfer credit is granted will appear on the student’s permanent record, not grades or grade points earned. If a block transfer of credits is awarded (e.g., in the Bible Ministries program), the total hours for which transfer credit is granted will appear on the student’s permanent record. Courses noted in the University catalog as being required in residence are not covered by this policy. If a student desires to appeal a decision of the registrar, appeal should be made to the provost, not to the faculty or a committee of the faculty.

Transfer Credits After Matriculation Current students may take a course at another institution to meet a graduation requirement at Cairn. However, they must obtain approval prior to enrolling in the course. Prior approval is obtained by submitting a completed Planned Transfer Credit form to the Registrar’s Office. Credit will be granted for up to 12 credits taken by CLEP (College Level Examination Program). The subject matter must be appropriate to the student’s Cairn curriculum. A minimum score of 50 is required for credit to be awarded. A maximum of twelve credits of the arts and sciences core curriculum may be taken at other academic institutions by Cairn students from the time they first matriculate at the University until they graduate. This limit includes both planned transfer credits and CLEP. Credits earned prior to matriculating at Cairn are not counted toward this limit. All transfer credit, including planned transfer credit, CLEP, and credit for prior learning, must be completed prior to the semester in which a student will graduate. In addition, official transcripts of this transfer credit and/or other required paperwork must be received by the Registrar’s Office prior to the graduation application deadline for that semester.