Policies

( See Procedure 5035.2: Transfer Credit ) Official transcripts must come directly from the institution electronically or by sealed envelope. Unofficial transcripts can be used for initial advising purposes; however, official college transcripts are required for all students seeking transfer credit. ( Procedure 5035.2: Transfer Credit ) Official high school or high school equivalency transcripts are required for admission to the Nursing and Dental Hygiene programs and for all intercollegiate athletes.

In the event that a student would like the evaluation of transfer credit reconsidered, a course syllabus, along with a request to review, should be submitted to the Records Office.

Official college transcripts are recommended for transfer credit evaluation from each college previously attended and are required if a student requests transfer credit be applied to their NWCCD academic program or for prerequisite purposes.

A student who has failed to earn credit in an attempted college course may not receive credit by examination in the same course. Students attempting credit by examination for courses in which they are currently enrolled must do so before they have completed no more than 20% of the course.

Credit for Prior Learning The College will inquire regarding each veteran or veteran dependents previous education and training, and will request transcripts from all prior institutions, including military training, traditional college coursework and vocational training. Previous transcripts will be evaluated and credit will be granted as appropriate.

College entrance examinations are not required for admission to the College, but students not submitting test scores or college-level transfer credit in English or Math are encouraged to take placement exams to assist in proper course placement in English and Math.

Other Transfer Credit/Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) For more detail, please see Procedure 6010.3: Credit for Prior Learning and the NWCCD CPL Handbook. Military Training: Students who have served in the US Armed Forces may be awarded transfer credit for courses completed in military schools. Students who wish to apply for credit on the basis of their military schooling should submit a copy of their Joint Service Transcript (JST) transcript (or its equivalent) to the District. Evaluation is completed by the Records Office. Evaluation for the granting of credit for military-based training is based on recommendations in the American Council of Education (ACE) guidelines. Department faculty may be asked for further evaluation of credit. Students are encouraged to work with the Veterans Advisor on either campus if questions arise. Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Exam Program (CLEP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) : District faculty have reviewed the AP, CLEP and IB programs and established the minimum scores that must be earned in order to earn credit. Please refer to Procedure 6010.3: Credit for Prior Learning for a list of minimum scores, course equivalency and credits. Nationally Accredited Schools: Transcripts from schools which are not regionally accredited, but are accredited by national agencies recognized by Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may be reviewed and considered for credit. In such cases, we ask that students provide a copy of the catalog and course descriptions as well as the official transcript; additional course descriptions may be requested. In some cases, an interview with faculty may be required. Generally, courses which are equivalent to those offered in the District may be considered. Certificates and Training Programs conducted within business and training environments: The District will review certifications and licenses from formal training programs conducted within business and training environments for transfer credit. In some cases, a course challenge may be more expedient. Contact the Records Office for preliminary assessment. In all cases, faculty review is required. Portfolio Review: Through a portfolio review, students may be able to receive college credit for knowledge gained outside an accredited higher education institution. This can include, but is not limited to, previous experiences as an employee, business owner, information technology or computer specialist, in management, manufacturing, apprenticeships, as a skilled volunteer or hobbyist. These skills may be comparable or equivalent to credit courses offered by the District. To have this training/learning reviewed, submit any official and/or original training records/certificates, as well as supporting documentation that includes the following: content, level, time period, hours, location, method of instruction, instructors, method of evaluation, and achievement. Since training programs do not generally yield a transcript that contains all of this material, it is the student’s responsibility to gather and submit as much information as possible. The District evaluation process relies on information that proves the prior learning is comparable to college-level coursework. An assigned faculty member completes an assessment of the final, completed portfolio to determine its ability to demonstrate this requirement. Credit is also contingent upon whether the training is able to meet current industry standards. A non-refundable fee is payable before assessment begins. Please refer to Procedure 6010.3: Credit for Prior Learning and the CPL Handbook for additional CPL information.

Official college transcripts are required if a student requests transfer credit be applied to their NWCCD academic program or for prerequisite purposes. Once application to the College is made, official transcripts are evaluated by the Records Office, and a transfer equivalency report is provided to the applicant/student. Acceptability of transferred credits is determined by NWCCD, as the receiving institution.

Transfer Credit Not Accepted Unrelated Courses: Credit is not accepted if the courses are not related to any type of course offered by the District, such as Cosmetology. Unacceptable grades: Coursework must be completed with a letter grade of “C” or better. Coursework completed with a grade of “D” or “F” does not transfer. Exceptions are at the discretion of the Registrar (i.e. Consortium Agreements).

TRANSFER CREDIT: Acceptance and Evaluation ( Procedure 5035.2 ) Transfer credit is considered from regionally accredited institutions in the United States. The American Council on Education Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education publication is used to identify accreditation. Credit from non-regionally accredited institutions is reviewed individually by the Registrar, in consultation with faculty. International credit must be evaluated by evaluators accredited by National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) in cases where English is not the primary language of the institution. Students transferring to NWCCD (District) are encouraged to provide official transcripts for evaluation from each institution attended or testing company (e.g., ACT, CLEP, AP) to assist in proper academic placement, transfer course evaluation, and overall academic advising. Coursework is evaluated by the Records Office once the student has applied for admission to any campus within the District. A transfer course equivalency report and letter is then provided with respect to how courses transfer to meet requirements at NWCCD. GPA does not transfer and is, therefore, not included in the District cumulative GPA. However, if a student is participating in a Consortium Agreement with another institution the earned transfer GPA will factor into the student’s Satisfactory Academic Progress. Please refer to Procedure 5041.32 Satisfactory Academic Progress for further details. No restriction is placed on the age of credits to be transferred unless specified by the individual program or academic department (i.e., Dental Hygiene restrictions on age of science courses as outlined by its accreditation standards).

General Transfer Credit: If a course is not identical to a course offered in the District, but is a college-level course, the course is general transfer credit. Repeat Courses: Coursework transferred to the District is evaluated against District rules for repeated courses, not the transfer institution rules.