To be acceptable for transfer credit, U.S. courses must be taken in residence at (i.e., through registered enrollment in) a regionally or nationally accredited institution and must be of a liberal arts nature. Courses taken outside the U.S. must be transcripted either by an accredited U.S. partner institution or by a foreign institution certified in its home country by a process of comparable rigor to U.S. accreditation. For courses taken under the standard U.S. semester system, the number of semester credit hours awarded by Allegheny is equal to the credit awarded by the institution at which the course was taken. For institutions that use other systems, the credit awarded by the institution is converted to the equivalent number of semester credit hours.
For students who have earned academic credits while in military service, and which are recorded on a Joint Service Transcript, credit will be accepted per the recommendation of the American Council on Education, so long as it otherwise meets the criteria for transfer of credit to Allegheny College. Transcripted military experiences are ineligible for transfer.
A grade of “C” or better must be earned in each course; courses with grades of “C-” or below will not be accepted for transfer. Courses taken on a pass/fail basis will be accepted only if a grade of “pass” is equivalent to at least a “C” at the awarding institution. Transfer credit will not be awarded for any course for which a student has previously earned credit at Allegheny. In addition, if a student subsequently takes a course at Allegheny for which transfer credit has previously been awarded, the transfer credit will be removed from the student’s Allegheny transcript. Transferred course credits count toward the graduation requirement of 128 semester credit hours, but the grades for such courses are not included in the student’s academic grade-point average. The Allegheny transcript does not indicate the grades of transferred courses.
The number of credits that can be transferred toward the undergraduate degree is limited by the academic residency requirement, which also limits how students may sequence transfer and Allegheny courses as they complete the final courses for their undergraduate degrees. The residency requirement is satisfied upon completion of 64 semester credit hours “in residence.” This means that students may not transfer more than 64 credits towards the undergraduate degree until after the 128 credit requirement for graduation has been satisfied. For more complete information, see The Academic Residency
Transfer Credit and Graduation Requirements
Limits on how many transfer credits may be used to satisfy major or minor requirements are established by the respective program.
In some cases, transfer credit may be used to satisfy the College Distribution Requirements. Students should keep in mind that the Distribution Requirements are defined in terms of semester credit hours. For example, a three-credit course from another institution will only partially satisfy a four-credit requirement at Allegheny.
If a course transfers in as an exact equivalent to an Allegheny course (e.g., FRNCH 110 , HIST 328 ) it will count towards the same Distribution Requirement as does the equivalent Allegheny course.
Courses from Allegheny-sponsored national and international study programs and courses transferred in by students who did not matriculate at Allegheny College as first-year students (i.e., transfer students) will be evaluated through the usual process for transfer credit, and if they are equated to an exact Allegheny equivalent course, they will fulfill the same distribution requirements as the corresponding course taught on campus.
ONLY students who entered Allegheny College as transfer students may petition the Curriculum Committee to have a three-credit course from their prior institution fulfill a particular distribution requirement. If that petition is accepted, the fourth credit will be waived, although the student will still need to meet the credit requirements for graduation.
Students who wish to appeal to use an ineligible course to fulfill a College Distribution Requirement should contact the Registrar’s Office for assistance. The Curriculum Committee has the final authority to determine the eligibility of these courses for fulfillment of the College Distribution Requirements.
Note for students who matriculated before Fall, 2016, under the “old” distribution requirement: transfer courses may satisfy distribution requirements in many cases depending on the department, nature, and level of the course. Please consult the Registrar’s Office for more information.
Transcripts received from other accredited institutions are evaluated by the Office of the Registrar as promptly as possible. Students desiring to have work completed at other institutions considered for transfer credit should arrange to have official transcripts or other appropriate documents forwarded to Allegheny College as soon as possible. No transfer credit can be awarded until the appropriate documents have been received by the College.
Concurrent Enrollment
Matriculated, degree-seeking students are not permitted to enroll in classes simultaneously at Allegheny and at another institution. With the exception of credit for courses in an approved off-campus study program, credits earned at another academic institution during the same term that a student is in residence at Allegheny will not be accepted for transfer. Approved off-campus programs are defined as EL seminars; Allegheny-sponsored off-campus study programs; and Abroad Independent programs administered by Allegheny’s Office of International Education. Additionally, students participating in an ROTC program while enrolled at Allegheny College are eligible to transfer in courses earned through that program. All concurrently earned credits must meet the criteria for transfer of credit to Allegheny College.
College Credit for Prior Coursework
First-time, first-year students with eligible credits completed prior to matriculation are recommended to transfer in a maximum of 42 credits. This includes Credit by Examination (see below), credit obtained for college-level courses offered at high schools by accredited colleges and universities, which is treated as transfer credit, and transfer credit for work taken in residence at accredited colleges and universities. (See Transfer of Courses, above.) Students who wish to receive credit for college-level courses offered at high schools or who are now considering taking college or university courses elsewhere should contact the Office of the Registrar for advice about transfer credit and/or selection of courses.
However, first-time, first-year students may transfer in additional credits up to the maximum for all students of 64, but should be aware of the following caveats:
- Once posted on an Allegheny College transcript, transfer credits will not be removed unless the student successfully completes the exact equivalent Allegheny course while in residence.
- Students who bring a maximum of 64 credits from dual enrollment while in high school will not be able to transfer in any additional credits while enrolled at Allegheny, including from study away, off campus internships or summer classes transcripted by other institutions, or from other courses or experiences.
- Students should be aware that, per Federal regulations, they will lose eligibility for federal financial aid after the 192nd credit is posted to their transcript (150% of the 128 credits required for graduation).
- Students with dual enrollment credits may not yet be ready for upper-level courses. Students should consult with course instructors and their advisors as appropriate.
Students who wish to receive credit for college-level courses offered at high schools or who are now considering taking college or university courses elsewhere should contact the Office of the Registrar for advice about transfer credit and/or selection of courses.
This police is under the purview of the Academic Standards Committee. Changes are subject to a vote of the Faculty. (March 2019)
Credit by Examination
Students may earn college credit at Allegheny by participating in the Advanced Placement Program (AP) of the Educational Testing Service, the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), and the International Baccalaureate (IB) testing programs. To be eligible for credit, exams must be taken before the student enters college, though scores may still be submitted after enrolling.
Students may receive credit by examination for a maximum of 20 semester credit hours (five courses). Students who receive scores of four or five on an AP examination will receive academic credit, subject to the 20-credit limit on credit by examination. Placement will be determined by the appropriate department. AP credit and course placement are considered only after receipt of official examination scores from the Educational Testing Service.
Individuals who perform well on certain CLEP tests may receive both credit and placement, usually at the first-year or sophomore levels. Departments, in consultation with the Office of the Provost, periodically establish which credits may be earned by standardized testing. Students who score five or better on the higher-level examinations of the IB testing programs may be granted credit and placement by some departments.
In some cases, AP, CLEP, or IB credit may be used to satisfy the College Distribution Requirements. Students should keep in mind that the Distribution Requirements are defined in terms of semester credit hours. For example, a three-credit course from another institution will only partially satisfy a four-credit requirement at Allegheny.
If an AP, CLEP, or IB course transfers in as an Allegheny course equivalent (e.g., PSYCH 110 , MATH 160 ) it will receive the same credit towards fulfillment of the College Distribution Requirements as the equivalent course taken in residence at Allegheny College. AP, CLEP, or IB courses that do not transfer in as an Allegheny course equivalent do not count towards fulfillment of the College Distribution Requirements.
Note for students who matriculated between Fall, 2015, and Fall, 2016: Many AP courses do count towards the distribution requirement that applies to you. Please review your Degree Audit to see if your AP credit satisfies any of your distribution requirements.
Note for students who matriculated before Fall, 2015: AP courses do not count towards the distribution requirement that applies to you.
Pre-Approval of Transfer Credit
Please see here for further information.
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