Transfer of Credit Procedure
Purpose
The purpose of this policy is to establish consistent practices for accepting credit for college-level courses transferred into the College.
Policy
Minnesota State Community and Technical College accepts credit for undergraduate college-level courses.
Upon admission to the College, college-level courses shall be evaluated, as identified on official college transcripts, to determine if they shall be accepted in transfer. Once the credits are accepted in transfer, each program shall determine how the course credits will apply to program and graduation requirements.
Transfer of credit from another college or university shall involve at least three considerations:
1. Educational quality of the learning experience which the student transfers.
2. Comparability of the nature, content and level of the learning experience offered at the College.
3. Appropriateness and applicability of the learning experience to the programs offered at the College in light of the student’s educational goals.
Transfer of courses that are comparable or equivalent
The College shall accept courses in transfer that it determines to be comparable or equivalent to specific courses it offers.
Transfer of courses that are not comparable or not equivalent
College-level courses accepted in transfer by the College that are determined to be not comparable or not equivalent to specific courses taught at the College may or may not be accepted as electives. The College will address transfer of course credit consistent with the requirements of Minnesota State system policies and procedures for Undergraduate Course Credit Transfer. Students who are not satisfied with a transfer decision have the right to appeal to the College’s Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs. If the student is not satisfied with the decision of the Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs, they have a right to appeal to Office of the Chancellor of Minnesota State system. This decision will be final and binding.
Procedure
Upon admission to the College, all official transcripts will be forwarded through the appropriate workflow for review by the Transfer Specialist and/or DARS staff.
Course Equivalency
A comparable or equivalent course is one that is similar in nature, content and level of expected student performance on course outcomes to a course offered at the College. In evaluating courses for transfer equivalency, the standard for review should be not less than 75 percent comparability of course content.
Course equivalency “rules” are maintained in the Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS) software. Transfer work will be reviewed using DARS; all previously-determined rules will be applied to the student’s coursework.
When a student has transfer courses that have not previously been reviewed and entered in DARS, the Transfer Specialist and/or DARS staff will work with faculty from the appropriate discipline to determine course equivalency and/or MnTC goal area assignment. These decisions will be recorded in DARS for future reference.
Courses that are not directly equivalent to a course offered at the College but are college level will be assigned the appropriate generic transfer designation in DARS. Courses may also be assigned to a specific MnTC goal area along with the generic designator. All Minnesota State system policies regarding awarding of MnTC goal area(s) will be followed during the transfer evaluation process.
Courses that are below college level will be assigned as preparatory and may not be used to fulfill program requirements, although they may be used to fulfill the College’s developmental course requirements.
Accreditation
Students who have taken courses from institutions that are not regionally accredited (or were not regionally accredited at the time the student took the courses) will receive email communication explaining what documentation they need to provide in order to have their coursework evaluated. All documentation provided will be reviewed by the Transfer Specialist in consultation with appropriate faculty for review of course content as well as the appropriate Academic Dean for determination of appropriate faculty credentials.
International Transfer
Students who have taken courses from institutions outside of the United States will receive email communication explaining their options for having their courses evaluated by an agency specializing in evaluation of international credit.
Program-Specific Requirements
Transfer courses are subject to the same guidelines as the College’s courses in regards to fulfilling program requirements. This includes the five-year time
limit on technical courses and the requirement of specific programs that all required courses must be completed with a minimum grade of C.
Informal Appeal - When a course has not been granted direct equivalency to a course offered at the College, students may request further review of the course by providing additional documentation (such as a course outline). The Transfer Specialist will consult with appropriate faculty to review the submitted information for consideration of course equivalency and will adjust the student’s record accordingly if equivalency is granted.
Formal Appeal
If students are not satisfied with a transfer decision, they have the right to appeal to the College’s Vice President of Academic and Student Affairs by completing the Transfer of Credit Appeal form (currently needs to be developed). If the student is not satisfied with the college’s transfer appeal decision, the student may submit a request to the Senior Vice Chancellor of Academic and Student Affairs for a system level appeal of the College’s transfer appeal decision. The procedure for a system level appeal is defined in Minnesota State system Undergraduate Course Transfer Credit Procedure.
Associated Policy and Procedures
Minnesota State Community and Technical College Transfer of Credit Policy