St. Cloud State University Policies & Procedures

Transfer - Undergraduate Courses and Credits Link☍

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Current Status: Approved

Policy Type: Academic

Department/Division: Academic Affairs

Effective Date: 02/07/2014

Last Updated: 03/29/2021

Applies To: Students, Faculty, Staff

Responsible University Officer: Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Policy Owner: Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs

Policy Contact: Office of Academic Affairs

Rationale

St. Cloud State University desires to facilitate the transfer of undergraduate courses and credits for the purpose of degree completion.  

Policy

As a member institution of the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities, St. Cloud State adheres to the Board of Trustee’s 3.21 policy and associated 3.21.1 system procedure, which apply to all students, faculty and staff.

Undergraduate coursework and credits, including the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) courses and completed goal areas, will be considered for transfer consistent with this Board policy. All course and credit evaluation will be based upon official transcripts received from the original credit-issuing institution.

Procedure

St. Cloud State University (SCSU) follows the 3.21.1 system procedure. As required by this procedure, SCSU communicates current transfer-related information through a dedicated transfer webpage. The website includes information regarding how credits transfer from institutions both within and outside of the Minnesota State System, major transfer guides, transfer resources, and Minnesota State transfer programs including the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC), Transfer Pathways and articulation agreements.

The comprehensive institutional website and the Board of Trustee’s policy and procedure can be found using the links in the Supporting URLs section below.

Frequently Asked Questions

Q. How will my courses transfer to SCSU?

A. When determining course comparability or equivalency, SCSU looks for similarity in course goals, content and level of difficulty. 

For more detailed information, please visit the Transfer Admissions webpage (see Supporting URLs). The website outlines information including but not limited to:

  • How grade level impacts course and credit transfer
  • How to utilize Transferology, a free tool that helps determine transferability and applicability of credits
  • Minnesota State transfer programs
  • Major transfer guides

Q.  Do I have to transfer all of my coursework from previous institutions? 

A.  A university record is considered to be a continuing one. Students who transfer credit may not disregard a poor record during the transfer process as a means of academic forgiveness. Students should consult with their previous institution(s) regarding college and/or university policies governing academic forgiveness prior to transfer. SCSU will recognize and apply academic forgiveness from previous institutions who have formally given approval for this provision, as documented on the transcript of the previous institution. Acknowledgement of attendance at previous colleges and/or universities is mandatory. Failure to list each college and/or university attended on a student’s application for admission may be considered reason for cancellation of admission or dismissal from the University.

Q.  How will my international coursework transfer?

A.  International coursework will be evaluated after an official, translated transcript has been received. Initially, credits are transferred as electives. However, credits can be evaluated on a course-by-course basis for equivalency with the submission of a translated syllabi.  Courses without translated syllabi will be deemed as general elective credit. If further evaluation is required by the major program or a specific licensing, that will be addressed after admission to SCSU. For more information, please see the International Admissions: Transfer Students website (see Supporting URLs).

Q.  Will my cumulative grade point average (GPA) transfer?

A.  Transfer courses will not be calculated in the St. Cloud State cumulative GPA.

Q.  Does the accreditation of my previous schools affect transferability of courses?

A.  Transfer credit from a regionally accredited college or university (North Central, Middle States, etc.) will be accepted by SCSU subject to limitations. Transfer credit from a nationally accredited college or university on the CHEA/US DOE list will be reviewed for transfer credit acceptance on a case-by-case basis.

Q.  Do you accept remedial coursework for transfer?

A.  Courses transferred to SCSU that are evaluated as developmental in nature will not be granted college level transfer credit, even if the sending institution has awarded credit. However, these courses may be used to satisfy prerequisite requirements.

Q.  Does SCSU offer credit for prior learning?

A.  See the St. Cloud State University Policy on Credit for Prior Learning encompassing: Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (IB) credit, Military Course Completion following American Council on Education (ACE) Guidelines, Project Lead the Way (PLW) credit, and Course Specific Examinations as determined by each academic department (see Supporting URLs). 

Q.  How do I know which of my classes transferred?

A.  Upon admission to St. Cloud State, an official transcript evaluation will be completed by the registrar’s office and will be accessible on a student’s Degree Audit Report (DARS). The DARS is located under the ‘Grades and Transcripts’ tab in eServices. For more detailed information, please visit the Transfer Admissions website (see Supporting URLs). 

Q.  My course(s) didn’t transfer like I was hoping. What can I do?

A.  For courses from previous institutions that did not transfer into SCSU as expected, students can pursue transfer course review and credit appeal. Please visit the Transfer Admissions website for more specific information and instructions (see Supporting URLs). 

Keywords

transfer, credit transfer, course transfer, course equivalency, Degree Audit Report, DARS, Minnesota Transfer Curriculum, MnTC, Transfer Pathways, articulation agreement, Transferology, transfer guides, credit transfer appeal, course transfer appeal

Related St. Cloud State University Policies

Supporting URLs

Definitions

Comparable or Equivalent Course

A course that meets a standard of comparability of 75% or more similarity in learning outcomes and content using the course outlines, or for a course from outside of the Minnesota State System, a course outline, syllabus, or comparable course description document.

Course

A series of lectures or lessons in a particular subject, typically leading to a qualification.

Coursework

Written or practical work done by a student during a course of study, usually assessed in order to count toward a final mark or grade.

Credit

A unit of measurement assigned to a college or university course offering or an equivalent learning experience that takes into consideration achieved student learning outcomes and instructional time. For purposes of this policy, this definition will also apply to credits from sources other than colleges and universities.

Credit for Prior Learning

Academic credit awarded for demonstrated college- and university-level learning gained through learning experiences outside college or university credit-bearing courses and assessed by academically sound and rigorous methods and processes.

Degree Audit Reporting System (DARS)

An electronic database tool that produces a report available to students reflecting his or her progress toward completion of an academic program.

Goal Area

Any of the 10 subdivisions of the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum: (1) Communication, (2) Critical Thinking, (3) Natural Sciences, (4) Mathematical and Logical Reasoning, (5) History, Social and Behavioral Sciences, (6) Humanities and Fine Arts, (7) Human Diversity, (8) Global Perspective, (9) Civic and Ethical Responsibility, and (10) People and the Environment. Each goal area has its own definition and list of competencies. A description of the goal area definitions and competencies can be found in Minnesota State Board Operating Instructions 3.21.1.1.

Military Courses

A curriculum with measurable outcomes and learning assessments that service members are required to successfully complete based on their military occupation.

Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC)

Curriculum consisting of general education courses and goal area definitions and competencies designed for transfer among Minnesota public colleges and universities.

Nationally Accredited College or University

A college or university that is accredited by a national accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Regionally Accredited College or University

A college or university that is accredited by a regional accrediting body recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation.

Student

All Persons or group of persons who:

  1. Are enrolled in one or more courses, either credit or non-credit, through a college or university; or
  2. Withdraw, transfer, or graduate after an alleged violation of the code of student conduct; or
  3. Are not officially enrolled for a particular term but who have a continuing relationship with the college or university; or
  4. Have been notified of their acceptance for admission or have initiated the process of application for admission or financial aid; or
  5. Are not college or university employees and are not enrolled in the institution but live in a college or university owned or controlled residence hall.

Active Student:

   Criteria 1: 

  1. A degree-seeking student who has completed the enrollment process and has been admitted into the University, an undergraduate major or a graduate program of study; or
  2. A degree-seeking student who has completed the enrollment process and has not yet been admitted into the University, and undergraduate major or a graduate program of study; or
  3. A student seeking a graduate certificate

  Criteria 2:

 

         The student must have registered into and successfully completed at least one credit in a semester in the previous two years. 

 

A student who fulfills Criteria 1, will cease to be an active student at the University if they do not register for and successfully complete at least one credit in a semester within two years, will be administratively removed from the University and be categorized as inactive.

 

The credits that the student accumulates as an active student will not expire upon becoming an inactive student, unless the student has been admitted to a graduate program, refer to the Graduate Student Handbook for the program completion timeframe guidelines.

 

Graduate Studies at SCSU has procedures for an admitted student to request a leave or absence, please see the Graduate Student Handbook for information on that process.

 

An inactive student intending to return to the University will not have to reapply for admission to the University, but will need to reapply for admission into a current program of study. 

Transfer

The evaluation of course(s) and credit(s) awarded by a college, university, or other education provider and the application of them toward an academic program and/or degree requirements at a college or university.

Transfer Appeal

A documented request submitted by a student for review of transfer decisions regarding how courses or credits were or were not accepted for transfer to meet graduation, program/major requirements or electives.

Transfer Pathways

Associate of Arts (AA), Associate of Science (AS), and Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) degrees that transfer to designated baccalaureate degree programs at Minnesota State universities.

Transferology

A web resource that provides students with course equivalency and course relationship information, and identifies how courses transfer to specific programs and majors at colleges and universities.

Contacts

Responsible University Officer
   Pattit, Katherina G.
   Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs
 
katherina.pattit@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-3213
Owner
   Pattit, Katherina G.
   Interim Provost/Vice President for Academic Affairs
 
katherina.pattit@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-3213
Contact
   Schwartzkopf, Lucie B.
   Office of Academic Affairs
 
lbschwartzko@stcloudstate.edu
320-308-3149

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