Transfer Credit Policies

Transfer Credit

New England College will grant credit for course work taken at other regionally accredited colleges in accordance with the recommendations of the “Transfer Credit Practices of Selected Educational Institutions” published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers.

New England College recognizes that this activity must be governed by regulations that are clear, consistent, and equitable.

The Registrar has the sole authority to grant transfer credit. The transfer credit evaluator, acting on behalf of the Registrar, evaluates all requests for advanced standing and will notify transfer students in writing of credit granted. The evaluator works closely with Associate Deans, faculty, and subject matter experts to ensure that all credit granted is based on the most current academic information.

Transfer Policies

Transfer credit will be normally awarded only for course work completed at regionally accredited institutions of higher education or the equivalent in other countries.

New England College awards credit only; grades and other academic honors from other institutions are not recorded on a student’s academic record, with the exception of courses taken through New Hampshire College and University Council (NHCUC) schools after a student has matriculated at New England College.

The evaluator reviews each course on an individual basis by comparing catalog course descriptions and reviewing any other appropriate documents. A course equivalent will be assigned to each course granted transfer credit, and the evaluator will indicate if that credit will apply to general education requirements. If the student has indicated a major, the evaluator will indicate if that credit will apply to degree requirements. Transfer credits are awarded on a credit‐by‐credit basis only. A 3 credit course taken at another institution will satisfy a 4 credit requirement at NEC, but only 3 credits of transfer will be granted for that course. Students transferring from institutions on the quarter‐hour system will be granted 0.67 semester hours per quarter hour. Not all credits granted will necessarily be applicable to degree requirements. If previous course work is deemed to have no applicability to a degree program, or if no comparable course at New England College can be identified, it will not be added to the transcript.  If the course work is deemed comparable to college‐level work and can be used towards a degree, then unassigned elective credit may be granted.

Entering transfer students will be granted class standing according to the following table:

Transfer credit of any type granted by other institutions must be reevaluated by New England College prior to granting New England College credit. Students must have an official transcript sent to New England College from each school attended.

Only those courses in which a student has received a grade of C‐ or better will be considered for transfer credit, except as stated below:

• Any student possessing an Associate’s degree from a regionally accredited institution may be granted junior standing (60 credits), provided that the student has earned at least 60 credits at the previous institution. When junior standing is granted, all passing course work will be granted credit, regardless of grade, with the exception that no more than 16 credits of D grades will be accepted. Please note that some majors may have restrictions on the number of D grades within the major. Transfer students with Associate of Arts degrees should understand that some college programs may require more than 2 years to complete.
• If a D grade is received in the first course of a 2‐course series (such as Accounting I and II) and a C‐ or better grade is received in the second course, credit will be granted for both courses, subject to the 16‐credit limit noted above.

Evaluation for transfer credit will be made at the time of a student’s admission to New England College. Students who have attended other institutions of higher education must include official transcripts from all previous institutions in their application, regardless of whether or not they wish to be granted credit for that work. Course work in progress at the time of application will be evaluated on a tentative basis and credit awarded pending receipt of an official transcript.

Courses taken at other institutions after a student is enrolled at New England College must be approved in advance through the Registrar’s Office.

Transfer credit will be awarded up to 90 credits towards a Bachelor’s degree and 44 credits towards an Associate’s degree. Students are subject to the residency requirement for their degree as follows:

Bachelor’s: At minimum, a student must earn at New England College:

• 30 credits or more and
• 24 of the last 30 credits that meet degree requirements and
• 12 credits that meet major requirements

Associate’s: At minimum, a student must earn at New England College:

• 16 credits or more and
• 16 of the last 20 credits that meet degree requirements and
• 8 credits that meet major requirements

Students who repeat courses at New England College for which they have already received transfer credit will lose that transfer credit.

General Education courses are not required to be equivalent to New England College courses but must satisfy the same guidelines and principles as New England College Liberal Core Curriculum courses.

Students transferring from institutions where course work is graded by non-traditional mechanisms will be asked to request that the institution provide letter equivalents or written evaluations from individual instructors.

Credit will be granted for each score equal to or higher than those recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Placement and course equivalencies are determined by the appropriate discipline.

College Entrance Examination Board advanced placement tests with scores of 3, 4, or 5 will be granted up to 8 credits, depending on the exam and the score. Placement and course equivalencies are determined by the appropriate discipline.

No credit will be granted for the following:

• social activities;
• pre‐collegiate or remedial courses;
• correspondence courses, unless recognized and offered by the U.S. Armed Forces Institute;
• continuing education units.

Associate of Arts/Science Degree Transfer Policy

Students with a conferred Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree from a regionally accredited institution in transfer will have demonstrated breadth of learning sufficiently equivalent to that provided by New England College’s Liberal Arts and Sciences General Education curriculum, as long as the degree included a Natural Science course with a laboratory component.

Please note:  To meet accreditation standards, students must complete a minimum of 40 credits in coursework in the liberal arts to graduate with a Bachelor’s degree.  This can include coursework completed in the major or electives in disciplines associated with the liberal arts taken at either the transfer institution or New England College.

International Equivalency Policies

• British General Certificate of Education (G.C.E.) “A” level laboratory science courses be granted 10 credits for a grade of A, B or C and 7 credits for a grade of D or E.
• Other G.C.E. “A” level courses will be granted 9 credits for a grade of A, B or C and 6 credits for a grade of D or E.
• Students holding a French Baccalaureate II will be granted 30 credits and sophomore standing.
• Students completing a 13th year at a Canadian secondary school will be granted appropriate credit using AACRAO or British Council standards.
• International Baccalaureate will be granted up to 30 credits by individual subjects.
• Work comparable to British “A” level work will be granted credit accordingly.

Credit by Proficiency Examination

College‐Level Exam Program (CLEP): New England College awards credits for each score greater than or equal to the American Council on Education minimum recommendation. Additionally, ACE evaluations of non-collegiate sponsored learning (including DSST, Straighterline, and Saylor) will be honored.