Transfer Credit Policies
Transfer Credit Policies |
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Summary of General Principles and Rules
Transfer credit to Trinity College is considered from two categories of institutions: 1) regionally accredited U.S. institutions of higher education, and 2) the liberal arts universities of other countries, which are recognized by their appropriate national educational authorities and which have been approved by the Trinity College Office of International Programs. The Office of the Registrar evaluates transfer credit, and acts on behalf of the Trinity Curriculum Committee in granting final approval for transfer credits. Students must obtain the signature of their faculty adviser on the Application for Transfer Credit, indicating that the students' proposed Study Plan has been reviewed and recommended for transfer of credit. However, final approval of each course rests with the Office of the Registrar.Credit is transferred on a course-by-course basis, not on a semester-by-semester basis. Course work accepted for transfer must parallel Trinity's own course offerings and/or be liberal arts in nature. Courses whose primary focus is the acquisition of technical skills related to professional training, preparation for which does does not require exposure to the fundamental bases of literary, philosophical, interpretive, or scientific understandings, will not be granted credit. Examples of nonliberal arts courses that are not transferable include, but are not limited to: business, management, marketing advertising, public relations, crafts, public speaking, cooking, interior decorating, fashion design, and professionally oriented courses in law and medicine. Examples of other courses that are not transferable to the College include: English as a Second Language, credit by examination, CLEP (College Level Examination Program) credit, internships without sufficient academic component, ROTC courses, military courses, and correspondence courses. Courses taught through the Internet or via Distance Education are not acceptable.
Course work that duplicates other work already credited at Trinity may not be transferred. Lower level courses in mathematics and languages cannot be transferred subsequent to the crediting of higher level courses in the same discipline. Transfer credit will not be entered onto the student's record until all questions concerning particular courses have been resolved. Written notice that transfer credit has been posted will be provided to each student each time credit is transferred for him or her by the Registrar's Office. After credit has been transferred to a student's record at Trinity, such credit may not be removed unless the student later gains credit for a Trinity course that duplicates the earlier credit. The faculty reserve the right to examine a student on any work presented for transfer before allowing credit.
A student who wishes to receive credit for work completed through direct enrollment in a foreign college or university for which Trinity approves enrollment only through the sponsorship of an American institution or program must successfully petition the Committee on International Programs. The Petition for Permission to Apply to a Program Not on the Approved List must be submitted by February 15 for the following fall semester, September 29 for the spring semester, and May 15 for the summer semester. The Committee meets only during the academic year, and cannot consider petitions at other times. Petitions must be submitted to the Office International Programs.
Transcript and Grade Requirements
In order to be considered for transfer credit, course work must appear on the sponsoring institution's official transcript and be issued by the registrar. Official transcripts must be mailed to Trinity's Office of the Registrar. Hand-delivered transcripts are not accepted. Credit will only be considered for transfer if the transcripting college awards academic credit and it the grade earned is equivalent to a C- (70) or better. Work from foreign universities must be assessed to be equivalent to a C- or better according to accepted grade conversion scales.
U.S. Institution Trinity Course Credit 1 Academic Year (Fall and Spring) 9.0 1 Semester (Fall or Spring) 5.0 1 Quarter 3.0 Summer 4.0 Foreign Institution Trinity Course Credit 1 Academic Year (Fall and Spring) 9.0 1 Semester (Fall or Spring) 5.0 1 Term 3.0 Summer 4.0 Credit at Trinity will not be increased over that awarded by the transcripting institution. Normally credit will not be decreased from that awarded by the transcripting institution, but the following exceptions apply: transferred physical education courses are limited to 0.25 course credit each (the amount awarded for such courses at Trinity) and to a maximum of 1.0 course credit; courses that partially overlap work already credited may be accepted for partial credit; internships valued at 6-8 semester hours or 3-4 semester hours elsewhere will be granted 1.0 or .50 course credit respectively, if the experiential and/or academic component is comparable to a 1.0 integrated or .50 exploratory internship at Trinity.
Semester Hour/Quarter Hour Conversions
The following conversions are made from semester hour or quarter hour systems to Trinity's course credit system:
Semester
HoursTrinity
Course CreditsQuarter
HoursTrinity
Course Credits3 or 4* 1.0 5 1.0 2 0.50 4 0.75 1 0.25 3 0.50 5 1.50 2 0.25 6 to 8* 2.0 1 0.0 9 or 10* 3.0 6 1.25 * Courses in science that have full laboratories and are valued elsewhere at 4 semester hours will transfer to Trinity as 1.25 course credits; those valued at 8 semester hours will transfer as 2.5 course credits. Credits from the credit-awarding institution are not usually summed before transfer. In order that the student not lose as much credit as would be the case if credit for courses were transferred individually, the following exceptions may apply: (1) Courses in the same discipline that have low fractional credit values at an institution using the quarter system (i.e., courses valued at fewer than 2 quarter hours) will be combined in order to attain the minimum threshold (2 quarter hours) for transfer credit. (2) If a foreign study program awards semester hour credits, and if one-half or more of a student's courses in any semester are valued at fewer than 3 semester hours, then the courses valued at fewer than 3 semester hours for that semester will be summed. A special formula will be applied.
Transfer Credit Rules for Specific Disciplines
The following rules and procedures concerning restrictions or conditions for transfer credit or courses in several disciplines also apply:
Accounting a maximum of 2 course credits in general, introductory coursework will be accepted Computer Science 0.5 course credit is awarded for a programming course valued at 3 or 4 semester hours elsewhere, and 1.0 course credit is the maximum that will be awarded for programming courses Economics students who transfer both Introductory Macroeconomics and Introductory Microeconomics may not enrolled in Economics 101,Basic Economic Principles, at Trinity College. Students who transfer in either Introductory macroeconomics or Introductory Microeconomics may enroll in Economics 101, but will receive .50 course credit for the transferred course. Education many "practical" courses are acceptable, but such courses as "Teaching Crafts" are not English a maximum of two course credits in introductory expository writing courses will be accepted Film Making a maximum of two course credits will be accepted Journalism a maximum of two course credits in journalism courses emphasizing writing will be accepted Mathematics courses at the pre-calculus level or higher will be transferred; courses of a lower level and those in algebra, trigonometry, or geometry will be reviewed by the Chairperson of Mathematics to determine eligibility for credit at Trinity College Physical Education only courses like those taught at Trinity will be transferred; credit for intercollegiate sports will not be transferred Studio Arts a student desiring credit for courses in the craft disciplines (those using fibers, metals, or clay) must receive the written approval of the Director of Studio Arts before enrolling.
Post-Matriculation Transfer Credit
Students wishing to receive transfer credit from another institution after matriculating at Trinity must receive approval by completing an Application for Transfer Credit, available from the Office of the Registrar, and obtaining all required signatures. The deadlines for submitting Applications for Transfer Credit to the Office of the Registrar are: 1) for the fall semester or a full academic year: May 1; 2) for the spring semester: November 15; 3) for summer classes: well before the summer session begins. A completed Application for Transfer Credit will be reviewed once a student who is participating in an approved study abroad program has fulfilled all requirements set by the Office of International Programs.
Official course descriptions or syllabi, in English, must be attached to the Application for Transfer Credit; course descriptions transposed by students are not accepted. Course descriptions specific to particular internships, independent studies, and research must also be attached. If official descriptions are not available, a specially prepared summary signed by the Director of the host program will be accepted.
Trinity Students who have accumulated 18 course credits toward their degree requirements may not transfer credit from two-year colleges.
Upon approval by the Assistant Registrar, photocopies of the Application for Transfer Credit, showing Trinity course credits to be earned upon satisfactory completion of the courses and any other special comments or notations, will be distributed to the student, his or her major department chairperson(s), and his or her interdisciplinary minor director(s).
All approved post-matriculation transfer credit shall be posted with applicable credits and grades on the Trinity College transcript, and shall be counted toward the requirement of 36 course credits for the Bachelor's degree. Transfer credit will be posted only after any outstanding questions concerning particular courses are resolved. Grades for transferred courses are not included in calculations of grade point average, rank-in-class, or other academic standing.(Ending with Summer 1996, grades for transferred courses were included in computations of grade point average and rank-in-class.)
Major, Interdisciplinary Minor, and General Education Distribution Credit
Students who wish to use course work that has been accepted for transfer to fulfill requirements for the major or an interdisciplinary minor must obtain the written approval of the Department Chairperson or Interdisciplinary Minor Coordinator, using the applicable section(s) of the Application for Transfer Credit. Courses not approved to fulfill major or minor requirements will be considered "elective" credit at Trinity.
Students who have matriculated may fulfill no more than two General Education distribution requirements through post-matriculation transfer credit; requests may be made using the applicable section of the Application for Transfer Credit. Courses used to fulfill General Education Distribution, major, or interdisciplinary minor credit must be taken for a letter grade.
Internships
An internship valued at 6 - 8 semester hours elsewhere will be granted 1.0 course credit at Trinity if the experiential and academic components are comparable to a 1.0 course credit internship at Trinity. An internship valued at 3 - 4 semester hours elsewhere will be granted 0.5 course credit if its requirements indicate it is equivalent to an exploratory internship at Trinity. Please see the Internship Office for details about these definitions. Internships completed away from Trinity are included in the total number of Internship credits allowed towards the degree (please refer to the requirements for the VBachelor's Degree in the Trinity College Bulletin.
Pass/Fail Courses
If allowed by the host program or institution, students may take the equivalent of 1.0 Trinity course credit on a Pass/Fail basis each semester. Any course taken Pass/Fail in a non-Trinity study program counts toward the total limit of four Pass/Fail courses applicable for graduation at Trinity. Courses graded Pass will not be accepted unless certification is provided from the issuing registrar stating that the original grade or the quality of the work was equivalent to a C- or better. Summer courses cannot be transferred if elected Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit.
Repeated Courses
Course work of any kind may not be repeated for credit. Students who have already earned credit, but need to repeat a class in order to improve the grade first earned, must attach the written approval of the department chairperson for that subject to the Application for Transfer Credit. If approval is granted, the original grade will continue to be included in the grade point average, and the course repeated outside Trinity will be listed with the new grade shown, but not calculated into the grade point average, and without credit awarded.
Changes in Courses
Once students arrive at their host program, changes in their approved Study Plan may occur. Students must submit changes on another Application for Transfer Credit, and forward the Application directly to their Trinity Faculty adviser, with the new course descriptions attached. Students may print an Application for Transfer Credit directly from Trinity's web site at: www.trincoll.edu/depts/registra/transfer/transapp.html. Students will receive a photocopy of the approved Application for Transfer Credit at their host address, if it is known, or at their home address.
Last Semester or Academic Year Away
A student who wishes to spend the last semester of undergraduate study (or all of the senior year) away from Trinity must secure the permission of his or her major department chairperson, and, through the Registrar, the permission of the Dean of Faculty. All transfer credit requirements for a student studying away for his or her last semester must be completed at least two weeks prior to the date of Trinity's Commencement to avoid postponement of graduation. Further instructions and deadlines are available from the Office of the Registrar.
Hartford Consortium for Higher Education/Twelve-College Exchange
Courses take in the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education or the Twelve-College Exchange are not subject to the C- or better grade requirement. Courses graded lower than C- will be treated as similarly graded courses at Trinity. Grades for these courses will be included in calculations of grade point average, rank-in-class, and other academic standings. Students need not complete an Application for Transfer Credit to enroll in courses in the Hartford Consortium for Higher Education; a special Consortium Registration form is available from the Office of the Registrar. Please refer to the current Bulletin for further information about Consortium Registration. (Consortium registration is not available during the summer; students enrolling in summer course work at a school that is a member of the Hartford Consortium must complete an Application for Transfer Credit.) Students participating in the Twelve-College Exchange, however, must complete the Application for Transfer Credit and receive advance approval for courses.
Pre-Matriculation Transfer Credit
A maximum of 18 course credits taken at other institutions prior to matriculation at Trinity (20 for students who are matriculated at Trinity before fall 1996) may be transferred to Trinity. Pre-matriculation courses accepted for transfer will be reviewed by the Office of the Registrar for fulfillment of the Trinity General Education Distribution requirements. A course description and/or syllabus may be requested for a course, if its acceptability is in question. Transfer credit is not awarded for courses transcripted by other colleges or universities, if those courses were offered as part of a college-in-high school program (these are courses with college syllabi that are taught to secondary school students by college teachers or by college-approved secondary school teachers).
Transcripts of pre-matriculation work completed in foreign universities will usually be referred to a national credentials evaluation service, such as Educational Credential Evaluators in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, for evaluation and transfer credit recommendations. After Trinity has received the evaluation report, the College's transfer credit policies will be used to determine what portion of the work, in any, will be accepted for transfer credit.
Advanced Placement and Certain European Examinations
Advanced Placement (AP) credit is awarded according to the departmental policies stated in the Trinity College Bulletin, Catalogue Issue 1999-2000.
Credit for International Baccalaureate and certain European examinations is awarded according to the policy stated in the Trinity College Bulletin, Catalogue Issue 1999-2000.