Transferring Courses Between Institutions

As a student plans a degree program, make sure that the courses taken each semester apply towards that degree. An academic adviser on the students home campus can save time and money by ensuring that each course taken fits the learners program.

How do courses transfer from one institution to another?

Students sometimes switch institutions or programs of study during their college career. Before a student enters the new university or department, any classes already taken are evaluated to see whether they match courses on the new campus. Generally, previous courses are considered as:

1. An equivalent course - The course at one institution is accepted as meeting the requirements of another institution. The course counts toward a degree at the new institution. To be considered for this transfer, the student should be in good standing at the home institution and have completed the course with a grade of C or better.
2. Undistributed credit - No equivalent course exists at the new campus, but the student receives credit for taking the course. An individual department may or may not accept that credit toward general requirements for the degree they grant.
3. Nontransferable credit - The university has no equivalent or similar course, so the credit does not transfer or count toward a degree program.

How do I know if a particular course fits my program?

If the student plans to take courses from the distance classes offered through the Indiana College Network, before registering for a class, make sure the student checks with an academic adviser on their home campus that the possible class transfers into:

1. The students home institution - If a student is new to higher education and has chosen a home institution, but has not yet established a degree program, contact the IPSE campus coordinator to ensure that a course from another institution transfers to the students university or college. You can find these coordinators for each campus listed as IPSE coordinators in the institutional profiles. This handbook contains coordinators listed by name and university in the consortium support tabbed section of this handbook.
2. The students degree program - If the student has entered a degree program at their home institution and wants to know whether a course from another institution can be added or substituted for another course in a specific degree program, ask the student to contact the academic adviser for that program.

How does a student find an adviser?

If the student doesn’t have an appointed adviser, the IPSE campus coordinator can help the student reach an academic adviser.

How can students ensure that a course from another institution will apply towards their degree program?

A “credit transfer agreement” is included on the ICN Web site. Encourage the student to plan ahead and talk with an academic adviser about this agreement to ensure that a course from another institution is accepted by the home institution and the students school or department. Note that student will want to ask the adviser whether he/she is willing to sign this agreement before classes begin to verify that the course to be taken will transfer into a specific degree program. Emphasize to the student to keep the signed document safely with other important records.

When are courses transferred?

If the student has the credit transfer agreement, the IPSE coordinator on the home campus should verify at the beginning of the semester that the course will count towards total number of courses taken during the semester. This is particularly important for students using federal forms for financial assistance who need all courses for the next semester to appear on the home institution’s registrar’s records. A student not using federal forms for financial assistance can wait until after receiving a grade for a transcript be exchanged between institutions.