transfer credit

Transfer Credit

Policy EM016

Volume 5, Enrollment Management and Student Success

Responsible Administrator: Vice President for Enrollment Management and Student

Success

Responsible Office: Office of the Registrar

Issued: December 2015

Last Updated: January 2023

Policy Statement

FIT has attracted a large transfer student population. Many students choose to transfer to FIT for our

specialized curriculum. The process of evaluating transcripts for liberal arts transfer credit is a function

of the Registrar’s Office. Registrars consult with appropriate liberal arts departments when necessary to

ensure the maximum transfer credits. These practices properly address standards articulated in the Joint

Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit (AACRAO, ACE, and CHEA). Transcripts with coursework

taken within the major or related area will be forwarded by the Admissions Office to the appropriate

academic department to determine if coursework taken is equivalent to FIT’s major or related area

courses.

Reason for the Policy

The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 and the Middle States Commission on Higher

Education require clearly stated information on transfer credit practices to be available to students and

other interested parties. This allows the transfer student to better assess potential academic standing at

FIT. Transfer students are important to FIT in its efforts to maintain and manage enrollment. FIT also

strives to align with the SUNY Seamless Transfer Policy and its efforts to permit students to complete a

degree without duplicative effort or unnecessary costs.

Who is Responsible for this Policy

• Enrollment Management and Student Success

• Academic Affairs

Who is Affected by this Policy

• Transfer Students

• High School Students with college credit

• International Transfer Students

• Current students requesting off-campus study

Definitions

• Accreditation: Accreditation is the recognition from an accrediting agency that an institution

maintains a certain level of educational standards. The U.S. Department of Education maintains

a database of accrediting agencies it recognizes. (See Related Documents section.)

• CLEP Examination: The College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a series of tests students

can take to earn college credit instead of taking a course.

• Current Students: Students enrolled at FIT who wish to wish to engage in off-campus study are

required to complete the Course Equivalency Assessment Form for review and approval of

coursework prior to registering at another college.

• High School Students: High school students who earn college credit toward their graduation

requirements are not considered transfer students; however, official college transcripts are

required for coursework to be evaluated for possible transfer credit. Students who sit for either

Advanced Placement (AP) exam or International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level exam should

have an official report sent to FIT by the issuing authority for review of possible transfer credit.

• International Students: Students who have studied outside of the United States are required to

submit their educational credentials to an approved credential evaluation service (see FIT

Admissions-International Student Applicants) for an initial evaluation of institutional

accreditation, subjects studied, grade, and credit conversions. The Registrar’s Office at FIT

evaluates students’ credentials for transfer credit based on FIT Policies and Procedures.

• Semester Credit: Transfer credit is awarded in semester credits. The two-thirds conversion rule

is applied to quarter credits.

• Submission of Transcripts: An official transcript, bearing the college’s seal and designated

official’s signature, is required to be sent from each institution attended before transfer credit

will be awarded. The admissions review presumes official transcript(s) from all colleges attended

prior to applying to FIT have been submitted. Therefore, once a student enrolls in his/her first

term at FIT, transfer credit will not be considered from colleges that were not disclosed during

the admissions application process.

• SUNY or CUNY: Liberal arts courses completed with a minimum “D” grade or equivalent will be

considered for transfer credit for students who have an earned associate’s degree from a SUNY

or CUNY school. See Major and Related Coursework below for additional information.

• Transferable Grade: A grade of “C” or better must be earned for approval of transfer credit.

Courses with “P” (pass/fail) or “S” (satisfactory/unsatisfactory) grades will also be considered for

transfer credit. Only the course and credit, not the grade, are posted to the FIT record. Transfer

credit is assigned a grade of “T” and will not affect the FIT grade point average.

• Advanced Placement Exam: A grade of three (3) or higher is required for transfer credit to be

approved. Credits awarded are determined by the exam subject. See website for FIT course

equivalents. CLEP: A score of 50 or higher must be achieved for transfer credit to be approved.

Credits awarded are determined by the exam subject. See website for FIT course equivalents.

• International Baccalaureate: Up to six (6) credits will be considered for each Higher Level Exam

with a grade of four (4) or higher. See website for FIT course equivalents.

• Transfer Students: A transfer student is defined by FIT as a student who has successfully

completed college/university (tertiary-level) coursework or degree after graduating from high

school (secondary-level program).

Principles

Transfer students applying to FIT must submit official transcripts from all previously attended colleges as

part of the admissions application process. Coursework completed at schools that are not regionally or

nationally accredited, as recognized by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Post-Secondary

Education, will not be considered for transfer credit, unless approved by syllabus petition to the

appropriate chair and dean. Prior learning experience, with the exception of CLEP examinations, is

currently not eligible for transfer credit.

The Registrar’s Office evaluates liberal arts courses for possible transfer credit. Courses taken in major

or related areas will be evaluated by the appropriate academic department. The award of transfer credit

considers course equivalencies, expected learning outcomes, and may consider the accreditation status

of the previous institution. Once approved, all transfer credit is posted to the student’s academic record

by the Registrar’s Office. Students, currently enrolled at FIT, who choose to select off-campus study

must submit for approval the Course Equivalency Assessment Form prior to registering at the other

college.

• Coursework/Degree Program Transfer of Credits

o Liberal Arts Coursework:

The Registrar’s Office will approve for transfer all liberal arts courses that meet the

criteria stated above. Admitted students can determine how these transfer credits apply

to program requirements by reviewing their approved transfer credits in the student

information system. Transfer credits that are not applied to an AAS program will be

available to use on the BS/BFA level should the student continue to the upper division at

FIT.

o Major and Related Undergraduate Coursework:

Transcripts that show coursework taken within the major of interest will be forwarded

by the Admissions Office to the academic department to determine if coursework is

equivalent to FIT courses. Additional documentation, such as course syllabi and/or

portfolio, may be requested for this evaluation.

o Substituted/Waived Course:

Major or related-area undergraduate courses that are substituted/waived by the

department chairperson must be substituted with other major or related courses of

equal credit value; liberal arts courses that are waived must be replaced with liberal arts

courses of equal credit value.

o Graduate Coursework:

Graduate students at FIT may transfer up to nine (9) credits in graduate-level courses at

other institutions to satisfy coursework requirements in the School of Graduate Studies

(SGS). Courses must be equivalent to courses at FIT, as determined by SGS faculty and

administration. A grade of “B” or higher is required in order for graduate-level transfer

credits to be awarded at FIT. Transfer courses must have been completed within five

years prior to enrollment at FIT. Requests for transfer credit must be accompanied by a

course description and course syllabus from the school where the course was taken, as

well as an official transcript showing the course completion and grade earned.

Students in SGS who seek to take courses at another institution and apply credits to

their FIT degree must obtain permission from the Department Chair and Dean prior to

registration at the other institution. A student must be in good academic standing and

have a 3.0 grade point average. Students are not permitted to take courses at another

institution if the courses are offered at FIT in the same semester.

o Transfer Students With An Earned Bachelor’s Degree:

An earned bachelor’s degree or equivalent from an accredited four-year, national

institution will exempt the admitted undergraduate student from the 24 credits of

general education requirements, physical education, plus any general electives required

in the AAS degree except for three credits of English Composition (G1; Composition

taken in the U.S. or taught in English and in a country in which English is an official

language) and, for Art and Design majors, six credits of Art History. For students

admitted to a one-year AAS program or a bachelor’s program from international

colleges, it is expected that all missing liberal arts courses will be taken prior to enrolling

in the degree program. Liberal arts courses required in a baccalaureate program must

have an equivalent transfer course to satisfy the requirement.

o Transfer To a Bachelor of Fine Arts (BFA) or Bachelor of Science (BS) Degree Program:

Students must hold a comparable associate degree from an approved, national, four-

year accredited school and must meet any additional requisites for entry consistent with

FIT AAS degree graduates. Included must be 24 liberal arts credits and the appropriate

pre-requisite studies and/or courses as required by the major. Any transfer student who

applies to FIT from a four-year, college-level program must have completed a minimum

of 60 credits, including the required art or technical courses and the required liberal arts

courses.

• Residency Requirement:

FIT requires 30 credits to be earned in residence for an AAS degree. The BS/BFA degree requires

60 credits in residence to be completed. In addition, students must complete 50% of the major

coursework in each degree while in matriculated status at FIT. A minor requires 60% of

coursework to be completed in residence.

• Health/Physical Education Requirement:

The Health/Physical Education requirement for the AAS degree can be exempted upon

presentation of a military-service certificate, a military-discharge certificate, or a veteran-service

certificate. The certificate must be issued by an appropriate official of the Military Command

and presented to the Registrar’s Office in a sealed enveloped that has been stamped on the

back to ensure the envelope has not been opened. An official translation is required for all

documents not issued in English.

• Transfer Credit Appeals

o Course from A State University of New York (SUNY) Institution:

Students who feel the course description does match with a course previously taken can

submit an email and attach a course description and/or syllabus of the course from the

college where the course was previously taken. Students send an email to

FIT_Registrar@fitnyc.edu.

If the student chooses to further appeal the decision on transfer credit from a SUNY

college made by FIT’s Registrar’s Office or the Department, they may do so by following

the SUNY Transfer Credit Appeal Process

o Liberal Arts Course from a Non-SUNY Institution:

Students who feel the course description does match with a course previously taken can

submit an email and attach a course description and/or syllabus of the course from the

college where the course was previously taken.

o Major or Related Course from a Non-SUNY Institution:

Students who feel the course description does match with a course previously taken,

should contact the FIT department that teaches the course for review and request a

transfer credit appeal. For a list of FIT’s transfer agreements with schools, see

Articulation Agreements.

Responsibilities

• Office of the Registrar:

The Office of the Registrar will conduct a timely review of transcripts as early as possible in

order to assist students with academic decision-making. The Office of the Registrar will inform

students of the outcome of their transfer credit evaluation in writing from an official FIT email

account.

The Office of the Registrar regularly reviews FIT’s transfer credit criteria, and this policy, to

ensure they align with student outcomes, academic goals, and strategic priorities, are fair and

equitable to students, and take into consideration new methods or sources for learning and

alternative assessment methods. Data is also examined to understand the academic success of

transfer students to help inform FIT’s transfer credit policy and procedures.

Procedures

Applicants to FIT are required to disclose on the admissions application all previous colleges attended.

Colleges that are not stated on the initial FIT application will not be considered for transfer credit.

Students are required to provide transcripts from previous colleges attended as part of the admissions

process.

Current FIT students who wish to participate in off-campus study are required to complete the Course

Equivalency Assessment Form for review and approval of coursework prior to registering at another

college.

• Applicants to the College

o Domestic Applicants

 Applicants are required to provide a chronological listing of all secondary and

tertiary schools attended.

 Admissions Office will compare the student’s self-reported educational progress

against official college transcripts received in support of the admissions

application. Therefore, once a student enrolls in his/her first term at FIT,

transfer credit will not be considered from colleges that were not disclosed

during the admissions application process.

 As part of the admissions process transcripts are sent for transfer-credit

evaluation to the Registrar’s Office. Applicants may request an additional review

of transcripts when questions arise on how transfer credit has been approved or

allocated.

o International Applicants

 In addition to the procedures outlined above, all international educational

credentials must be submitted to an approved credential evaluation service (see

FIT Admissions-International Student Applicants) for an initial evaluation of

institutional accreditation, subjects studied, grade, and credit conversions.

• Current FIT Students

A Course Equivalency Assessment form is required to be filed by students who wish to take a

course through another institution and count it towards their FIT Degree. The form is posted on

the Registrar’s Office website.

Violations

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Related Policies

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