Academic Catalog
100224
Undergraduate Transfer Credit and Credit by Exam
Future policy-for reference onlyUndergraduate Transfer Credit
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Prior Learning Assessment
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Military Credit
Credit By Exam
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Advanced Placement (AP)
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Cambridge International Exam (CIE)
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Challenge Exams
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College Level Exam Program (CLEP)
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DSST (formerly DANTES Subject Standardized Tests)
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International Baccalaureate Diploma and Certificate Credit (IB)
Undergraduate Transfer Credit
To meet the requirements of a particular degree plan, students may use transfer credit from other institutions. Transcripts are required in the transfer credit review process to determine the number of units to be accepted and in what manner they will apply toward satisfying NAU general studies/liberal studies, diversity, major, minor, and/or certificate requirements. Course equivalencies are established based on the alignment of the most recent review of the course's learning outcomes. While NAU accepts transfer credit units, course grades are not accepted or calculated into the GPA from these courses i.e., GPA does not transfer. Students may request the review of transfer credit in the event the course changed equivalency between the time the student originally took the course and the time they requested transfer credit from NAU. Once any credit identified in this policy is posted to a transcript, it cannot be rescinded.
Credits submitted by students may be considered for acceptance if the institution was accredited and the accrediting body was recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) at the time of the student’s enrollment (See CHEA’s Directory of Recognized Organizations). NAU may accept college-level credits earned at institutions accredited by other (non-CHEA-recognized) accreditation agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education for Title IV purposes (https://www2.ed.gov/admins/finaid/accred/accreditation_pg9.html) upon review and approval of a Transfer Enrollment Pipeline with the non-CHEA-recognized institution through the Program and Partnership Request Process.
NAU accepts up to 90 units of transfer credit, including a combination of transfer credit from two-year institutions, four-year institutions, and Prior Learning Assessment. Undergraduate credit from accredited two-year and four-year institutions will be accepted on a credit-unit-for-credit-unit basis (adjusted for semester/quarter terms, if applicable) for college-level courses with grades of "P" (credit awarded), "C", 2.0, or better. The credit accepted for transfer cannot duplicate any previously awarded credit. Transfer of Prior Learning Assessment credit is described in detail below.
NAU obtains documentation from the originating college or university for all two-year and four-year institution credit. Specifically, credit received for college courses taken through dual enrollment arrangements with high schools will not be distinguished from other college credit. Students who earn dual enrollment college credit must submit official transcripts to NAU from the institution awarding the credit.
The Arizona Course Equivalency Guide (CEG), which is part of the AZTransfer.com System, indicates how the universities accept transfer coursework (numbered 100 or above) from Arizona higher education public institutions.
Students pursuing a baccalaureate degree at Northern Arizona University who have completed the Arizona General Education curriculum (AGEC) from an Arizona public or tribal community college, the California General Education Transfer Curriculum (Cal-GETC), or its previous iterations (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum-IGETC, or California State University General Education-CSUGE) from a California public community college are considered to have satisfied NAU’s General Studies/Liberal Studies Distribution Blocks and Foundation requirements as well as the U.S. Ethnic and Global Diversity requirements. However, completion of the AGEC or Cal-GETC does not satisfy the Junior Writing and Senior Capstone requirements. Students will still need to complete these requirements as part of their undergraduate degree.
Prior Learning Assessment
Prior Learning is a term that refers to learning and experiences an individual acquires outside of the traditional academic environment. This learning is typically not indicated on a college or university transcript and encompasses abilities acquired through college-level, external not-for-credit courses, NAU Continuing Education not-for-credit courses, structured not-for-credit professional development programs, and professional experiences.
The following requirements apply to all Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) Credit.
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The academic unit chair/director overseeing the PLA credit/area/field/discipline approves the experience as comparable to Northern Arizona University undergraduate-level coursework in that it meets and/or contains equivalent core learning competencies to a course equivalency, or to a department elective, or to a general elective.
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The experience is equivalent to learning at the undergraduate level (100-level to 400-level).
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The experience aligns with ABOR's contact hour equivalency requirement (Policy: Academic Credit; 45 contact hours per unit of credit).
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The student must demonstrate mastery and application of knowledge and skills commensurate with undergraduate-level academic expectations and the undergraduate program's student learning outcome through one of the approaches described in detail below:
NAU-created knowledge-based examinations (Challenge Exams)
Designed or accepted by the academic unit (described in the Credit by Exam section below).
College-level external not-for-credit courses and NAU Continuing Education not-for-credit courses.
Credit may be awarded for not-for-credit courses approved by faculty as equivalents to the learning and skills in equivalent courses. Students must provide syllabi of the not-for-credit course experience and demonstrate completion of the not-for-credit course with a badge, credential, or other identification of course completion.
Completion of an experience through a verifiable non-credit learning opportunity, certificate, or ACE credit recommendation approved by the academic unit for the degree program.
Credit may be awarded for no-credit certifications, including holding a current license, state-, or federally-recognized certification, approved by faculty as equivalent to the learning skills in equivalent courses. Students may either (a) provide credentials or (b) demonstrate completion of ACE-approved exams and certifications. Credentials and ACE credit recommendations will be recognized with visual evidence, such as an articulation digital badge, a certificate of completion, an ACE national exam, or ACE certification found through the ACE National Guide. Students may present credentials for review and request a review of the credentials for equivalent course credit or elective credit. The initial review of a credential or ACE credit recommendation must be submitted with the accompanying materials defining the length of the training experience (the length must align with ABOR's contact hour equivalency requirement - 45 contact hours per unit of credit), and an equivalent of a syllabus or course schedule, demonstrating what is learned and how it is learned.
Work/Life Experience
Students may earn PLA credit through academic unit review of a student's portfolio, indicating how learning outcomes are met based on documented individual student experiences, a resume/CV, or other demonstration of work/life experience not defined in the other PLA types listed in the policy. Academic units determine the standards for how they will evaluate explicit areas of employment, work and life experience, and hours of experience required to provide course and elective equivalencies in the major. Different majors within the academic unit may have different expectations or equivalencies. Only department-course equivalency credit or department elective credit is permitted (general elective credit is not permissible for this PLA area). The assessment process adheres to the high level of academic rigor found at accredited higher learning institutions, which follows the Ten Standards for Quality Assurance in Assessing Learning by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL).
Transfer credit for Prior Learning
Credit that has previously been evaluated and accepted on a transcript submitted by students may be considered for acceptance without portfolio review if the awarding institution was accredited and the accrediting body was recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) at the time of the student's enrollment.
Petition for Evaluation of Undergraduate Transfer Credit - Assessment of Credit for Prior Learning
Process for Evaluation of Credit for Prior Learning
Military Credit
NAU grants credit for formal military service training courses offered by the various branches of the U.S. Armed Forces, as well as for acceptable scores on standardized tests. NAU also awards military credit for active service in the military. The guidelines for granting such credits include:
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A student can be awarded an additional 4 units of credit for 18 consecutive months of active duty in the U.S. Armed Forces if terminated under honorable conditions, as documented on the DD214.
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A student who has earned a commission in the U.S. Armed Forces may petition the Office of Undergraduate Admissions and Orientation for an additional 12 general elective units.
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Joint Service Transcripts and Air University Transcripts are official academic records of military service school experiences that contain college credit recommendations. Service members and veterans of the U.S. Army, U.S. Navy, U.S. Marine Corps, and the U.S. Coast Guard receive the Joint Services Transcripts as a record of their military training. Regionally accredited military institutions (e.g., Air University) will be transferred in the same manner as two-year and four-year regionally accredited institutions. Students submitting the JST may receive up to 35 units of credit. Students will receive general elective credit unless they request a review of transfer credit to have their military transcript reviewed for military occupational specialties defined by the American Council on Education Military Guide. NAU recognizes the ACE recommendations from the JST and awards transfer credit for military training courses into college credit, as determined by NAU faculty, if a comparable course is offered at NAU.
Credit By Exam
Students can use the credit-by-exam option to demonstrate discipline-specific proficiency and gain credit for college courses. Students can only use credit-by-exam for courses that the college or department has approved for this option. Some colleges and departments do not permit credit-by-exam, and those that do may limit the availability of course(s) to be challenged by exam.
Where exams for credit are allowed, they are governed by the general requirements that follow and by the policies of the college or department.
The following requirements apply to all exams for credit.
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Students may earn up to 60 units by exam either at NAU or transferred to NAU from another accredited institution. Credit-by-exam earned at another institution may be re-evaluated using NAU standards.
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Credit-by-exam equivalencies are based on the most recent iteration of the exam.
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The same exam may not be repeated within a year of the first attempt.
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Under no circumstances will students be permitted to take an exam for the same course more than twice.
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Credit earned by an exam must not duplicate credit already earned for the same course.
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Credit will not be given for a course that is equivalent to, more elementary than, or substantially overlaps with another course where credit has already been received.
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Courses in Progress: Students who are currently in a language course, other than English, and want credit for a more introductory course(s), must take the exam for that course before the midterm of the current course.
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Credit earned by exam becomes part of a student’s academic record.
NAU will not accept Retrocredit, Challenge, or CLEP exam credit within the 100-200 levels in the primary language of instruction of the student’s secondary school [high school] where they graduated.
General Procedure
Process for Requesting More than 90 Units of Transfer Credit
If you wish to request the award for more than 90 units of transfer credit, such credit must be approved by your advisor and the academic unit chair/director or college dean/associate dean. Regardless of the amount of transfer credit awarded, all students must complete at least 30 units of credit at NAU (See NAU Policy 100801: Requirements for Baccalaureate Degrees) and the awarding of excess transfer credit can lead to issues related to tuition and financial aid, such as an Excess Credit Hour Tuition Surcharge, or exceeding the maximum timeframe to degree and thus losing federal financial aid (See Satisfactory Academic Progress). Advisors can assist in evaluating options for accepting additional transfer credit.