Transfer Credit Guidelines
The following criteria are used in the evaluation of transcripts presented to Centenary University by students seeking transfer admission:
- Residency Requirement: All degree candidates must complete minimally 30 credit hours of graded work at Centenary University, and are expected to be enrolled at Centenary over the two semesters of their Sophomore‐year for the Associate degree and/or their Senior‐year for the Bachelor degree, excluding summer semesters. Exceptions to this policy can be made only by the Chief Academic Officer or their designee. The residency requirement must be Centenary classroom course credits (credits based on Prior Learning Assessment and/or CLEP examinations cannot be applied to the residency requirement).
- The evaluation of transfer credits is conducted through the Office of Admissions and/or the Registrar's Office from official documents received through the Office of Admissions or the Registrar's Office.
- A course may be transferred to a Centenary University degree program if (a) the student has earned a grade of C‐ or above for the course; (b) the course was taken in a degree granting, regionally or nationally accredited institution, or any school/university which is an active candidate for such accreditation as determined by the Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education and Programs, Harris and Shelly, American Council on Education, published annually; (c) the content of the course is the equivalent of a course offered at Centenary and/or consistent with the goals and objectives of the Centenary University curriculum.
- Advanced Placement (AP courses) and credits earned through examination (e.g., College Level Examination Program or CLEP) may be applied towards a student's degree program. However, AP courses and/or CLEP credits are usually applicable only for transfer into the University's core, as elective credits, or in lieu of entry‐level courses in a student's major field. AP and CLEP credits are not applicable for transfer in lieu of upper level courses (300 or 400 level) in one's major field without approval from the respective departments. AP and CLEP credits cannot be applied toward the University's final 30 credits residency requirement.
- Students with advanced standing, depending on their status upon entering the University, will be required to complete all of the University's core requirements for which they have not received comparable transfer credit.
- A maximum of 50% of the courses (credits) of a specified major or minor program may be transferred toward the requirements of that major or minor. Courses in excess of that percentage may be counted toward the elective portion of the degree program. Exceptions will be made only for institutions with which Centenary has completed a formal articulation agreement or where students are transferring to Centenary because their current university is closing.
- The exact amount of semester credit hours is transferred. Quarter hour course credit is transferred after multiplying that credit by two‐thirds (2/3). One unit equals four (4) semester credit hours unless a different conversion is indicated on the transcript.
- University preparatory and remedial courses are not transferable.
- Pass (P) credit courses are not generally transferable. Exceptions are made for credit awarded by institutions whose standard of grading is the Pass/Fail system and/or the transcript denotes that a "P" grade is the equivalent of a grade of "C" in a graded course. For credits earned during the Spring 2020 semester, all grades of Pass will be transferable.
- Credit cannot be granted for courses for which the student has already received credit by examination or has received a passing grade in a comparable course.
- The cumulative grade point average does not transfer. A student's grade point average at Centenary is determined by the work completed at Centenary.
- Students from community (junior) college’s and/or proprietary schools are allowed a maximum of 66 semester credit hours which may be transferable to any Centenary baccalaureate degree program, to the extent that they are applicable to a particular program. A maximum of 90 credits from a four‐year institution or combination of two and four‐year institutions may be transferred.
- The result of the evaluation is given to the student and placed in the student's file on a form designated for that purpose. The student receives a copy of the evaluation form, upon which the credit hours received in transfer and their Centenary equivalencies are stated.
- Once the transcript evaluations are completed and the determination of which the University has accepted courses and credits is made, and the student has been informed of the evaluation, the student is advised to see their advisor or the appropriate Department Chairperson so that those credits and courses can be properly applied to their specific degree program.
- The student’s designated academic advisor and/or appropriate Department Chairperson, following the initial transfer credit evaluation, is responsible for determining which of the credits received in transfer are directly applicable to the student’s degree program and the distribution of specific transfer credits to the student’s major. The actual number courses/credits needed to complete a prescribed degree program, regardless of the total number of credits received in transfer, is directly related to this determination.