Award of Transfer Credits

Trocaire College is here to help support your academic journey. We know many students come to us with prior academic and life experiences that could be parlayed into transfer credits, and we are committed to making that process as easy and transparent as possible.

Trocaire has partnered with the CollegeSource Transfer Evaluation System (TES) to provide the Transfer Credit Guide that can be used to map successfully earned college credits into Trocaire College.

Transfer Credit Process

During the admissions process and prior to registration, staff in the Registrar’s Office evaluate the student’s records of prior academic experience for transferability of credit. The Registrar’s Office uses the course descriptions and syllabi as needed from other institutions to determine equivalencies. When there are discrepancies within the course content, the program Academic Dean or Program Director overseeing the course will be consulted. Credit by evaluation is awarded based on documented evidence of competency.

Transfer Credit Evaluation

Transfer credit evaluations are completed for all students. Upon completion, the student is notified of the outcome of the “official” or “unofficial” credit evaluation. Unofficial transfer credit evaluations will remain unofficial until the official transcript is received. Approved transfer credits will be applied to the student’s Trocaire College academic transcript and degree audit when the official academic transcript is received. The College reserves the right to inspect and validate the authenticity of each official transcript. Only the earned hours and course credits are applied to the academic transcript. The student grade is not applied; therefore, the transfer credit will not impact the student’s GPA.

Courses considered for transfer credit

Currently, only courses, where a grade of “C” or higher and that are required in the student’s degree audit will be considered for transfer credit. Courses with Pass (P) or Satisfactory (S) grades will be considered when the transcript legend indicates that “P” or “S” grades are equivalent to a “C” grade or better.

Credits for programs whose transfer credits may become obsolete (as defined by program requirements) will be reviewed on a case by case basis with the Academic Dean or Program Director.

Course work taken at an institution that operates on a quarter system will follow the formula for converting quarter credit hours to semester credit hours. After the conversion, the quarter credit hours must be equivalent to or greater than the semester hour requirement for the course.

Courses NOT considered for transfer credit

Remedial or pre-college courses and Nursing credits older than five (5) years will not be accepted.

Credit for Prior Learning/Prior Learning Credit

The college recognizes other forms of Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)/Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) for students who can demonstrate that their prior experience evidences academic competency and maintains the integrity of the College’s curriculum and mission of Trocaire College. The College shall, in certain cases, grant credit by examination. Some types of learning that can be evaluated for credit include:

Standardized exams (AP, CLEP, IB, DSST, UExcel)
Certifications
Employer-sponsored or other training programs
Military service
Volunteer or community service
Work experience

The College follows American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations as well as guidelines provided by American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). A full listing of CLP/PLA are outlined on the College website.

Advanced Placement (AP)

Trocaire College participates in the Advanced Placement Program (AP) administered by the College Board. A high school student becomes eligible for consideration for advanced placement credit by achieving satisfactory scores (a rating of 3 to 5) on the Advanced Placement Examination as outlined on the College website.

Common IT Certifications

Many common IT Certifications can be translated to Trocaire College credit. To find out more, contact RegistrarTeam@Trocaire.edu.

Course Challenge

A Course Challenge is allowed by the College in special and exceptional cases in which it has been clearly determined that successful prior educational and/or vocational experience has provided a learning experience equivalent to that of the particular Trocaire College course. Course challenge is not a procedure to replace a failed course. It should be noted that some accredited programs may have prohibitions on course challenge as noted by their accreditors.

Application and guidelines are available from the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Program Directors for matriculated students who have presented documentary evidence of their prior experience. Applications should be submitted no later than the official registration days in the fall and spring semesters.

The application and accompanying evidence will be evaluated by the Vice President for Academic Affairs, and/or the Dean/Director of the program involved. If approved, the Program Director will arrange a time and place for the applicant to take the course challenge examination. Course challenge exams for a program of study must be completed within the first semester of matriculation to a program of study in order to allow appropriate planning for advisement.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) established by the College Board enables students to demonstrate competencies attained by non-traditional means.

DSST (formerly DANTES)

DSST exams are college subject tests that may translate to transfer credit. Subject disciplines include Business, Humanities, Mathematics, and Physical Science.

Excelsior College Examinations

Trocaire College participates in the Excelsior College Examination Program and will grant credit to students who successfully complete Excelsior College Examinations in accordance with the standards established by Trocaire College. The Vice President for Academic Affairs in consultation with the appropriate Program Director will consider requests on a case-by-case basis.

High School / College Articulation

Trocaire encourages the application and enrollment of students with different experiences and backgrounds.  Accordingly, Trocaire has articulation agreements with BOCES Centers and local high schools. These articulation agreements give students an alternate pathway to academic achievement by providing them with the opportunity to earn advanced credit or advanced placement for certain courses they take while in high school. For students, the advantages of these articulation agreements are: elimination of course duplication, earned college credit while in secondary school, and a smoother transition to college. For further information contact the Office of Admissions.

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Trocaire College recognizes International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and grants a maximum of 30 credit hours for an earned IB Diploma. Academic credit for individual Standard Level or Higher Level examinations, with scores of four or above, will earn three elective course credits per examination. Higher Level examinations with scores of five or above, will be evaluated for additional elective credits.

International Students

Students who earn credits at a college or university outside of the United States must have records evaluated by a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) international credit evaluation service that will convert the records to the American grading system and provide the recommended course equivalencies. World Education Services (WES) is the preferred evaluator. All documents that are provided in a language other than English will need to be both translated and evaluated.

Matriculated Students

Matriculated students wishing to complete course work at another institution have the responsibility of checking to see that the credits fulfill the requirement of their degree program prior to registration for the intended transfer credit and for submitting an official transcript upon completion. The form to request to take courses at another institution must be completed and approved by the Registrar or Academic Dean.

Military Experience

Experience gained in the military may also be reviewed for credit at the time of application. This is especially true in military technical programs and specialty schools.

College credit will be considered for students with military training, experience, or coursework that is recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE).  At the time of application, military transcripts should be requested as follows:

Air force transcripts can be requested from College Community of the Air Force (CCAF).
Transcripts for all other branches of the military can be requested from the Joint Services transcript (JST).

Saylor Academy

Trocaire College agrees to accept transfer credits from courses offered by Saylor Academy that have been reviewed and recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) in accordance with its standard transfer policies.  Saylor Academy Direct college credit courses can help you complete your degree with substantial tuition savings. Saylor Academy works directly with colleges and universities to provide zero-tuition transfer credit for many of our free, self-paced, online courses, helping degree-seekers overcome barriers of cost, time, and location.