Transfer and Exam Credit
This section describes the policy for all external work for which American University (AU) awards credit. Transfer students should also refer to University-Wide Requirements , for the full policy, including the applicability of transfer credit, to Written Communication and Information Literacy I , Quantitative Literacy I , and Habits of Mind requirements.
The Admissions Office evaluates official documents showing previous college-level work completed. Individual teaching units determine how this credit will apply to specific degree programs. Once a student has matriculated, transfer work will only be accepted if it has been approved in advance by the academic unit via the Permit to Study process. A student must satisfy all requirements of the Permit to Study process, including advance approval for specific courses and a maximum number of credits. After students have matriculated at American University, no credit toward university-wide requirements may be earned through transfer credit or Permits to Study (refer to undergraduate regulation 8.1.4. )
Grades and quality points earned in courses accepted for transfer will not be included in the grade point average to be maintained at American University, but the credits will count toward the total number required for graduation.
Transfer students may normally expect to receive credit for courses taken at collegiate institutions that were, at the time the courses were taken, a regionally accredited institution. These courses must be appropriate for academic credit at American University towards an undergraduate degree program. A maximum of 60 cumulative credit hours will be accepted from the following: 1) any approved regionally accredited two-year and four-year institutions; 2) a maximum of 30 credit hours from one or a combination of Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate, CLEP subject examinations, or other AU approved test credit; 3) a maximum of 30 credit hours for a combination of relevant work completed satisfactorily in college-level Armed Services School courses, or US Armed Forces Institute correspondence or extension courses, completed with a grade of 70 or better, as recommended at the baccalaureate level by the American Council on Education and which is appropriate for academic credit as determined by the Admissions Office after consultation with the appropriate academic unit. Military Occupation Services (MOS) credit may be evaluated separately for academic credit.
A student will not be able to register for a second semester at AU until all final official transcripts have been sent to the AU Office of Admissions from previously attended institutions.
Minimum Transfer Requirements
Courses eligible for transfer upon matriculation to AU must have a recorded grade of C or above. Courses with a grade of “P” or Pass are eligible for transfer, “S” or Satisfactory, and “CR” or Credit Earned/Satisfactory are eligible for transfer, providing that the grades are equivalent of a C or above. Only courses in which the student has received a grade of 2.0 or above on a 4.0 scale will be recorded on the student’s AU transcript and will be applied towards the total number of credits required for graduation. Grades for transfer courses are not computed in the cumulative grade point average.
Courses taken on the quarter system will receive the standard .67 credit per credit hour of study (e.g., a 3 credit hour course at a quarter school will merit 2.01 credit hours at AU). A transfer course must have the same number of credit hours as an AU course in order to be considered “equivalent.”
Courses below Finite Mathematics level are not eligible for transfer to AU.
Credit hours for remedial courses, internship/externship, independent study/independent research are not eligible for transfer to AU.
Technical or vocational credit hours may not be eligible for transfer to AU.
Transfer of Foreign Language Courses
A student who wishes to transfer foreign language courses from previous institutions must follow the guidelines established by AU’s Department of World Languages and Cultures (WLC). For more information, please visit the WLC website at www.american.edu/cas/wlc/placement.cfm.
Credit Through Examination
Credit through examination will be given in accordance with the guidelines AU stipulates for all admitted students. All scores must be sent by the testing agency directly to AU. Credit will be applied toward a student’s program of study at the academic unit’s discretion.
All exam scores must be received by the AU Office of Admissions no later than the end of the second enrolled term. Exam scores more than six years old will not be accepted for credit. Advanced credit exams may not be used to satisfy AU Core requirements. Advanced credit exams may still be applied toward the major or minor, or as elective credit. For more information, see the AU policy concerning credit by exam at: www.american.edu/admissions/examcredit.cfm.
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