Transfer Of Credit

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Transfer of credit is always the decision of the individual college or university and is controlled by the receiving institution. Accreditation does not guarantee transfer of credits. Students interested in transferring credits earned at Fortis College should check with the receiving institution directly to determine to what extent, if any, credits can be transferred.

The request to transfer credit must be initiated by the applicant or student. Requests for transfer credit should be submitted prior to enrollment, and only under extenuating circumstances may an exception be made with the approval of the Campus President, in which case all necessary documents must be received no later than 14 calendar days after the start date or re-entry date of the student’s program.

To apply for consideration of credits previously earned, students must request official transcripts be sent directly to the College to the attention of the Registrar. Students may be required to provide a relevant catalog and/or other relevant documents regarding the course(s) to be considered. Foreign transcripts must be translated into English and be evaluated by a member agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).

Criteria

In order to be considered, the institution where the credit was previously earned must be accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) at the time the student earned the credits. If students earned educational credits at a post-secondary institution outside the United States and not accredited by an agency recognized by the United States Department of Education at the time the student earned the credits, then that postsecondary institution must have equivalent accreditation standing with the central accrediting body in its country of residence at the time the student earned the credits.

Courses for which applicants would like to request transfer credit must meet the applicable criteria listed below:

  • Courses in general taken at an institution outside of Education Affiliates must have been completed within the previous five years (60 months). Individuals that earned an Associate degree or higher from the college/university that credits are being accepted from are exempt from the time limit in this paragraph, except as noted below.
  • Mathematics and prerequisite science courses in Nursing and Medical Technology programs must have been completed within the past five years (60 months).
  • Mathematics and prerequisite science courses in Nursing and Medical Technology programs must have a grade of “B” or higher on the transcript from the awarding institution.
  • All other courses must have a grade of “C” or higher on the transcript from the awarding institution.
  • Learning objectives or competencies of courses submitted for transfer credit must be comparable to the courses at Fortis College in order for transfer credit to be awarded.
  • The maximum allowable transfer credit that can be awarded is 50% of the total program credits unless specified otherwise in a particular program.
    • The Campus will accept credit earned in a similarly titled program from another affiliated College or College up to a maximum of 75% of the credit hours in the program unless specified otherwise in a particular program.
  • When a warranted need for exception to the time limit as stipulated in the preceding paragraphs arises, it must be carefully evaluated at the campus level and presented with justification to the Vice President of Education at Education Affiliates for approval.

Credit may also be awarded for successful completion of Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST) examinations in subject areas equivalent to courses within the student’s program. The student must provide official documentation in order to be considered for possible award of course credit. Minimum scores required in order to receive transfer credit are as follows:

  • The AP tests are scored on a scale 1 to 5, with 1 being the lowest and 5 the highest. The Campus recognizes AP scores 4 and 5 as passing, and awards credit for students who pass their AP test with a 4 or 5.
  • The typical passing score on CLEP exams for general education purposes is 50. Once the raw score is calculated and converted to a scaled score, the lowest scaled score is 20 and the highest is 80. A score of 60 or higher is considered passing for awarding transfer credit.
  • For DANTES tests, only scores from exams taken after 2008 will be considered. The equivalent score for a "B" grade is 434.

The College does not award credit for life or work experience.

Additional Requirements for Specific Programs

  • Radiologic Technology students must complete at least 51% of all concentration courses at the College. Therefore, students may receive transfer credit for no more than 49% of concentration courses in the program.

    In the Nursing program, students entering with an unencumbered LPN license and proof of completing an approved practical nursing program are awarded Block Credits in Anatomy and Physiology I (AHP216), Fundamentals of Human Nutrition (SCI115), Human Growth and Development (PSY278), and Foundations of Nursing (NUR104). Further credit may also be granted for Introduction to Informatics (CMP105) if there is proof of taking a similarly titled course on the official practical nursing transcripts.

    • Students must request official transcripts for their practical nursing program as proof of completion.
    • There is no evaluation of the official transcripts needed in order to award the Block Credits. They are simply needed for the file.
    • Transcripts can be used further to process additional transfer credits if necessary.
    • Courses that earn Block Credits are awarded a CR grade.

Veterans

A Veterans Administration (VA) funded student enrolling in any of the Campus programs with prior credit from another school or military education or skills training will be evaluated according to the Transfer Credit Policy for all students. All veterans and other students eligible for VA funding should apply for credit for previously completed training. The Campus will evaluate and grant credit, if appropriate. Training time will be adjusted, and tuition reduced proportionately if credit is granted for previous training. The VA and the student will be notified. The Campus must receive and evaluate official transcripts from all postsecondary schools previously attended by a Veteran and the Veteran’s military transcripts before enrollment can be certified. It is the Veteran’s responsibility to request all transcripts and pay any fees assessed by the previously attended school(s).

Appeal Process

  1. Students who wish to appeal a decision must appeal in writing to the Campus President/Director.
    1. The student must write a letter, stating very clearly why they should receive credit.
    2. The student must supply additional documentation to support the appeal. If no additional documentation is received, the appeal will be automatically denied.
  2. All appeals should be requested within 14 days of the decision to deny credit.
  3. Decisions related to appeals will be returned to students within 14 days of their receipt.

Returning or Transferring Students

If students wish to transfer between programs at the same school, students should seek guidance from the Dean of Education and the Registrar. The Dean of Education will work with students seeking to transfer to a different program to determine if any of the courses or learning from the current or prior program of study is applicable and can be transferred into the proposed new program with credit granted accordingly.

  1. Students transferring from one Education Affiliates campus to another must have all previous credits evaluated for transfer credits.
    1. Students that have passed a class at another Education Affiliates campus with the same course code as the program they are enrolling into will receive transfer credits for grades of D or higher if a D is passing for that program.
    2. Courses that are not a part of the enrolled program will be evaluated for transfer credits as per normal policy.
    3. This is applicable for campus-to-campus transfers within the same program, and campus to campus transfers into new programs that share course codes.
  2. Students who are re-enrolling into the same Campus or re-entering into a new program or program version will have all applicable courses Associated to the new program. Any courses that cannot be Associated may be evaluated for transfer credit.
    1. Associated courses are evaluated and documented like transfer credits, using the same forms and procedure.
    2. Applicable courses are those course codes that are the same between programs.
    3. All courses are Associated, whether passed, failed, or withdrawn, and should be included in all future SAP calculations for the program.
    4. Shared courses with a D or higher will not need to be retaken, unless that is considered a failing grade in the new program.