Transfer Credit Policy

What is transfer credit?

Transfer credit refers to the credit a college or university grants for courses the student completed at a previously attended accredited institution. Students may request transfer of college credit earned at United Tribes Technical College (UTTC) to another educational institution or request transfer of college credit earned at another educational institution to UTTC.

Transferring Course Credits to UTTC

 Only credits from accredited institutions of higher education are accepted for transfer. Review the North Dakota General Education Requirement Transfer Agreement (GERTA) Guide at https://ndus.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/08/GERTA-Guide-2022.pdf for commonly transferred courses from colleges and universities located in the state of North Dakota (NDUS GERTA guide, 2022).

Transcripts will be evaluated for course transfer within two (2) business days upon receipt of the transcript and prior to the student registering for classes. Student transcripts from previously attended institutions that are provided for admissions consideration become the property of UTTC.

How many credits earned at other accredited institutions will transfer to UTTC?

 The UTTC Transfer Specialist will conduct a thorough review of every course on the transferring student’s transcript to ensure all courses that meet the student’s degree requirements at UTTC are transferred.  UTTC maintains practices, as an accredited institution, that ensure the coherence and quality of the programs for which it awards a degree. Therefore, a minimum of 30 of the 120 credits earned for the bachelor’s degree, and 15 of the 60 credits for the associate degree, must be credits earned at UTTC (Assumed practices: Policies, 2022).

 Procedures

 For students transferring credit to UTTC:

• Students seeking to transfer credit earned at another college to UTTC must provide an official transcript from the other college to the UTTC Admissions Office.
• The transcripts must be sent directly from the other college. Students may not submit the transcripts in person. The transcripts must bear the official seal of the other college. Photocopies and facsimiles are not acceptable.
• Transfer credit is only granted to courses that apply to students’ programs of study at UTTC or meet degree requirements.
• Credit will not be granted for courses in which students earned lower than C, were graded on a pass/fail or credit/no credit basis or have a course number lower than 100 or equal to or higher than 500.
• UTTC refrains from the transcription of credit from other institutions or providers that will not apply to UTTC programs of study (Assumed practices: Policies, 2022).
• The student will receive a copy of the transcript evaluation form as confirmation indicating courses that have been accepted for transfer credit.
• Transfer credits will be re-evaluated based on the new major if a student changes academic programs (majors) after arriving at UTTC.
• The most recent official transcript with completed coursework may be submitted for admissions purposes and for early evaluation of credits if a student is currently enrolled at another college. Students will need to send a final official transcript at the conclusion of the current semester for evaluation of courses in progress and to complete the transfer process.
• Each course that is considered for transfer must be equivalent in content and rigor to a UTTC course required on the degree plan.
• A grade of “T” is recorded on the transcript and degree plan when a course is accepted for transfer credit. The “T” grade has no point value; therefore, it is not considered when calculating the term, degree, or cumulative GPA.
• AP (Advanced Placement) transcripts and College Level Examination Board – College Level Examination Program (CLEP) scores must come directly from the College Board. Students must contact CollegeBoard.org to request an official copy to be sent to UTTC. Scores of 3 or higher on AP exams in applicable courses are acceptable for transfer.
• Credits earned through military service as recommended by the American Council on Education Registry are acceptable, as are other military credits, when applicable to the student’s degree plan. Appropriate military documents (DD214, military transcript) must be submitted to receive credit.
• Students who completed dual credit courses in high school must request an official transcript from the college through which those courses were taken for the credit to be evaluated.
• Currency of courses is considered when evaluating credits for transfer. Older coursework may not fulfill a course requirement on some degree plans. For example, computer technology courses taken more than 5 years ago may no longer be compatible with current course content so students will be required to take a current course to fulfill their degree plan requirements (College and University Transfer Policies, n.d.). Course currency does not apply for students who have a conferred degree. All of their courses will be considered for transfer regardless of when the credits were earned.

Transferring UTTC Course Credits to Other Institutions

Students seeking to transfer credit earned at UTTC to another college must submit a signed Transcript Request Form to the UTTC Transfer Specialist at transfer@uttc.edu. Signed requests are necessary to send transcripts. The Transfer Specialist will send transcripts within three days of receiving the signed request to the college or colleges indicated on the Transcript Request Form.

Transferring students should indicate a specific person or office to which the transcripts should be sent whenever possible. Students who want their transcripts to include certificates and degrees earned must request their transcripts be sent after the appropriate graduation date for those certificates and degrees. UTTC will not send transcripts for students who have outstanding financial or property obligations to the college. All obligations to the college must be cleared before transcripts will be sent.

Transfer credit granted by other colleges will be governed by the policies and procedures of those colleges. All colleges and universities have their own policies for accepting transfer credits.

Reverse Transfer Initiative

 The UTTC Registrar’s Office supports the North Dakota University System’s (“NDUS”) 407.0 Reverse Transfer initiative to assist students who have transferred from UTTC and are currently enrolled at a NDUS university by offering an additional opportunity to complete an associate degree. This initiative applies to former students from North Dakota public or tribal colleges who completed at least 36 credits while at the College but transferred prior to completing an associate degree. UTTC will work with the colleges and universities to develop a process for qualified students to apply for and be granted this degree. The Reverse Transfer initiative does not apply to baccalaureate degrees.

• Students who have transferred to a NDUS university or other TCU from UTTC will be eligible to complete an associate degree through the reverse transfer of completed coursework.
• Eligible students will have completed at least 36 semester hours at UTTC without completing an associate degree prior to transfer to another TCU or an NDUS university.

 Transfer Credit Appeal Process

Students who do not agree with UTTC’s decision on the granting of credit earned at a prior college or university have the right to submit an appeal to the Vice President of Academic Affairs (VPAA). Students requesting an appeal will submit a written appeal (email) and provide reasonable material to support their case, such as the course description or syllabus in question. The VPAA will respond within three business days with the final decision.

 References

 Assumed practices (crrt.b.10.020): Policies. Higher Learning Commission. (2022, February). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.hlcommission.org/Policies/assumed-practices.html

College and University Transfer Policies. American Council on Education. (n.d.). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://www.acenet.edu/Programs-Services/Pages/Credit-Transcripts/College-University-Transfer-Policies.aspx

NDUS GERTA guide. (2022, August). General Education Requirement Transfer Agreement (GERTA). Retrieved October 10, 2022, from https://ndus.edu/wp-content/uploads/sites/6/2020/08/GERTA-Guide-2022.pdf