Transfer of Credit at South Florida State College (SFSC)

On July 31 2008, Congress completed reauthorization of the Higher Education Act (HEA) by passing the Higher Education Opportunity Act and the president signed the bill into law on Aug. 14, 2008. The final regulations were effective July 1, 2010. This page has been created to fulfill the College’s compliance with the disclosure requirement regarding the transfer of credit at SFSC. It is designed to provide information to students, parents, counselors, researchers, and legislators to make informed decisions about postsecondary education at SFSC.

Policy 3.11 Evaluation of Transfer and Accelerated Learning Credit

The District Board of Trustees authorizes the College to accept transfer credit from other colleges and universities.

The District Board of Trustees authorizes the College to evaluate and award accelerated/experiential learning credit so that students may earn credits toward a degree or certificate. Such credit may be based on noncredit coursework; prior experience, such as jobs held workshops, volunteer work, or a number of other types of experiences or nationally recognized examinations.

The President is authorized to establish procedures related to the transfer of credits and award of accelerated/experiential learning credit.

Procedure 3111 Evaluating Regionally Accredited Institutional Credit

1. Purpose:
   To evaluate credit of students transferring from regionally accredited institutions
2. Procedure:
   All incoming transfer credit is evaluated by the Office of the Registrar based on several criteria:
   1. Credits earned at other colleges or universities accredited by one of the six regional accrediting associations may be accepted by South Florida State College (SFSC) and placed on the transcript if the credit is in an area and level normally considered within the first two years of college. Upper division courses are only accepted in transfer if they meet a requirement in one of SFSC’s programs. All courses meeting these criteria are placed on the SFSC transcript including grades of W, F, I, P, S, U and N
   2. Credits awarded at non-regionally accredited institutions, but accredited by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation may be accepted. They must use Florida’s State-wide Course Numbering System (SCNS). SFSC will evaluate credits representing collegiate level coursework relevant to the program of study
   3. Students may be required to take a college placement test appropriate to their program of study regardless of the courses they may have taken at the transferring institution
   4. A student who has been denied credit may take the course at SFSC or may take either a CLEP examination or a comprehensive department examination for each subject area in which he/she was denied.
   5. Students may appeal the denial of transfer credits by written request to the dean, student services.

Procedure 3112 Evaluating Non-regionally Accredited Institutional Credit

1. Purpose:
   To evaluate credit of students transferring from non-regionally accredited institutions that are not part of the state-wide articulation agreements
2. Procedure:
   South Florida State College (SFSC) provides a review of transfer course information at the departmental level with a recommendation made to the registrar. The student will be notified by mail of the decision. The credit awarded will appear on the SFSC transcript as external credit in accordance with the college guidelines. An appeal of this decision may be made to the dean, arts and sciences or dean, applied sciences and technologies.

   Students transferring from a non-regionally accredited institutional must adhere to the following procedure:

   1. A student may be required to take a college placement test appropriate to his/her program of study regardless of the courses he/she may have taken at the non-accredited institution
   2. A written request from the student identifying the courses that are to be reviewed is required
   3. It is the student’s responsibility to furnish the Registrar’s Office with an official college transcript from the transfer institution; a course description and syllabus to include textbook information for each course for which he/she is requesting credit; faculty credentialing information from the institution’s Human Resources Office, Personnel Office, or Office Of Academic Affairs (the information must include the degree(s) earned by the instructor of the course, the names of the college or university conferring the degree, as well as an indication of the credit hours earned in the discipline) and any other information the college deems necessary to conduct proper evaluation
   4. The Registrar’s Office reviews the documents to ensure all the necessary material is contained therein. If the documents are complete, they are submitted to the appropriate department chair/program manager. The chair/manager returns the evaluation to the Registrar’s Office within 10 working days. If the documents are incomplete, the student is notified, accordingly
   5. It is the responsibility of each department chair/program manager to coordinate the evaluation of courses within their respective department. It is recommended that each dean develop minimum criteria to ensure consistency in the evaluation of credits among departments. All recommendations as to the awarding or denial of credit must be approved in writing by the dean or designee
   6. Upon the department’s submitting its recommendation, the Registrar’s Office reviews the recommendation. If a question arises due to the department’s recommendation, the issue is forwarded to the dean of the appropriate division for resolution
   7. All courses meeting these criteria are placed on the student’s SFSC transcript including grades of W, F, I, P, S, U and N.
   8. A student who has been denied credit may take the course at SFSC or may take either a CLEP examination or a comprehensive department examination for each subject area in which he/she was denied.

Procedure 3113 Awarding Accelerated/Experiential Learning Credit

This Procedure outlines the process for evaluating accelerated/experiential learning credit of students in degree or certificate-seeking programs based on prior experience, such as:  jobs held, workshops, volunteer work or a number of other types of experiences.  If credit is granted, it is posted to the student’s transcript as external credit in accordance with the college guidelines. All credits are awarded a grade of S (Satisfactory).  A student who has been denied credit may take the course at SFSC or may take either a CLEP examination or a comprehensive department examination for each subject area in which he/she were denied.

Procedure 3114 Awarding Credit for Non-credit Courses

This Procedure outlines the process for evaluating noncredit course work of students seeking college credit.  If credit is granted, it is posted to the student’s transcript as external credit in accordance with the college guidelines. All credits are awarded a grade of S (Satisfactory).  A student who has been denied credit may take the course at SFSC or may take either a CLEP examination or a comprehensive department examination for each subject area in which they were denied.

Policies and procedures are subject to change. Please refer to the college’s official Policies and Procedures.