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Polk State College accepts college credit earned at other institutions as transfer credit if the institution is regionally accredited or the institution is accredited by an accrediting body approved by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). This is accomplished in accordance with specific policies, also known as National Accreditation. The mode of delivery (e.g., in-person, online, open-entry/open-exit, or hybrid) or the term design (e.g., compressed, Fast Track, or traditional 15 to 16-week courses) does not factor into credit transferability. More information about transfer credit is provided in Florida Statute 1004.09 and Florida Administrative Code 6A-14.0304.
Award Policies:
- Credit is awarded provided the credit earned is in an appropriate area and at an appropriate level, and as long as a grade of D or higher has been achieved (i.e., if a D is a passing grade for Polk State’s equivalent course).
- Credits earned at Polk State College are based on semester hours; therefore, all transfer work is converted to equivalent semester hours.
- All transfer credits contribute to the cumulative (overall) GPA of the student’s Polk State College record.
- Upper-division courses are accepted for transfer toward baccalaureate degrees and associate degrees. Master-and doctoral-level courses are not transcribed to Polk State transcripts and may only be used as an acceptable transfer with the permission of the specific degree’s program director at Polk State College.
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Credits earned at regionally accredited institutions and non-public accredited institutions participating in the Florida Statewide Course Numbering System (SCNS) are posted to the student’s record when there are comparable courses and requirements at Polk State. When appropriate, this credit is applied toward degree requirements or electives. In some cases, however, it is recorded as credit earned in excess of degree requirements.
- Credits awarded for online courses are evaluated in the same manner as face-to-face courses, and the same policies for transfer apply. MOOCs are discussed in the Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) Section of this Catalog.
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Developmental Education courses in English, reading, and mathematics are only transferred from state institutions. Out-of-state or private college developmental credit does not qualify for transfer. A student who transfers without a college-level English or mathematics course must take the placement exam unless otherwise exempt.
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Polk State College accepts transfer credit if the other accrediting body is recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA), and if the school and its course meet the rigor of Polk State’s course as determined during the evaluation process.
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Transcripts from international institutions, including those in the English language, require an official evaluation (at the expense of the student) from an external agency recommended by Polk State College. The student is not required to provide transcripts from international post-secondary institutions if transfer credit is not desired. Polk State requires the student to use an agency listed through National Association of Credential Evaluation Services–NACES (www.naces.org). Polk State requires international high school transcripts to be evaluated on a document-by-document basis. The student does not need to pay extra for a course-by-course evaluation for a high school transcript.
- A student with a regionally accredited (or equivalent) bachelor’s degree already has the General Education coursework required for an Associate in Arts degree. The exceptions to this statement are program-specific General Education courses, General Education course that serve as a program-required courses, and courses that are too old according to a program’s standards. In addition, the student is required to have two college-level mathematics courses at the College Algebra level (or higher) for the AA degree, and one college-level (or higher) mathematics course for an AS degree (regardless of program area).
Note: If a student changes his or her intended program, it is the student’s responsibility to request a reevaluation of applied transfer credits for the new program. This is not automatically done.
Polk State College recognizes that valid learning can take place in non-traditional and non-collegiate environments. The College follows equivalency course guidelines from the American Council of Education (ACE) in accordance with the Articulation Coordinating Committee of the state of Florida. The College also generally follows the additional credit-granting recommendations of the ACE but reserves the right to exercise its own judgment in such cases. Polk State College maintains articulation standards for providing credit based on various credentials, certifications, and licensures in addition to state-mandated agreements. More information on non-traditional credit awards is provided through the Credits for Experience and Non-Traditional Learning webpage. This page also contains information and links regarding Prior Learning Assessment (PLA).
All credit that is transferred to Polk State College becomes part of the student’s permanent academic record and appears on the transcript. The credits are applied in the most appropriate manner to the student’s program of study as general electives, General Education courses, program-specific courses, and other academic requirements. In some cases, credit contributes to excess hours on the student record.
Student Responsibilities for Award of Transfer Credit:
A student must submit an official transcript to the Admission and Registrar’s Office before consideration is given for transfer. The student is advised to submit his or her transcript(s) six weeks before the beginning of the semester.
The student may be asked to complete a Credit Evaluation Worksheet and provide documentation from the sending institution about course content, faculty credentials, textbooks, or other criteria used in the evaluation process. Requests for evaluation of credit from schools that are not regionally accredited and that do not participate in the SCNS must be initiated by the student 12 weeks prior to the beginning of the term (but no later than the Drop Deadline of the graduating term). The student plays an active role in collecting required data for evaluation. A transcript evaluation specialist reviews the documentation and renders a transfer decision based on Polk State’s credit awarding policies. The student is responsible for reviewing all credit applied from transfer or articulation. The College is not responsible for misappropriated credit.
A student may appeal a transfer decision by completing an online Transfer Action Request Form. The student is advised to provide thorough and complete documentation with the appeal. The appeal is entered on a Transfer Action Request Form found under the Admission and Registrar Forms link on the website. Many individuals are involved in the decision process: the Transcript Services Supervisor, the College Registrar, the Vice President of Academic Affairs, and one or more discipline-specific faculty members. Once a final decision is rendered, the student is notified in writing through the Transfer Action Request process.
Reverse Transfer of Credit
Polk State participates with other state and private institutions in reverse transfer for the purposes of degree attainment. A student has the option to apply reverse transfer of credit when applying to the College. Reverse transfer allows Polk State and future institutions attended to share the student’s academic record. A student who leaves Polk State without earning a degree can have these records evaluated to determine if he or she meets the requirements to be granted a Polk State degree. The student must meet all the requirements for graduation, including attaining a minimum of 25 percent of instruction toward the degree at Polk State College. The Graduation Requirements section of this document provides further details about this option.
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