2014-2015 Undergraduate Catalog

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Transfer Evaluation

Transfer Credit

UNC awards a maximum of 90 transfer semester hours from all sources. A student who has earned a liberal-arts based Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS), or Bachelor's degree from a regionally accredited college will receive a full waiver of the Liberal Arts Core (LAC) requirements. Certain UNC majors require specific and/or additional LAC credit. These requirements are not waived by the AA, AS, or Bachelor's Degree. Associate of Applied Science (AAS) degrees are not transferable to UNC. Individual courses taken as part of the AAS degree will be evaluated for possible credit on a course-by-course basis. Courses with a letter grade of “C-“or higher are eligible for transfer. Remedial courses and vocational/technical courses are not eligible for transfer.

Course credit earned 10 years before the baccalaureate degree is to be granted may be applicable toward the UNC degree at the discretion of the academic department for the course subject matter.

Previous grade point averages are used for admission and scholarship purposes only and are not carried forward on the student's academic record at UNC. New transfer students begin with a new UNC grade point average. A minimum of 120 semester hours is required to graduate from UNC.

Undergraduate students may not count courses numbered 600-799 toward undergraduate degree programs; courses number 600-799 will not be transferred in.

Coursework completed through International Student Exchange/Study Abroad or National Student Exchange will be recorded as transfer coursework upon receipt of an official transcript from the exchange institution, but is not subject to the restrictions on transfer coursework and counts as in-residence for graduation residency requirements. International Student Exchange/Study Abroad and National Student Exchange students register for ISE 100 or NSE 100 courses, respectively, which are courses taught under the authorization of the University of Northern Colorado.

Transfer Course Guide

UNC does not allow transfer of credit from institutions not accredited by a regional association of colleges and secondary schools. The University of Northern Colorado only accepts credit from institutions of higher education holding full regional accreditation from one of the following agencies:

  • Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • The Higher Learning Commission (HLC) of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges

To find out if your previous college or university is regionally accredited by one of these agencies, visit http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/

If course work was completed at a school not regionally accredited, a student may specifically request that his/her course work be considered for transfer. Students who wish to appeal the transferability of course work must write a letter within the first semester after the work was not accepted. The letter must be addressed to the Office of the Registrar and include:

  • The name(s) of the previous institution(s) attended, the course number and title of each course for which the student was denied transfer credit, and the date(s) of enrollment in each course.
  • A copy of the catalog description (from the appropriate year) for each course in question.
  • A copy of the syllabus or course outline (from the appropriate year) for each course in question. This information can be obtained from the sending institution.
  • A statement indicating why the credit(s) should be accepted.

The Office of the Registrar will re-evaluate the course(s) for which the student is requesting reconsideration in consultation with the department chair/school director. A written response will be delivered to the student in a timely manner once the appropriate faculties have reviewed the course materials, past practices, and the student’s specific circumstances.

To determine transferability of courses, the following will be considered:

  1. The educational quality of the sending institution
  2. The comparability of course content to the UNC course
  3. Applicability of the credit in relation to the programs being offered at UNC
  4. Additional documentation provided by the student regarding the transferable course(s).

Course work taken at vocational/technical institutes will not be accepted. Copies of the Transfer Course Guide are on file at each Colorado community or junior college and may also be obtained online at http://www.unco.edu/regrec/Current%20Students/Transfer/Index.html. For the student's Liberal Arts Core requirement and major requirement, the Catalog in effect at the time of admissions and major declaration will be followed.

Course Equivalency – A course taken at a previous institution that has been deemed to have comparable/equal content to a UNC course. An equivalent course decision may be made only by the related academic unit. Once equivalencies are determined and documented by the related academic unit, the respective equivalent courses are consistently applied to ALL students who transfer courses from the respective institution in to UNC, from that point forward, irrespective of their program of study. (Transfer Credit Equivalency documentation form: http://www.unco.edu/regrec/Current%20Students/Transfer/Index.html)  

High School Concurrent Coursework – Students who have successfully completed college coursework from a regionally accredited institution while in high school must submit an official transcript from the college/university before the coursework will be evaluated. College credit completed while in high school may count towards UNC degree requirements but cannot be used to classify a student as a transfer student for admission and/or transfer scholarship eligibility purposes.

Waiver of Liberal Arts Core Requirements

  • Individuals with an Associate of Arts, Associate of Science, or a Bachelor’s degree (regardless of date of completion) from an accredited public institution in the State of Colorado will have their Liberal Arts Core requirements waived.
  • Individuals with an out-of-state or private institution degree will qualify for a waiver of Liberal Arts Core requirements if they have successfully completed at least one course in each of the following areas: Communication (Area 1), Mathematics (Area 2), Arts & Humanities (Area 3), History (Area 4), Social & Behavioral Sciences (Area 5), and Physical & Life Sciences (Area 6). If these requirements are not met, the student will need to fulfill the requirements of the Liberal Arts Core in full.

State of Colorado Reverse Transfer

Students who have some college completed but who have not yet attained a degree may be eligible for an associate’s degree if they meet the following criteria:

  • The student has completed 15 degree-applicable credit hours at a Colorado community college;
  • The student has a minimum of 70 credit hours, including coursework at the four-year institution; 
  • The student’s completed credit hours meet the requirements for an Associate of Science, Associate of Arts or Associate of General Studies, to be determined via a degree audit at the community college; and 
  • The student has not requested that their data be withheld at either institution. 
  • The student has not already received an associate’s or bachelor’s degree.

For additional information, see http://degreewithinreach.org.

International Transcript Translation

Students who have completed coursework at recognized international universities may receive transfer credit at UNC. The courses completed must be consistent in level, duration, hours of lecture, discussion, and course content with courses offered at accredited American universities, and must be consistent with the specific courses, majors, and programs at an international university for transfer credit to be awarded. Students must be aware that for a majority of international institutions there is a conversion factor related to credit amounts.

International transcripts must be submitted to an approved evaluation service. Such an evaluation is the sole responsibility of the student. International evaluations must be submitted according to the guidelines listed below, and will be subject general transfer policies.

  • Students must submit official transcripts to the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) International Education Services for a course-by-course evaluation. Additional information is available at http://ies.aacrao.org/.
    • Course-by-Course Evaluation includes a basic statement of comparability plus a list of each course taken along with the equivalent US marks and credit.
  • Official transcripts must be provided to UNC in addition to the evaluation.

Student Complaints

If a disagreement regarding the transferability of credits for coursework or a degree occurs between and student and the institution, the Colorado Department of Higher Education will facilitate an expeditious review and resolution of the matter. Complaints can be filed at http://highered.colorado.gov/Academics/Complaints/default.html. The Colorado Commission on Higher Education shall have final authority in resolving transfer disputes.