REQUEST TO CHANGE CURRENT ACADEMIC POLICY
OR
CREATE NEW ACADEMIC POLICY FORM
Author: Diane Douglas
Date:
New Policy Title: Transfer Policy
Administrators
to Review:
Old Policy Title:
Author’s Title: Registrar
Faith Hensrud (12/15/11), Tonya Roth (12/11)
Peter Nordgren, Rhoda Robinson
The signatures required to draft/change policy are listed below and must be followed in the order presented.
1 Review and Comment; Ok to Move Forward
Academic Affairs Endorsement:
2
Faculty Senate Endorsement:
FINAL APPROVAL TO MOVE FORWARD AS
3
OFFICAL UWS POLICY
4 UW Regent approval required?
Provost’s Signature:
Faculty Signature:
Faculty Signature:
Chancellor’s Signature:
Create as UWS Policy #:
UW Policy Number Affected:
Date:
Date:
Date:
Date:
I. Background and Purpose:
During the summer of 2011, the UW-System revised its transfer policy and suggested that campuses follow this
lead.
II. Current Policy Language:
2.1 Course credits from college parallel courses earned in institutions previously attended are recorded on the student's
academic record at UW-Superior. Course numbers on the Transfer of Credit Analysis Sheet are converted to UWSuperior course numbers whenever possible. The Credits Committee may take action to award transfer credit for
courses for which UW-Superior does not have a comparable department or curricular area, or for which UW-Superior
does not have a direct course equivalent. Where appropriate, these credits will apply toward satisfying general
education and other degree requirements.
2.2 If a specific course number appears in the evaluation, the student should not enroll in that course at UW-Superior.
This would result in loss of credit, since duplicate credit for a course is not allowed. Transfer grades are not computed
in the grade point average by the university except for those taken as part of the cross-registration program. Grades
earned at UW-Superior or through cross-registration are the only ones used in calculating a grade point average except
as indicated below.
2.3 Grades in transfer courses applying to majors in the Accounting, Business Administration, Computer Information
Systems or Economics will be computed to ensure that all students' graduation from a major program meet the same
minimum grade point average requirements.
2.4 Transfer course grades may be used in determining the eligibility for admission into Teacher Education and for
participation in the professional and field experiences within the department.
2.5 If the student wants to appeal the transfer analysis, he or she may contact the admissions office before proceeding with
academic advising and registration.
2.7 The Credits Committee will broadly interpret course substitution requests according to the Principles of
Accommodation. The Credits Committee will accept General Education/liberal arts requirements in the broad
academic areas of non-Western and diversity, humanities, social sciences, natural sciences and physical sciences, and
fine and applied arts. In recognition of the high quality of instruction at all University of Wisconsin institutions and in
the interest of best serving students, transfer credit may be awarded by the Credits Committee for courses, curricular
areas, and departments which are not offered at UW-Superior. In general the Credits Committee will award maximum
credit earned from the transfer institution.
2.8 The number of credits earned for a course taken on the quarter system must be multiplied by 2/3 to convert to the
semester system. Thus a course for three quarter credits would be changed to two semester credits when transferred to
UW-Superior.
2.9 Coursework equivalent to Freshman English composition must have been completed with a grade of C- or better for
the credit to be accepted at UW-Superior. A grade of C- or better in "Introduction to Communication" is required for
students in an education curriculum.
III. Draft Policy Statement:
3.1
Credit is normally accepted for college-level course work completed at institutions accredited by a regional or national
accrediting organization recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). (Foreign institutions
must be recognized by the Ministry of Education in that country.) Courses must be similar in nature, level, and content
to a course in UW-Superior’s curriculum and applicable to an academic program. Courses that are remedial (usually
numbered below 100); technical, vocational, or doctrinal in nature are generally not transferable.
3.2
Transfer credit is evaluated by the Transfer Specialist and recorded on the official UW-Superior transcript. The
Transfer Specialist evaluates all transfer credit for general education course equivalency as well as equivalency for
major and minor courses based on past practice, approved articulation agreements, review of the transfer course
description, or approval from the faculty.
Transfer analysis will be based only on official transcripts received directly from the transfer institution, not from
student copies or course work posted on a different institution’s transcript other than the one where the credit was
earned. A transcript must be received from each previous institution attended.
3.3
International transfer students are required to submit original grade reports/transcripts for all post-secondary
institutions and courses attended and original academic diplomas, certificates, and national or other major exam
results. Official records must be submitted in their native language and must be accompanied by an official English
translation. Official records should be sent directly from the institution or examining board. Transfer credit evaluation
may require submission of course syllabi (official explanation of course content) from the institution.
3.4
Transfer courses with descriptions that closely match the descriptions of courses taught at UW-Superior will generally
transfer as direct course equivalent credits. For example:
 An introductory macroeconomics course at the previous institution will transfer as UW-Superior’s ECON 251
Principles of Macroeconomics. Transfer courses that do not have direct course equivalents at UW–Superior will
transfer as elective credits within the appropriate academic department.
 A course on the geology of Minnesota would transfer as geology elective credits because UW–Superior does not
offer a course with this particular content. Elective credits may need further evaluation by the major department
to determine applicability to a UW-Superior degree program and might be redirected for a general education
course, major/minor or degree requirement.
A course that carries more credit than the corresponding UW-Superior course is transferred to meet the credit hours of
the UW-Superior course; the additional hours are counted as elective credit.
Credits that do not apply toward specific requirements will be applied toward the minimum number of total credits
required for graduation.
3.5
Students should not enroll for any UW-Superior course they already have transfer credit indicated. This will result in
the transfer course being removed from the transcript since duplicate credit for a course is not allowed. Transfer
courses that are not equivalent to UW-Superior courses are designated as elective credit, and assigned the appropriate
elective number (189, 289, 389, 489, 589, or 689) for academic level of the course. Transfer grades are not computed
in the cumulative UW-Superior grade point average, except for those taken as part of the cross-registration program. If
a student is awarded transfer credit for a course and then repeats the course at UW-Superior, the transferred credits
will be removed from the student’s record.
3.6
Grades earned at previous institution(s) are not calculated into the UW–Superior cumulative grade point average;
however, transfer grades are used when calculating degree grade point average used for graduation honors. Grades
received for transfer work will not replace a grade for a course taken at UW-Superior.
3.7
Course substitutions in a particular general education, core or knowledge category may be appropriate when a transfer
course is similar but not equal to a UW-Superior course. A course transferred as elective credit is eligible to be
redirected for a general education, major, minor, or degree requirement. It is the responsibility of the student to
provide the appropriate documentation such as a course description or syllabus from the previous institution to support
her/his request. Course substitutions should be broadly interpreted according to the Principles of Accommodation.
General Education/liberal arts requirements will be accepted in the broad academic areas of non-Western and
diversity, humanities, social sciences, natural and physical sciences, and fine and applied arts.
A course designated as fulfilling a general education, diversity, or non-western requirement at another UW institution
will transfer as the same at UW-Superior; whether or not UW-Superior has a direct course equivalent. In general the
Transfer Specialist will award the appropriate credit earned from the transfer institution. Courses completed by UW
System transfer students will transfer in accordance with the course equivalency in effect when the course was taken.
3.8
Transfer credit received from an institution that uses quarter credits will be converted from quarter credits/units to
semester credits. A quarter credit is equated to .666 or 2/3 of a semester credit. Thus a course for three quarter credits
would be changed to two semester credits when transferred to UW-Superior.
3.9
Academic credits with a grade of D- or higher will transfer to UW-Superior. Exceptions include coursework
equivalent to College Writing I and II which will only transfer with a grade of C- or higher.
Elementary Education majors and teacher certification students may only transfer a minimum of C in College Writing
I and II, COMM 110, MATH requirement of student’s major, HHP 102, and teacher certification courses. A course
equivalent to Introduction to Education will only transfer with a minimum grade of B- or higher.
3.10 The maximum number of combined transferable semester credits from a two-year college is 72. There is no credit
limit on transferable credits from a four-year university. Regardless of the number of credits transferred, students still
must earn 30 resident credits from UW-Superior.
3.11 UW-Superior lower-division General Education requirements are considered satisfied for those students who have
earned an associate of arts (AA), associate of science (AS), associate of arts and sciences (AA&S) degree from a
University of Wisconsin System institution or from any of the Minnesota State Colleges and University System
(MnSCU) community colleges. UW-Superior has program-to-program articulation agreements for students who have
graduated from many programs within the Wisconsin Technical College System, UW Colleges and the MnSCU
system.
Students who earn an AA, AS, or AA&S degree from many community colleges in neighboring states may also be
considered to have satisfied the UW-Superior lower-division General Education requirements.
The following may not necessarily be satisfied by an Associate Degree:
 Competency requirements or levels of proficiency (e.g., college writing, speech, foreign language, math,
quantitative reasoning) established by the receiving institution for continuing students.
 General education courses that are prerequisites to a particular program or major and are required of continuing
students (e.g., micro and macro economics for business majors).
 Requirements mandated by external professional accrediting associations or program approving agencies (e.g.,
Department of Public Instruction, Accreditation Board for Engineering and Technology, American Assembly of
Collegiate Schools of Business).
If a student has a previous baccalaureate degree, the student will be awarded 120 hours of transfer credit and have all
general education requirements met.
3.12 Remedial course work (courses numbered 99 or below) will only be transferred if a college-level course has not been
completed in the subject area and the course is needed as a pre-requisite and the grade earned is a C- or higher. The
coursework will only be transferred for milestone purposes, so no credit will be accepted.
3.13 Transfer students may select the pertinent catalog of entry at UW-Superior which corresponds with the start of the
academic year at their previous institution, or students can choose the current UW-Superior catalog at time of transfer.
The catalog used cannot be more than seven years old.
3.14 All students must receive pre-approval for study away courses. Study Away courses will be equated according to the
pre-approved study away form. After grades are posted at the study away institution, an official transcript must be
mailed to the UW-Superior Registrar’s Office from the international institution before courses, credits, and grade
points will be posted to a student’s degree program. Study away courses are used in calculating cumulative grade
point average.
3.15 Active-duty or veteran students must request their military transcript be sent to UW-Superior for evaluation for
appropriate transfer credit. Enrolling students who have completed basic training will receive 3 transfer credits for
HHP 102. Depending on the branch of the military, additional credit may be accepted for basic training as well. In
addition, military transcripts are evaluated for academic credit that is similar in nature to UW-Superior undergraduate
curriculum and applicable to an academic program.
Credit may be awarded for military experience and/or education. In awarding credit for such technical or specialized
training, the recommendations of the American Council on Education are followed:
 Students whose length of service was one year or more are allowed up to six semester credits.
 A maximum of 32 semester credits may be allowed for military experience and education.
3.16 An admitted Graduate student may transfer up to 9 credits that are appropriate for his/her UW-Superior graduate
program. Credits must be a grade of B or higher to transfer. No credit will be accepted for graduate work completed
more than 10 years before the expected degree date, or work used to complete another degree. Each transfer course
must be approved by the graduate student’s advisor and department.
Graduate credits cannot count toward a baccalaureate degree. Any exceptions must be approved by the Credits and
Reinstatement Committee.
3.17 College courses taken prior to high school graduation will be accepted at UW–Superior as long as the credit is:
 Transferable
 Earned at an accredited college
 Listed on an official transcript received directly from the college.
3.18 Students who wish to appeal the transfer analysis, should contact the Transfer Specialist in the Registrar’s Office
before proceeding with academic advising and registration.
IV. Policy Procedures:
4.1
Transfer student has official transcript(s) sent to the Admissions office.
4.2
Admissions sends the transfer transcript to the Transfer Specialist in the Registrar’s Office who evaluates the transfer
courses based on past practice, approved articulation agreements, review of the transfer course description, or
approval from the faculty.
4.3
Transfer specialist enters the transfer coursework into PS using UW-Superior course numbers for equivalent courses.
Courses that have not equivalent at UW-Superior are listed as indicated in 3.5 above.
4.4
A student who wishes to appeal a transfer analysis should follow the procedure below in the order listed:
 The student must submit an appropriate course description or syllabus and request that the Transfer Specialist reevaluate the transfer course;
 If the Transfer Specialist cannot approve the re-evaluation, the Transfer Specialist will forward the documentation
to the faculty member who teaches a similar course at UW-Superior to review the transfer course;
 If the faculty member cannot approve the re-evaluation, the documentation will be sent to the department chair
housing a similar course to review the transfer course; then
 The student will be notified by the Transfer Specialist of the decision made and, if need be, can appeal to the
Credits and Reinstatement Committee to review the transfer course.