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Types of Credit

Dual Credit

As part of our shared missions in providing access to higher education, National Louis University and Township High School District 214 have signed a memorandum of understanding to offer dual credit to D214 high school students. Dual credit allows students to earn college credit while also applying the credit toward high school graduation, it improves college affordability and helps provide a seamless transition to college. 

Students attending a participating high school can earn high school and college credit simultaneously by taking pre-selected college level courses.

NLU courses recognized for dual credit:

  • ELE 210, ECE 210, SPE 210- History and Philosophy of Education, 3SH
  • MGT 101- Intro to Business, 4 QH
  • MGT 120- Accounting Principles I, 4 QH
  • MGT 121- Accounting Principles II, 4 QH
  • MGT 122- Accounting Principles III, 4 QH
  • MGT 476- Entrepreneurship, Creativity, and Innovation, 5 QH

Please visit http://www.nl.edu/admissions/d214/ for more detailed information. 

Transfer Credit

Undergraduate Transfer Credit

All bona fide college level courses, appropriate to the program to be pursued, may be applied toward National Louis University’s undergraduate degree programs if the coursework meets the following criteria:

  • The courses are normally applicable to a baccalaureate program
  • The courses were taken at an institution with CHEA-recognized accreditation (note: NCE accepts only credit from regionally accredited institutions)
  • The student received a grade of “C” (GPA of 2.0/4.0) or better
  • Note: The way in which credit may be applied toward the degree is at the discretion of the University. The transfer of NLU credit is subject to the policies and discretion of the receiving institution. 

Evaluation of transfer coursework toward specific degree program requirements is completed by Office of the Registrar in consultation with the academic departments at the time of admission. Admitted students should work with their academic advisors in completing their degree plans. All credit considered of appropriate level, content and applicability to the degree program being pursued may be accepted for transfer according to established admissions standards.

The following restrictions apply:

  • Only up to three quarter hours of physical education credit may be accepted
  • Up to 60 quarter hours of technical credit may be accepted by the Applied Behavioral Science, Health Care Leadership, Management and Management Information Systems programs only
  • Students planning to take a mathematics course at another institution must receive written approval from their academic advisors before enrolling to ensure the course will be accepted for transfer credit
  • There may be additional limits to the acceptance of different kinds of credit according to the specific degree program

Students whose academic work was not in the United States are asked to provide official transcripts or appropriate equivalent documentation of their work. Certified English translations of such documents may be required. In addition, students may be required to submit their foreign credentials to one of several approved foreign credentials evaluation services. Credit will be awarded only after official documents have been received and appropriately evaluated.

Examples of academic work that must be submitted to one of the approved foreign credentials evaluation services include:

  • Credit taken at any institution that is not located in the United States
  • Study abroad credit that is not through an institution located in the United States

Credit may also be granted for credit recommendations made by the American Council on Education. This includes the Council’s military evaluations program and the National College Credit Recommendation Service.

Community college students who plan to complete their bachelor’s degrees at NLU can use the Transfer Articulation Guide to learn how their credit will transfer to NLU programs. Community college students matriculating from colleges that are not available on the drop-down menu should contact their enrollment representatives for transfer credit information.

Per the University Undergraduate Residency Policy Requirement, a minimum of 45 QH must be taken at NLU, including the last 12 QH (minimum of three courses) taken for the degree.

Graduate Transfer Credit

Transfer of graduate credit varies by college and program and must be approved by Office of the Registrar and the program director or faculty. For transfer credit to be considered, a student must contact his or her academic advisor and submit a completed Student Adjustment Form (signed by the appropriate faculty) to the Registrar's Office. The Office of the Registrar must also have on file an official transcript reflecting the credit to be transferred.

Although additional requirements may apply, the following criteria must be met for graduate transfer credit:

  • Students in the National College of Education and the College of Professional Studies and Advancement must be admitted before submitting a request for transfer credit 
  • Credit must be bona fide graduate credit that would have fulfilled graduate degree requirements at the institution where the course was offered
  • Credit must be from a regionally accredited institution
  • The course must not have been used toward another degree
  • The student must have received a grade of “B” or better in the course. If the student has received any type of grade other than a traditional letter grade, a letter is required from the Registrar of the institution where the course was taken verifying that the grade is equivalent to at least a “B” (3.0 on a scale of 4.0)
  • Transfer credit from institutions outside the United States must be submitted to an approved outside agency for evaluation. These agencies translate and interpret the transcript according to American university standards. The official foreign transcript evaluation must be submitted to the Office of Admissions and Records for processing.
  • The number of credit hours that may be transferred is determined on an individual basis
  • No transfer is automatic
  • Transfer credit may be prohibited or limited in certain academic programs

In addition to the above requirements, each of the colleges has its own transfer credit restrictions and some programs may further restrict or prohibit transfer credit.

Credit for Prior Learning

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) embraces multiple articulated pathways to award credit to all students who can demonstrate that they have achieved specific learning outcomes gained from experiences outside post-secondary education. Applying prior learning toward a postsecondary degree, certificate, or credential allows the nation to capture the large investments made in workplace or military education and training.

Application of CPL may help more nontraditional students find smoother pathways in and through postsecondary programs. These pathways could include, but are not limited to:

  • NLU's internal Prior Learning Portfolio Assessment
  • American Council on Education (ACE) - ACE credit recommendations for Military Experience and Professional Training
  • Nationally recognized examinations such as DSST, CLEP, Excelsior College Exams, or Advanced Placement (AP)

Credit for Prior Learning can be accepted toward undergraduate and graduate programs in the College of Professional Studies and Advancement and the National College of Education upon approval of program faculty, college leadership, and the Provost Office. National Louis University policy sets the maximum allowable for prior learning credit that can be awarded by the institution to complete the student's program at 60 quarter hours. This requirement does not apply to courses/credit hours transferred from other institutions. 

 

Programs seeking to include a Credit for Prior Learning option must abide by the University Residency Requirement Policy which assures that all students who graduate from NLU will have taken at least 25% of their degree coursework at the institution, including the last 12 quarter-hours in residence (for undergraduate programs) and the last 9 semester-hours in residence (for graduate programs).

Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)

Credit awarded through National Louis University’s internal prior learning portfolio assessment process is possible for programs that wish to include this form of CPL assessment as an option. Students may demonstrate the required competencies in a course and receive credit for that course through a portfolio of evidence. 

 

PLA portfolios are evaluated via an objective, dual, independent, criterion-referenced assessment process, which uses faculty evaluators who have successfully completed standard evaluator training through the Office of Assessment and is in accordance with guidelines for the evaluation of prior or extra-institutional learning recommended by the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and the American Council on Education (ACE).

The portfolio that is recommended by program faculty for assessment and award of prior learning credit as a CPL option must be vetted through the Provost Office for approval. Fees for the three different portfolio options are charged to cover administrative costs.

 

For more information on Prior Learning Assessment Credit and fees visit, http://www.nl.edu/pla/.

Military Experience and Professional Training


National Louis University recognizes that significant learning experiences may have occurred during the course of the United States Armed Forces military service and through non-collegiate training programs or examinations completed at nontraditional educational companies and other organizations such as government agencies, unions, or businesses. NLU uses the American Council on Education’s Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services and National Guide to College Credit to Workforce Training  to evaluate military experience and professional workforce training. Credit will not be taken from another school’s transcript unless it is listed as experiential learning credit. In that case, it will be accepted as such. Specific documents will be required in order to do a military or professional training evaluation.

 

All programs in the College of Professional Studies and Advancement may accept ACE credit. Programs in the National College of Education may also choose to accept ACE credit (pending any state mandated or regulations placed on licensure programs) upon approval of the program faculty, college leadership, and the Provost Office. 

 

ACE approved credit for the military experience and professional training can be used to fulfill any requirements in a program including general education, major, minor, or concentration. Programs seeking to include CPL options into their major, minor and concentration coursework must consult with their program faculty, college leadership, and the Provost Office.

Credit by Examination (Undergraduate)

National Louis University awards credit to students who have achieved acceptable scores on the Advanced Placement (AP), the American College Testing Program (ACT-PEP), the College Board’s College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs), Excelsior College Examinations, and other nationally recognized examinations.

 

The University has determined required scores and credit awards for AP and adopted the American Council on Education’s (ACE) recommendations for acceptable score requirements and credit awards for CLEP and DANTES. CLEP and DANTES exams may be taken at NLU and are scheduled on a regular basis. Fees are charged to cover the costs of tests and administration. Visit our Credit by Examination webpage for more details and a breakdown of acceptable scores.

Foreign Credit

Students whose academic work was not in the United States are asked to provide official transcripts or an appropriate equivalent documentation of their work. Certified English translations of such documents may be required. In addition, students may be required to submit their foreign credentials to one of several approved foreign credentials evaluation services. Credit will be awarded only after official documents have been received and appropriately evaluated.

Examples of academic work that must be submitted to one of the approved foreign credentials evaluation services include:
  • Credit taken at any institution that is not located in the United States
  • Study abroad credit that is not through an institution located in the United States

Guaranteed Transferability

National Louis University fully supports and aligns itself with the values articulated by the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) consortium and Degree Network System (DNS), and uses SOC criteria to structure institutional policies that acknowledge and respect the special challenges that military service creates for military students and their families.

Course credit earned through SOC-DNS designated programs are guaranteed to be accepted by NLU in transfer, just as they are at any institutions participating in the network. These guarantees are extended by NLU to active duty military, veterans, retired military, and adult family members of military personnel attending NLU classes either online or at any NLU campus or other location.

SOC-DNS courses are subject to the current NLU transfer credit policies. The way in which credit may be applied toward the degree is at the discretion of the University.