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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 accredited institution (note: Education Programs accept only credit from schools accredited by one of the following agencies; Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (ACCJC), Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE), Higher Learning Commission (HLC), New England Commission of Higher Education
    (NECHE), Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU), WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC), Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
    Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC), with a minimum grade of "C" or better)
  • The student received a grade of “C” (GPA of 2.0/4.0) or better (Note: students who graduated with an overall GPA of 2.0 or better from A.A. or A.S. degree at an IAI approved institution may be exempt from this requirement, subject to each NLU program rules. This exception may also apply to other associate’s degrees that are part of specific Articulation Agreements).
  • 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 credit for prior learning may be accepted by select undergraduate programs, subject to specific program requirements
  • Up to 60 quarter hours of technical credit may be accepted by the Applied Behavioral Science, Health Care Leadership, and Management 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
  • Credit below college level cannot be accepted
  • In addition to the above requirements Kendall College of Culinary Arts and Hospitality Management has its own transfer credit restrictions
  • 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 60 QH must be taken at NLU, including the last 45 QH taken for the degree.

Non-institutional Graduate Transfer Credit

Transfer of graduate credit completed outside of NLU 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.

NLU credit completed under a different program is subject to Application of Academic Credit Toward Multiple Programs Policy. 

Although specific NLU colleges and programs may have additional requirements, all transfer credit completed elsewhere must meet the minimum criteria set at the University level as outlined below:

  • Students must be admitted before submitting a request for transfer credit 
  • Credit must be bona fide graduate credit
  • Credit must be from a school with institutional accreditation
  •  Courses may have been used toward a previous earned degree at the discretion of the academic program with appropriate approvals through the designated college level process.
    • The total hours of coursework used towards another degree that may be accepted is at the discretion of the academic college and program, and may not exceed the overall maximum transfer hours identified by that college.
    • Courses presented for transfer into a doctoral program are expected to be at the post-masters level. Exceptions may be considered with appropriate approvals through the designated college level process.
  • 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 Registrar 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.

Application of CPL may help more nontraditional students find smoother pathways in and through postsecondary programs. These pathways include:

Credit for Prior Learning may be accepted toward all undergraduate and graduate programs across the institution as an option for validating and credentialing college-level knowledge and skills acquired outside of the classroom-upon approval of program faculty, college leadership, and 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 for bachelor's degrees, 9 semester hours for master's, and 12 SH for doctoral degrees. This requirement does not apply to courses/credit hours transferred from other institutions. 

Student seeking to include a Credit for Prior Learning option must abide by the University Residency Requirement Policy:

  • Undergraduate students: At least 60 quarter hours of the undergraduate degree program must be taken at NLU. This includes a maximum of 15 quarter hours that can be earned through CPL (including NLU’s internal Prior Learning Portfolio Assessment, American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations for Military Experience and Professional Training, nationally recognized examinations such as DSST, CLEP, Excelsior College Exams (ECE), New York University Language Proficiency Exams, and Advanced Placement (AP) unless approved by the college Academic Standards Committee (CPSA) or Academic Policies Committee (NCE).
  • The last 45 quarter hours taken for a degree must be taken at NLU. Credit for Prior Learning, including DSST, CLEP, NYU Proficiency Exams, Excelsior College Exams (ECE), Advanced Placement (AP), American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations, credit by portfolio and license/certification may count toward the last 45 quarter hours required to be taken at NLU. 
  • The last 9 semester hours taken for a graduate degree must be taken at NLU.

Graduate and Doctoral Level Credit for Prior Learning earned through Portfolio or by Credentials is approved by NLU faculty and is considered NLU credit.

  • Graduate Level Degrees (including graduate level certificates, master degree, educational specialist degree, etc.). A maximum of 9SH required for the degree program can be completed through Credit by Prior Learning. These credits will count towards NLU residency, and will not conflict with the maximum transfer credit allowed.
  • Doctoral level degrees (including doctoral level endorsements, doctoral degree, etc.). A maximum of 12SH required for the degree program can be completed through Credit by Prior Learning. These credits will count towards NLU residency, and will not conflict with the maximum transfer credit allowed.

 

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL)

Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) includes several options that can be applied towards undergraduate and Graduate Elective, General Education, and Major course credit. PLA programs include, Credit by Portfolio, Credit by Examination, and Credit by Credentials.

Credit by Portfolio is one of the options possible for undergraduate students seeking to fulfill General Education and Elective credits by taking the ACL301, Perspectives on Prior Learning class. Throughout this course, students survey principles and practices of adult and experiential learning, recognize, document, and validate their college-level learning that took place outside of a structured college curriculum for possible undergraduate credit. 

Credit by Portfolio for major courses is possible in some programs at both undergraduate and graduate levels. Students who possess the equivalent knowledge and background required to successfully pass identified major courses can enroll in the Credit by Portfolio (CPL) course option, where they can demonstrate course equivalent competencies. Student learning outcomes are assessed and potential credit awarded by a faculty assessor. To determine if your programs offer CPL for major courses, please visit, https://nl.edu/cpl/

The Portfolio programs offered at NLU are in accordance with guidelines 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. A standard fee is charged to cover the administrative costs.

For more information on Credit for Prior Learning and fees click here.

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 colleges at NLU accept ACE credit. Programs in the National College of Education may also choose to accept ACE (pending any state mandated or regulations put on licensure programs), upon approval of program faculty, college leadership, and Provost office.

 

The application of prior learning credit for military experience and professional training has been specifically restricted to “general education” designated courses and program electives – when appropriate, programs seeking to include CPL options into their major, minor, and concentration coursework must consult with their program faculty, college leadership, and Provost. 

 

Credit by Examination (Undergraduate)

National Louis University awards credit to students who have achieved acceptable scores on the Advanced Placement (AP), the International Baccalaureate (IB), the College Board’s College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs), Excelsior College Examinations, and NYU Language Proficiency exams. In addition, NLU grants college credit to students who were awarded the Seal of Biliteracy. 

 

The University has determined required scores and credit awards for AP and DANTES and adopted the  American Council on Education’s (ACE) recommendations for acceptable score requirements and credit awards for CLEP and UExcel examinations. 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.

Credit by Credentials Program

Credit by Credentials through the Credit for Prior Learning Program includes Licensure, Certification, Professional Training, and Badges. It is possible at NLU for some programs to use Credit by Credentials to be applied towards Elective credit as well as Major courses. All credentials are recommended and vetted by program faculty and the Provost Office prior to becoming an option for students to determine course-equivalent learning outcomes. Visit our Credit by Credential webpage for more details and a list of acceptable credentials.

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.