Transfer, Reverse Transfer, AP, and Other Credits

West Chester University students may take courses off campus and transfer the credit toward their degree. All students are required to submit a completed Transfer Credit Permission form to the Office of the Registrar prior to taking any courses off campus.

The Office of the Registrar maintains a list of transfer equivalencies that have been established by the academic departments. West Chester University students who wish to take courses off campus must first check the Transfer Credit Center, which lists established equivalencies to ensure the course has been approved for transfer.

If students are interested in taking courses off campus that do not have an established equivalency, it is the student's responsibility to have the chair of the West Chester University department that offers the course determine an equivalency. Students who took and completed a course at West Chester University may not repeat the course at another institution and have the credit count towards their West Chester degree.

Credit for courses will transfer to West Chester University only if the student received a grade of D or better in the course. Grades received in courses taken at other institutions are not calculated in the West Chester cumulative GPA.  Only the credits are transferred. Students must also meet all minimum grade requirements in courses they wish to have transferred toward their major and/or minor program requirements. The equivalency of the desired course must be established before the student takes the course off campus. Prerequisites also must be met before courses will transfer back to West Chester University.

All college-level credits from regionally accredited institutions will be awarded transfer credit. A list of recognized accrediting organizations may be found on the Registrar's website. Credit for work completed at non-regionally accredited institutions, such as that from military training or other non-regionally accredited organizations, may be awarded when accompanied by a transcript from the American Council on Education (ACE) or Joint Services Commission Transcript (JST). Credits from non-regionally accredited institutions may also be granted on the recommendation of the student’s major department, in consultation with the college dean and Registrar's Office. (See also "Admission to West Chester" and the section on "Taking Courses Off Campus.")

Grades of D or above will be accepted for transfer. Grades in a course submitted for transfer as a major and/or minor program requirement must meet the minimum grade required by the department. For example, if a program requires that a student earn a B or better in a major and/or minor program requirement, then the student requesting transfer credit from another institution must have earned a minimum of a B in the parallel course. If a student earns a lower grade than the requirement, the department may require that the course be repeated at West Chester University.

Individual courses for transfer credit cannot be duplicated.  Duplication of credit occurs if the university deems the student should receive the same equivalency for different courses completed at an external institution. This applies to credit earned through an external institution, test credit or other source.  Equivalencies designated as "repeatable" for credit may be exempt.  See the course descriptions for the "repeatable for credit" designation.  Students can appeal these evaluation decisions through the Transfer Credit Appeal process.

If a student changes their major and/or minor, grades originally approved for transfer will be re-evaluated by the new major/minor department.

No course equivalency transfer credit will be given for WCU courses numbered at the 400 level, unless the courses are taken at an institution that awards baccalaureate degrees. Departments have the right to accept courses for their majors as 199 (e.g., BIO 199) or TRN 199.

Official transcripts will be evaluated by the Office of the Registrar. Students will be sent a copy of the evaluation immediately upon review.

WCU operates on a semester calendar system. Transfer courses taken at institutions on a quarter, unit or other type of calendar systems will be converted to semester credit hours. For quarter transfer institutions, the University awards .67 semester credits per quarter credit hour of study. For transfer courses taken on a unit or other credit system, WCU bases the number of semester credit hours on the number of units required to earn a degree from the institution.

All questions regarding the transfer of credit to West Chester University should be directed to the Registrar's Office. If a student wishes to appeal a transfer equivalency decision, they must complete the Transfer Credit Appeal form. Students must complete and submit this form, along with a course description and/or syllabus, to the appropriate academic department for approval. If additional information is needed to further review the student’s appeal, it will be the student’s responsibility to provide this information. Please allow two to three weeks for departments to make a final determination.

Through the Reverse Transfer Agreement, established between Pennsylvania Community Colleges and the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (PASSHE) Universities, West Chester University (WCU) is able to assist students who have transferred to WCU from a PA Community College complete their previously initiated associate degree while pursuing their bachelor’s degree at WCU.  

Requirements for eligibility through WCU:

• The student must be enrolled at WCU.
• The student must have transferred to WCU from a PA Community College, with that PA Community College as the last institution attended.
• The student must have attended the PA Community College within the previous five years and have earned a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0.
• The student must have earned a minimum of 45 credits (excluding remedial/developmental coursework) at their most recently attended PA Community College.
• The student must have successfully completed at least 15 credits at WCU.
• The student must have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 at WCU. Only credits with a C or better from WCU will reverse transfer back to the previously attended degree granting PA Community College.
• The student must have earned and/or have in-progress a total number of 60 or more college-level credits from the PA Community College and WCU combined.
• The students must indicate their agreement to participate in this program via completion of the Reverse Transfer Release form.

How it works:

• WCU will notify eligible students once they have completed a minimum of 60 credits, combined from both the PA Community College and WCU, and give them the opportunity to participate in the Reverse Transfer Program. 
• Eligible students will complete a Reverse Transfer Release form and return it to the WCU Registrar’s office. A WCU transcript will then be sent to the PA Community College for evaluation.
• If the PA Community College determines that degree requirements have been satisfied, the PA Community College will award the Associate’s Degree.
• The PA Community College will send a final transcript to WCU, indicating conferment of the Associate’s Degree.
• Students will not be charged transcript or graduation fees by either institution for Associate degrees awarded through this program.

Questions may be directed to registrar@wcupa.edu.

Purpose and Scope

West Chester University (WCU) recognizes that students may bring a variety of prior learning experiences to their WCU education in addition to credit earned at other US institutions of higher education.  This policy describes the range of such experiences and how these may be credentialed as transfer credits.

Policy Statement

WCU recognizes prior learning through the following types of examinations and assessments as transfer credit towards credit requirements for graduation. 

Pre-College Examination credit is available through the following options:  

• Advanced Placement (AP): A program created by the College Board. 

• International Baccalaureate (IB): Recognized through the International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme. 

• DSST Exam (formerly DANTES): DSST is a program sponsored by the Department of Defense for military and non-service members.  

College-level credit for prior learning is available through the following options:  

• Individual Prior Learning Portfolio – the portfolio is designed to recognize and value the knowledge, skills, and experience that individuals have gained through prior learning and experience, and to provide them with opportunities to gain credit towards a degree program at the University.  Students develop a portfolio that documents college-level competency in a particular course. The portfolio should include an extensive description of the student’s learning and how it aligns with the competencies of the particular course for which the student is seeking credit. Students should be prepared to provide supporting documentation, such as: course descriptions, certificates from training courses, job description, sample work, etc.  West Chester University will not award transfer credit received through Individual Prior Learning Assessments by other institutions.  

• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a credit-by-examination program that measures a student's level of comprehension of introductory college-level material and subsequently awards college credit.

Procedures

Students should consult individual departments for equivalencies to specific West Chester University courses. For questions about transferring credits to West Chester University, see the information under the Transfer Credit Center on the Registrar's website.