E-mail this pageSUNY Plattsburgh Transfer Credit Policy
The information below details the State University of New York College at Plattsburgh's transfer credit evaluation policy for new transfer students and freshmen who have earned college credit in high school.
Students who are currently attending SUNY Plattsburgh must follow the Permission for Off-Campus Study policy . For more information about this policy, please refer to the college catalog or contact the Registrar's Office .
Transfer credit evaluations for new transfers and freshman are performed by the Admissions Office, in consultation with the chairs of specific academic programs.
Accepting Transfer Credit
Accreditation
SUNY Plattsburgh accepts transfer credit from regionally accredited institutions of higher education and from recognized candidates for accreditation. These regional accrediting bodies include:
- Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools (MSA)
- New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC)
- North Central Association of Colleges and Schools (NCA)
- Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges (NWCCU)
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools (SACS)
- Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC)
Students who have attended non-regionally accredited institutions of higher education may request that their coursework be evaluated for transfer credit. Credit will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis, and students will be expected to provide course descriptions and/or syllabi to assist in evaluating the coursework.
The Council for Higher Education Accreditation provides a searchable database of colleges and universities and their accreditation.
Equivalent Programs
SUNY Plattsburgh awards transfer credits for those courses that are liberal arts in nature, or are applicable to a non-liberal arts program offered at SUNY Plattsburgh (i.e. business, education, social work, etc.). We do not award credit for those courses that are highly specialized or technical such as secretarial courses, automotive repair, or construction technology.
Remedial Courses
Courses that are designed to give students the necessary background for college-level work are not accepted for transfer credit. Examples of remedial courses include basic writing skills, pre-algebra, and English as a Second Language (ESL).
GPA Requirement
SUNY Plattsburgh awards transfer credit for those courses in which a passing grade was earned, which can include deficient grades like 'C-', 'D+', and 'D', provided that the following exceptions are noted:
- ENG 101 - Composition will only be awarded for a grade of 'C' or higher.
- Courses transferring into the major must have an overall cumulative grade point average of 2.00.
- Certain academic programs require a 'C' grade or higher in major-specific courses. (For example, a student majoring in Psychology must earn a 'C' grade or higher in PSY 101 - General Psychology). Any such requirements are listed in the notes section following the degree requirements in the college catalog.
It is important to remember that specific courses and credit hours transfer, course grades and quality points do not.
Maximum Transfer Credit
- SUNY Plattsburgh will accept up to 67 credits completed at a two-year college.
- The maximum that SUNY Plattsburgh will accept is 84 credits, provided that at least 17 of the credits are completed at a four-year college.
- Up to 30 credits will be accepted for credit earned by examination (AP, CLEP, Dantes and IB). Credits earned by examination are considered lower-division and are counted in the limits listed above.
Non-Semester Hour Based Transfer Credit
SUNY Plattsburgh will award transfer credit for courses completed on other credit systems (quarter-hour, unit-based, etc.) as long as the requirements listed above are met. Courses from other systems will be converted to their semester-hour equivalent during the transfer credit evaluation process.
Placing Transfer Credits
Once a course has been accepted for transfer credit, it is evaluated to determine whether it will be placed as a direct equivalent or a departmental elective. Direct equivalents are equal to a specific course offered by SUNY Plattsburgh. Departmental electives are those courses accepted for transfer to a specific department, but no equivalent course exists.
For example, Clinton Community College offers two courses: HIS 131 - World History to 1500 and HIS 132 - History of Modern World. The HIS 131 course is transferred as HIS XXX - History Departmental Elective as we do not have an equivalent course and HIS 132 is directly placed as SUNY Plattsburgh's HIS 132 - Modern Global History Since 1500.
When trying to place courses, we use the following criteria to determine whether a course is a direct equivalent or a departmental elective:
Content
For a course to be placed as a direct equivalent, it must sufficiently match the content offered in the SUNY Plattsburgh class.
Level
Undergraduate SUNY Plattsburgh courses that are applicable towards a degree are divided into four levels:
| Course Type | Course Number | Course Level |
|---|---|---|
| Introductory | 100-199 | Freshman |
| Intermediate | 200-299 | Sophomore |
| Intermediate | 300-399 | Junior |
| Advanced | 400-499 | Senior |
For a transfer course to be placed as a direct equivalent, it must be approximately the same course level as the course offered at SUNY Plattsburgh. For example, a 100-level introductory course in Human Resource Management offered at another college is not equivalent to SUNY Plattsburgh's 300-level Human Resource Management course.
Generally speaking, courses completed at a two-year college will be placed at the 100 or 200 level. If the content and prerequisite matches, a course may be placed at the 300-level. In only rare instances will transfer courses be placed at the 400-level.
Prerequisites
For a course to be placed as a direct equivalent, it generally requires that students have the same background knowledge entering the class as the class offered at SUNY Plattsburgh. For example, SUNY Plattsburgh's FNI 211 - Human Nutrition requires a background in general chemistry. If another college's nutrition course does not require general chemistry as a prerequisite it may not be accepted as a direct equivalent.
Programmatic Accreditation Requirements
While content, level, and prerequisites are the three primary factors we using in determining whether a course is placed as a direct equivalent or a departmental elective, some programs have specific accreditation requirements that impact the placement of direct equivalents.
Programs like Nursing, Social Work, and our School of Business and Economics must meet external accreditation requirements on transfer credits, which generally limit how credit can be placed if the student is transferring from a non-accredited institution.
For more information on specific programs that have accreditation requirements please consult the college catalog .
Major/General Education Placement
SUNY Plattsburgh makes every effort to ensure that courses that meet the requirements listed above are transferred into a student's major.
The college supports the position of the State University of New York that transfer students should not be required to repeat general education courses. If a student is transferring from a SUNY college, SUNY Plattsburgh will recognize those courses that are approved at the prior institution to meet the requirement. (The only exceptions are foreign language and mathematics, as SUNY Plattsburgh has a higher requirement in these areas then the SUNY System.)
For example, Adirondack Community College's ENG 203 - British Lit I course is approved to meet the SUNY humanities requirement. The course will then transfer to SUNY Plattsburgh to meet the same requirement.
Students who are transferring from non-SUNY institutions will have courses placed as general education if the content offered in the course matches the learning outcomes of the specific requirement.
Additional related information
- SUNY Plattsburgh general education requirements
- SUNY-Approved general education courses (listed by by institution)
Transfer Credit Evaluation Appeals
Should a student feel that a particular course has not been placed properly, we encourage the student to contact the admissions office to make an appointment with a transfer advisor. Students requesting an appeal should be prepared to provide additional information (including course descriptions and/or syllabi) to assist in re-examining the course. In some cases, the faculty from the respective academic program may need to be consulted regarding the request for reconsideration.
Finally, the SUNY System has established the SUNY Student Transfer Appeal Process, which is designed for any student in an associate degree program who does not agree with the decision of the college regarding acceptance and/or placement of credit earned elsewhere within SUNY.
More information about this process can be found on the Student Transfer Appeal Process Form (PDF file size 56Kb)
Contact Information
The Admissions Office is located on the 10th floor of the Kehoe Building.
Office Hours:
Monday-Friday, 8:00 a.m. - 4:30 p.m.
Phone Hours:
Monday-Friday, 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m
|
Sean Brian Dermody, Assistant Director for Transfer Admissions
Mailing Address: Admissions |