(1) Transfer Credit

(A) In general, it is the university's policy to accept credits earned through college and university-level courses at institutions fully accredited by their respective regional accrediting association.

(B) A student may transfer no more than 135 credits, including a maximum of 105 lower division credits to be applied to the 180-credit minimum toward graduation. Test credits (Advanced Placement, Cambridge, International Baccalaureate, College Level Examination Program), military credits, and non-traditional credit contributes to the 105 lower division credit limit.

(C) Only official transcripts and official test score results will be used to evaluate credits for degree requirements.

(D) No more than 45 total quarter credits through Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Cambridge, Military or other sources of non-traditional credit may apply toward graduation requirements.

(E) Students who would like to petition their transfer equivalency may request a substitution through their academic department for major/minor requirements or file a general education petition through the Office of the Registrar.

(2) Transfer Credit from Four-Year Institutions

(A) A student may transfer no more than 135 credits, including a maximum of 105 lower division credits to be applied to the 180-credit minimum toward graduation.

(B) Students who transfer from a regionally-accredited four-year institution after completing the general education at their prior four-year institution, will not be required to complete the CWU general education requirement. Students must submit evidence of prior general education completion to the Office of the Registrar upon admission.

(3) Transfer Credit from Community Colleges

(A) The university will accept a maximum of 105 community college credits. Course work exceeding that amount may be used to satisfy specific requirements but no additional credits will be accepted.

(B) A student cannot earn an associate degree and bachelor degree in the same quarter.

(C) Associate of arts degrees from a college accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities in the state of Washington approved by the Intercollege Relations Commission (ICRC) as a direct transfer agreement (DTA) associate degree with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 will have satisfied the general education and the foreign language requirements of a bachelor’s degree.

(D) Associate of science transfer degrees (AS-T Track 1 or 2) with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 which are part of direct transfer agreements between CWU and Washington community colleges must meet additional general education requirements for a CWU bachelor’s degree, but will not be required to complete the foreign language requirement. (See CWUR 2-90-030(2)(D))

(E) Associate degrees that are not part of the direct transfer agreement, such as applied career and technical degrees, will not automatically satisfy the general education requirements at CWU.

(F) Academic transfer associate degrees with a cumulative grade point average of at least 2.00 from an accredited college outside the state of Washington may meet the general education and foreign language requirement of a bachelor’s degree. Review of the content/distribution of the associate degree is completed by a designee of the Office of the Registrar and recommended approval by the general education committee.

(G) Transfer students with an Associate of Applied Science degree who enter a Bachelor of Applied Science program will be considered to have met the foreign language requirements for graduation.

(4) Other Forms of Credit

Other Forms of Credit: e.g. Advanced Placement (AP); College Level Examination Program (CLEP); International Baccalaureate (IB); Cambridge International.

By policy, undergraduate elective credit is granted by the university for scores of three (3) or higher on the Advanced Placement Exam and for scores of four (4) or higher on Standard-Level and Higher-Level IB Exams.

Determination of the specific course credit awarded for AP, IB, and Cambridge coursework is made by the appropriate academic department or program. Credit is granted according to the evidence-based assessment of published student learning outcomes from the course for which credit is sought. A list of transfer credit equivalencies is kept by the Office of the Registrar, reviewed by biennially, and published in the CWU course catalog. Should a specific CWU or general education course equivalency not be granted, students may request a written rationale for such decision.

Acceptance criteria and processes for advanced placement considered by CWU are as follows:

(A) Advanced Placement Credit. The University will grant, at a minimum, elective credit for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) exams completed with a score of three (3) or higher. Credit for advanced placement is recorded with a grade of S (satisfactory). Students must request that their official AP test scores be sent to the Office of the Registrar at CWUCentral. Standards of acceptance of AP credit will be established by appropriate academic departments or program and listed in the official catalog.

(B) College Level Examination Program (CLEP). Students will be awarded college-level quarter credits with a grade of S for each score at the 40th percentile or greater on the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) humanities, social science/history and natural sciences examinations. These credits will meet the general education requirements in the appropriate areas. Students may also be awarded credit for subject examinations as determined by appropriate academic departments at the time of application for credit.

(C) International Baccalaureate. Central recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB) program as a coherent and challenging course of study and responds individually to each participant’s IB transcript for award of college credit. The university will grant, at a minimum, elective credit for International Baccalaureate (IB) higher level exams completed with a score of four (4) or higher. Standards for acceptance for specific courseof IB credit will be established by the appropriate academic departments and listed in the official catalog. CWU recognizes the International Baccalaureate Diploma and awards up to 45 quarter credits (30 semester credits). With the receipt of a Diploma, credit will be awarded for 3 courses (15 quarter credits) and distributed evenly among the three general education breadth or knowledge areas. These credits will not be applied to lab or writing courses. An additional 30 quarter credits (20 semester credits) may be awarded in the areas of the students’ higher level subject exams with a score of  4 or higher.

(D) Cambridge International, Pearsons (Edexcel), Assessment and Qualifications Alliance and Oxford Cambridge and RSA (OCR). Once students have submitted the original exam certificate directly from the exam agency, they will be awarded up to 15 quarter credits for each A-level exam with a passing grade. Up to 7.5 quarter credits will be granted for each AS-level exam with a passing grade. A satisfactory (S) grade will be posted for A-level or AS-level exams.

(E) Military Credit

1. Matriculated students seeking to use Veterans Affairs Educational benefits must submit official military transcripts (Joint Services Transcript or Community College of the Air Force) for evaluation.

2. Students may receive up to 30 credits, counted toward the 45 credits described in CWUP 5-90-030(1)(D), for completion of military educational experiences as recommended by the American Council on Education. Basic training and Military Occupational Specialty courses are excluded.

3. Military credit recommendations that are direct equivalents to CWU course offering may be articulated to that specific course with departmental approval. If direct course equivalents do not exist, elective credit will be awarded when possible.

4. DANTES. Credit for DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs) will be awarded for college-level academic subjects using the minimum score and credit amount as recommended by the American Council on Education and approved by the academic department.

(F) Credit will be accepted from non-U.S. institutions of higher education when:

(1) Linked to CWU either by a bilateral or consortial agreement or verified by the Office of the Registrar as a legitimate, recognized institution of higher education (tertiary level) within a particular country, if the student has received a passing grade recognized by the institution, and

(2) When an official record or transcript has been received by the university.

(G) Credit will not be granted for:

1. College or universities not regionally accredited;

2. Non-credit courses and workshops;

3. Developmental or college preparatory courses;

4. Sectarian religious studies;

5. Vocational/technical courses.

Consideration for an exception to CWUP 5-90-030(4)(G) 1, 4, or 5 may be made by written petition to the dean of the appropriate college after the student has earned a minimum of 45 credits at Central with a cumulative GPA of at least 2.5.

(5) Reverse Transfer Agreement

(A) Students transferring to Central Washington University from a Washington state community or technical college (WA CTC) before earning a WA CTC associate’s degree will be able to apply academic credits they earn at CWU toward completion of an associate degree from their former WA CTC.

i. The decision to pursue a reverse transfer rests solely with the student.

ii. It is the responsibility of the student to notify their WA CTC of their intent to apply for a reverse transfer and to send their CWU transcripts to thei5r WA CTC in order to earn the associate’s degree.

iii. It is the responsibility of the student to provide CWU with a transcript from their WA CTC upon conferral of their WA CT associate’s degree.

(B) Eligibility

1. Eligible students are all students who, prior to transferring to CWU, have earned at least 60 transferable quarter credits, including 30 or more credits completed at one or more WA CT.

2. The CWU Office of the Registrar will electronically notify eligible transfer students that they qualify to pursue reverse transfer after their first quarter of enrollment at CWU.

[Responsibility: Faculty Senate; Authority: Provost/VP for Academic & Student Life; Reviewed/Endorsed by Provost’s  Council 09/29/2015; 06/05/2018; 01/26/2021; Cabinet/UPAC; Review/Effective Date: 10/7/2015; 06/13/2018; 02/20/2019; 02/16/2020; 11/04/2020; 04/14/2021; Approved by: James L. Gaudino, President]