Transfer Credit Policies

The comprehensive transfer policy is administered and updated by the Registrar under the direction of the Office of Academic Affairs and the Dominican University of California faculty.

Dominican will grant transfer credit only for college level courses completed at a degree-granting, regionally accredited, post-secondary two-year and four-year college or university and from post-secondary institutions which are candidates for accreditation (as defined in the Handbook of Accreditation, Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities, Western Association of Schools and Colleges). Credit will also be accepted for courses taken at accredited universities outside the United States. Courses from non-accredited institutions are not transferable to Dominican. The University accepts units from other institutions under the guidelines outlined by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers (AACRAO) and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). Generally, Dominican accepts courses that are transferable to the CSU or UC systems.

Students who completed coursework at a college/university operating on the quarter system will receive the equivalent semester units. For example, a 4-quarter unit course is equivalent to 2.7 semester units. When courses of this type are used to fulfill General Education requirements at Dominican, such courses will fulfill 3 semester-unit General Education requirements.

A maximum of 12 units (transfer or Dominican) will be granted, with noted limitations, for physical activity (8 units, including units for basic military rating), work experience (8 units), computer science applications (3 units), and vocational courses (based on course content rather than unit totals).

A maximum of 70 lower division units may be applied toward a Dominican University of California degree.

Units earned through Unsponsored Learning (see Credit for Unsponsored Learning) are in addition to transfer units accepted from another college or university and are not subject to the 70-unit maximum.

Off-Campus Coursework Toward a Dominican Degree

Admitted students who matriculate at Dominican must submit an Authorization to Take Course(s) Off Campus form. See the section Authorization to Take Courses Off Campus.

Important Note: 30 of the final 36 units of the Dominican baccalaureate degree must be taken at Dominican University of California. See Residency Requirement Policy for more details.

International Baccalaureate Examinations (IB)

Dominican University of California recognizes the academic challenge and motivation inherent in the International Baccalaureate program. The University will grant transfer credit of 10 semester units for each Higher Level Subject examination passed with a score or grade of 4, 5, 6, or 7. One grade of 3 will be acceptable if it is compensated by a grade of 5 or above in another subject offered at a higher level. No credit will be awarded for Subsidiary Level passes. No more than a total of 30 semester units of International Baccalaureate or Advanced Placement credit may apply towards the bachelor’'s degree at Dominican.

Advanced Level Subject Examinations

Dominican University of California awards advanced standing credit for Advanced (A) level subject examinations passed with a grade of A, B, C, D, or E. No advanced standing is granted for the Ordinary (O) level examination.

Advanced Placement Tests (AP)

Dominican will grant credit toward an undergraduate degree for successful completion of advanced placement tests taken prior to entry. Students must earn a score of 3, 4, or 5 to receive credit. Please refer to the chart below to determine the policy for each department regarding which scores will be accepted and how credit will be awarded. Credit will be granted for exams passed, at the appropriate level, but no letter grade will be assigned. The units granted correspond with the units assigned to each equivalent Dominican course. Advanced placement credit is Lower Division (LD) and may be applied towards electives, specified General Education areas, and prerequisites in some majors as noted. No more than a total of 30 semester units of AP or IB credit may apply towards the bachelor’'s degree at Dominican.

^ Consult with Department Chair about application of equivalent courses toward Lower Division (LD) requirements in the major.
** Key to Abbreviations for General Education Areas:

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

The University accepts selected General Examinations and Subject Examinations for college credit. Credit is limited as outlined in the Credit for Unsponsored Learning section of the Catalog. Students must earn the minimum ACE recommended score (‘C’ 2.0 level) or higher on General Examinations and on Subject Examinations to receive credit. Examination reports include the ACE Score. Credit is Lower Division (LD) and may be applied toward electives, specified general education areas, and prerequisites in some majors as noted:

CLEP Examinations

^ Consult with Department Chair about application of equivalent courses toward lower division requirements in the major.
* Must be taken prior to matriculation unless a student scores 11 or 12 on the English Placement Exam. A student can receive partial credit for the CLEP exam with a maximum total of six units for ENGL 1004 coursework and the exam.
~ Meets the lecture requirement but does not meet the laboratory requirement
**Key to Abbreviations for General Education Areas:

For 6-unit examinations, which fulfill three or four units of GE, the remaining units are applied as elective units.

Regional Centers for CLEP Testing

Dominican University of California Test Center
Telephone: (415) 257-1317 (for registration information and testing dates)

National University - San Jose
3031 Tisch Way
100 Plaza East
San Jose, CA 95128
(408) 236-1166
www.nu.edu

Students petitioning for credit must submit an official CLEP transcript to the Registrar.

The CLEP code number for Dominican University of California is 4284.

To receive information about CLEP examinations or to order a CLEP transcript contact:

CLEP Transcript Request Service
PO Box 6600
Princeton, NJ 08541-6600
Telephone: (609) 771-7865 or (800) 257-9558
www.collegeboard.com/clep

Excelsior College Examination Program (formerly ACT PEP or Regents)

The University accepts selected examinations in arts and science, business, and nursing with the required score ‘'C'’ (2.0) level or above. Credit is limited as outlined in the Credit for Unsponsored Learning section of the Catalog. A student should contact a Dominican advisor prior to taking an Excelsior College test to determine the usefulness of the examination within the student’'s degree plan. A student must provide an official transcript to have credit transcripted toward a degree. Students must earn the minimum ACE recommended score or higher in order to earn credit. Examination reports include the ACE score. Credit is lower or upper division and may be applied toward electives, specified general education areas, and some majors as noted:

Excelsior College Examinations

* Applicable only for nursing students designated as advanced placement
~ Meets the lecture requirement but does not meet the laboratory requirement
**Key to Abbreviations for General Education Areas:

Excelsior College Examinations Information and Transcripts

Excelsior College
7 Columbia Circle
Albany, NY 12203-5159
Telephone:  (888) 647-2388
www.excelsior.edu

The Excelsior Examinations code for Dominican University of California is 0256A.

Individual computerized testing is available at selected local Prometric Testing Centers.

American Council on Education (ACE)/National Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI)

Some courses offered by corporate, industry, and military institutions may be awarded transfer credit. The eligible courses are those which have ACE or PONSI recommendations for upper or lower division college credit. Course transferability is outlined in the National Guide to Educational Credit for Training Programs (ACE) and in the College Credit Recommendations: The Directory of the National Program on Non-Collegiate Sponsored Instruction (PONSI). Military schools and courses are evaluated according to the ACE recommendations in A Guide to Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces.

For ACE Credit: Students must submit an official transcript from the American Council on Education (ACE). To obtain an ACE transcript, contact:

Registry of College Recommendations
American Council on Education
One Dupont Circle, NW, Washington, DC 20036-1193
Telephone: (202) 939-9300
www.acenet.edu

For PONSI Credit: Students must submit official verification from the sponsoring organization.

Military Credit

Confirmation of active duty service must be made by either a DD214 (for retired military personnel) or a DD295 (for active duty personnel). Students must submit a DD214 or a DD295 to receive activity units for their basic military duty. (A maximum of 8 activity units, which include physical education activity courses, will be applied toward graduation). For a copy of the DD214 contact:

The National Archives & Records Administration
Military Personnel Records
8601 Adelphi Road
College Park, MD 20740-6001
Telephone: (866) 272-6272
http://www.archives.gov/

Beyond credit for basic training, students may be able to receive additional credit for military coursework or training, if the American Council on Education (ACE) recommends it for credit. To have training evaluated, students must submit more extensive documentation as follows:

Army: For students who joined the Army after October 1, 1981, a transcript is required for documenting military training. To request a transcript, students should send their name, social security number, basic active service date (date of entry into the army), and the address of Dominican University of California to:

AARTS Operations Center
415 McPherson Avenue
Fort Leavenworth, KS 66027-1373
(866) 297-4427
http://aarts.army.mil/

For students who joined the Army prior to 1981, a transcript is not available, and other forms of documentation are required to assess credit. For information on how to obtain documentation, contact the AARTS program of ACE at (202) 939-9434. Usually the student is asked to submit copies of course certificates and an ACE form called "“Request for Course Recommendation"” (a copy of this form can be found in the back of the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services).

Air Force: All Air Force personnel should submit a Community College of the Air Force transcript in order to have training evaluated. To obtain a transcript contact:

Community College of the Air Force/RRRA
130 West Maxwell Boulevard
Maxwell Air Force Base
Montgomery, AL 36112-6613
Telephone: (334) 953-2223
http://www.au.af.mil/au/ccaf/

Marines, Navy, Coast Guard: Personnel who left service after June 1, 1999 may obtain a Request for Sailor/Marine Council on Education Registry Transcript by calling (877) 253-7122 (a copy of this form can be found in the back of the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services).

Credit/No Credit: Proficiency Units

Dominican University of California honors units that are completed through sources of unsponsored learning. These sources receive proficiency units and are graded as ‘'P'’ for '‘pass'.’ Semester units are applied toward degree completion but do not earn quality points and are not factored into the cumulative grade point average. Some proficiency units may be used to fulfill requirements for the major or General Education and others will satisfy elective requirements only. Proficiency unit sources are listed below. Degree requirements to which proficiency units may be applied and unit limits vary by academic major. See Credit for Unsponsored Learning sections for details regarding these unit limits:

• Experiential Learning Portfolio
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
• Excelsior College Examination Program (Excelsior College, formerly ACT PEP or Regents).
• National League of Nursing Examinations (NLN)
• Basic military service more than one year
• Units recommended by ACE/PONSI
• Advanced Placement credit
• Dominican University of California course challenge

Students must submit official required documentation to the Registrar’'s Office to receive credit for proficiency units.

Students are advised that in order to be considered for Graduation Honors, undergraduate students must have earned a minimum cumulative, combined grade point average in all undergraduate coursework - including transferable coursework - and must have completed at least 30 letter-graded units offered for the degree in resident study at Dominican University. Pass/fail and credit/no credit proficiency units are not included in the computation for honors at graduation.