Transfer Credit for Previous Education
Students who request to transfer credits from previously attended institutions must submit sealed official transcripts to the Registrar’s Office from originating institutions. Only official transcripts from institutions accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education will be accepted for transfer credit evaluation. In addition to official transcripts, copies of course descriptions, school catalogs, and course syllabi may also be required for evaluation purposes. Military service veterans are required to provide official transcripts for all prior postsecondary educational courses successfully completed in order to be reviewed for potential transfer credits.
Decisions regarding transfer credit are made by the program Dean or Director at the campus to which the student is applying. The program Dean or Director will review transcripts from previous institutions to determine what credit, if any, will be granted.
Sealed official transcripts must be received by the deadlines indicated by the program. If official transcripts are not received within the appropriate time frame, credit may be awarded at the program Dean’s/Chair’s discretion.
International Transfer Credit
Prospective students with foreign degrees or credits they wish to transfer to West Coast University are expected to submit an original copy of a National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) approved transcript evaluation, along with copies of official transcripts, sent directly to the Admissions department for consideration in the admissions process. Examples of acceptable evaluation services include:
It is the prospective student’s responsibility to ensure that the foreign evaluation is received by Admissions before consideration of the application for admission to West Coast University will occur.
Undergraduate Residency Requirement
Residency is defined as coursework completed at West Coast University, either on ground or online (does not include transfer or challenge credit). A minimum of 25% of credit units for any given program of study offered by West Coast University must be completed in residence. For example, if a student is enrolled in a program offered at West Coast University in which there are 120 credit units required for graduation, the student must complete 30 credit units in residence. Students should note that these University requirements are superseded by program-specific residency requirements and therefore should consult the specific academic program of interest for further instruction.
Approved Transfer Credits
If approved, the student will be notified of the transfer credit(s) granted. The Veterans’ Administration will also be notified of the credit(s) granted to veteran students. Students are expected to attend all classes in their program of study until their transfer credit request has been evaluated and approved.
Credits will be considered for transfer if all of the following criteria are met:
1. The course(s) meet(s) the learning outcomes of the categorical area(s) or courses noted within the General Education structure.
2. A grade of 2.0 or better was achieved for undergraduate credits, unless otherwise noted under program-specific prerequisite requirements.
3. The course recency requirements are met.
a. All science courses must have been taken within the last 5 calendar years.
4. The transfer credit meets the requirements of the specific academic program for which they are being considered. Each program maintains its own transfer credit requirements.
5. All courses considered for transfer must be considered college-level in content by the originating institution and West Coast University.
6. The course(s) must be comparable in content and level to the West Coast University course(s) being sought for transfer.
- Lower-division courses may not be accepted for upper-division course transfer.
- Upper-division courses may be applied to meet lower-division course transfer.
Students may meet each categorical requirement via transfer credit or courses taken at West Coast University.
a. C
alifornia Campuses: Students must achieve a minimum of 46 credits to complete the overall General Education requirements to progress into the chosen academic core. b.
Florida Campus: Students must achieve a minimum of 45 credits to complete the overall General Education requirements to progress into the chosen academic core.
c. Texas Campus: Students must achieve a minimum of 43 credits to complete the overall General Education requirements to progress into the chosen academic core.
It is important to remember that each academic program has its own recency requirements for transfer credit. The University’s recency policy includes a requirement that all science courses have been completed in the 5 calendar years prior to admission. See program specific requirements for clarification.
Although satisfaction of the aforementioned criteria is essential, the University does not guarantee acceptance of transfer credit. Decisions regarding transfer credits by the applicable academic administrator are considered final.