Transfer Credit and Credit by Examination

Only work comparable to that at Centre in level, nature, and field may be accepted for degree credit.

General Policies

1. Subject to the policies noted below, credit for courses completed with a grade of C- (1.67) or higher may be transferred to Centre and used as degree credit. When appropriate, credits earned at the host institution will be converted to Centre credits in keeping with Centre’s definition of the credit hour.
2. Normally, credit is transferred only from institutions accredited by one of the six regional accrediting agencies of the United States. Exceptions may be approved on a case by case basis.

Credit earned prior to high school graduation and credit by examination

Centre’s policies in these areas are designed to reward extraordinary achievement while at the same time supporting our belief that the best Centre College experience is a four-year experience. It is our philosophy that everything a student does prior to high school graduation is preparation for college, and all Centre students enter with exceptional academic credentials. Some of those credentials include college course work and others do not. Consequently, we limit the amount of credit first-year students can be awarded prior to their enrollment at the College:

1. A maximum of 24 hours of pre-matriculation credits may be awarded to first-year students from all sources (e.g., Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, dual-credit, all other college credit).
2. Credit will not be awarded for any course or examination completed prior to the start of the junior year in high school.
3. Credit will not be awarded for any course or examination that serves to satisfy the College’s entrance requirements.
4. Students who legitimately exceed the 24-hour limit may choose which credits will be awarded, and may adjust his or her choices later subject to the constraints of any other College policies.
5. Regardless of credit granted, students must complete at least one general education course in residence in each of the following three areas: social studies, science and fundamental questions.

Credit by Examination

1. Advanced Placement: Centre awards a minimum of three hours of credit for scores of 4 or 5 on most Advanced Placement exams. Credit for foreign language requires validation by an institutional exam and may be awarded for a score of 3. Academic programs may award additional credit and assign course equivalencies. Specific policies and course equivalencies are available in the Registrar’s Office.
2. International Baccalaureate: Centre awards a minimum of three hours of credit for scores of 6 or 7 on higher-level exams. Credit for foreign language requires validation by an institutional exam and may be awarded for a grade of 5 on a higher-level exam. Grades of 5 in some other subjects are reviewed for credit by the appropriate program. Academic programs may award additional credit and assign course equivalencies.
3. Credit is not granted for CLEP exam scores.
4. Appropriate international exam scores are reviewed for credit on a case-by-case basis.

College Credit

Credit may be granted for appropriate courses appearing on a college transcript provided the course is taught in a classroom on a college campus, by a college instructor who is not also a high school instructor, in a class that includes college students who are not also high school students. These criteria must be verified in writing by a high school counselor or college official.

Note: Regardless of credit granted, individual major programs have the prerogative to place students in an appropriate course, to waive lower-level requirements, and to determine equivalencies to courses in its curriculum.

Transfer credit for currently enrolled students

Credits earned by a currently enrolled student through work at another college or university may be transferred to Centre if they are approved in advance by the advisor, the appropriate program committee chair, and the Registrar. Requests for credit for courses that do not fit into an existing academic program at Centre must be approved by the Associate Dean.

Forms for securing advance approval are available in the Registrar’s Office. Students must provide a catalog course description and are encouraged to provide a syllabus. Program chairs may require a syllabus before approving a course for transfer credit.

Additional transfer credit policies:

Grades in transferred courses are recorded on the Centre College transcript but are not included in the Centre College grade point average. Grades in non-Centre semester abroad courses are included when determining a student’s eligibility for graduation with honors.

Transferred course work may not be applied toward the College’s general education requirements, excluding courses fulfilling basic-skills requirements and the further fluency in basic skills requirement.

A maximum of two courses from junior-senior requirements of the major may be fulfilled through external credit.

Once enrolled at the College, a student may transfer a maximum of seven credit hours from two-year, junior, or community colleges.

Once enrolled at the College, students may transfer up to six hours of credit for online courses subject to the normal transfer credit approval process. In addition, students requesting transfer credit for online courses must provide, and program chairs must review, evidence of opportunities for instructor and student interaction in the course, and a list of the assessment requirements of the course.

The above restrictions apply to students who are suspended or withdraw from the College and are subsequently readmitted.

Students enrolled full-time at the College may not receive transfer credit for courses taken elsewhere concurrently.