Transfer Credits

Transfer of Credit. Complete the Transfer of Credit form when you have credits from accredited colleges, military training (AARTS or SMARTS), the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), Tech Prep Articulated Programs, or College in High School accredited programs.

Submitting Transcripts: If you have transcripts from an accredited college, Advanced Placement (AP) credits, or International Baccalaureate (IB) credits, follow these steps to have your credits officially evaluated:

1. APPLY for admission.
2. REQUEST that official sealed copies of all previous college transcripts or Advanced Placement (AP) scores be sent directly to you or to the Enrollment Services office at SPSCC. Some colleges and universities may have the ability to send their transcripts electronically to SPSCC. If sent directly through an approved electronic method, SPSCC will accept electronic transcripts.
   
   Send Official Transcripts to:
   Electronically: incomingtranscripts@spscc.edu
   
   Hard Copy:
   Enrollment Services
   South Puget Sound Community College
   2011 Mottman Road SW
   Olympia WA 98512
    
3. SUBMIT the Transfer of Credit form to the One Stop desk in Building 22 or at the Lacey Campus once all of your transcripts have been received by you or by SPSCC. The evaluation takes approximately 6-8 weeks to complete. You will be notified through email when your evaluation is complete or if Enrollment Services needs additional information regarding your coursework.
4. Courses will only be accepted from colleges accredited by one of the regional Associations of Schools and Colleges. If you have experience or credits from non-accredited colleges, you may want to pursue Credit for Non-Traditional Learning. Email incomingtranscripts@spscc.edu for more information.
5. Credits involving technical or professional education must have been earned within the last 10 years.
6. Only courses with passing grades may transfer. Some academic programs have higher grade requirements.
7. Grades and credits accepted in transfer are not included in the calculation of the SPSCC grade point average.
    

• Advanced Placement. SPSCC will grant a minimum elective credit for an Advanced Placement (AP) score of 3 or higher. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official AP results, not transcript notation. AP grade reports should be requested from the College Board and sent to the Enrollment Services office. Once received, the student will submit a Transfer of Credit form request for the AP score evaluation. See Advanced Placement (AP) Credits score chart.
   
• Cambridge International. SPSCC will grant a minimum elective credit for each Cambridge International (CI) Examination for A-level exam with a passing grade or above for approved examinations. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official CI Examination results, not transcript notation. Duplicate credit for the same subject taken on different exams will not be granted. No grades are posted for A-level exams. See Cambridge International (CI) Credits score sheet
   
• International Baccalaureate. SPSCC will grant a minimum elective credit for an International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level (HL) exam score of 4 or higher. Credit will be awarded on the basis of official IB results, not transcript notation. See IB Test Score Equivalencies at SPSCC.

Credit for Non-Traditional Learning (CNTL) is awarded through:

• Credit by Testing. The College accepts credit through Advanced Placement (AP) and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and has a process to award Credit by Examination though a challenge exam. A maximum of 45 credits will be awarded by credit by examination.
   
• Course Challenge. Students may receive credit for a course by satisfactorily completing a challenge examination. The student should register for the course and indicate to the instructor the desire to challenge the course. Instructional divisions may reserve the right to deny challenges for specific courses. An exam is administered and graded, with the grade recorded at the end of the quarter. The student cannot participate in the class in an attempt to raise the grade. 
   
• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) / DANTES. Examinations are accepted if students score above the ACE recommended score (normally 50). The distribution of credits must be no more than 10 credits in each of the following areas: English, natural sciences, mathematics, humanities and social sciences/history. Students are responsible for forwarding CLEP exam records directly from the College Board to the Enrollment Services Office. Test scores in the General Examination are not equated with specific course descriptions in the college catalog. Students with English scores above the 50 are not exempt from ENGL& 101 or 102 requirements. CLEP English scores and credits can be applied toward communications or humanities credit with the exception of ENGL& 101 and 102. Acceptable test scores and credits granted can be applied to the General Education List requirements.  Students may receive credit in areas in which you have not already earned 10 credits. Students who have earned college course credit prior to taking the General Examination may earn credit in each of the five examination areas to the extent that the total course credits and examination credits do not exceed 10 in any general area.
   
• Prior Experiential Learning. Credit is awarded through assessing knowledge and skills gained through work and life experience that correspond to the student learning outcomes of some existing professional/technical courses at SPSCC. Complete a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) form when you have knowledge or skills gained through life experience that may equal the knowledge gained through courses at SPSCC.
   
• Credit for Alternative Learning Experience (CALE) or Extra-Institutional Learning (by the state). Awarded through documented third-party training, industry certifications or occupational crosswalks. The training must be formal and documented. No more than 25% of credits used for a degree can come from CALE. Students are charged a $25 application fee and $10 per credit for CALE (fee waived for military transcripts). Complete the CALE form when you have credits from non-accredited colleges or other formal professional training experience.
   
• Transfer of military credit. This is done through the Joint Services Transcript (JST) and based on the recommendation of the American Council on Education (ACE). Students receiving College credit for military service through their JST or based on their Military Occupational Specialty (MOS) must still earn credits consistent with the College residency policy in order to be granted a degree or certificate.
   
• Advanced Standing. Students may enroll in an advanced course when an evaluation of previous experience and education indicates that credit could be given for lower-level courses in the program. Credit will be given up to a maximum of 45 quarter credit hours only with completion of the higher-level courses with a grade of "C" or better, or with a grade that is agreed upon through a specific agreement with area high schools. The request for advanced standing can be started by completion of the special enrollment form found in Enrollment Services. The form must be signed by an advisor and the appropriate division dean to be reviewed for eligibility.

Post-Secondary

Secondary

Formal Professional Training

Prior Learning Experience