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Transfer of Credit Policies

Transfer of Credit Policies
Credit by Examination

UNDERGRADUATE TRANSFER CREDIT POLICY

Hawai‘i Pacific University reserves the right to accept or reject transfer credits earned at any other institution of higher education. In general, Hawai‘i Pacific University accepts credits earned at institutions fully accredited by the U.S. regional accrediting associations or an institution recognized by the Office of Admission, provided such credits are substantially equivalent to courses at HPU and have been completed with a grade of C- or better. An official evaluation of transfer credits will be completed only after a student has been admitted to HPU. Grades and grade point averages earned at other institutions are not factored into the HPU GPA and will not be listed on the HPU transcript.

Transfer credits are accepted as one of three categories of credits: Elective, General Education, or Program Field of Study credits.

  • Elective: These are courses that are not part of the program/major or General Education requirements, but may still count toward the baccalaureate degree. Some majors limit the amount of elective credit.

  • General Education: These courses are similar at most colleges with a liberal arts foundation, and often include courses in English, history, math, science, and other subjects.

  • Program Field of Study: These courses are primarily requirements for the chosen major/degree program. Prerequisites to courses in the major field of study usually can be transferred.

Transfer Credit Restrictions

Transfer credit is accepted for regular undergraduate degree-seeking students. Only course credits are accepted in and transfer to HPU. Grades and grade points from other institutions are not listed on the HPU transcript.

Students cannot improve grades of courses taken at or through HPU by repeating them at another institution. For example, if a student did not successfully pass a course at HPU, they may take the course requirement at another institution for the purpose of meeting the requirement and earning the credit; however, the original HPU grade will appear on the transcript and will be included in the student’s GPA. The Grade Repeat Policy will not apply to the original HPU course.

Timeline

Courses considered for transfer will be evaluated by a transcript evaluator and will be accepted based on equivalency for program requirements. Certain colleges, departments, or programs (e.g., Nursing) may have specific expiration dates for transfer credits which will be applied during the transcript evaluation. Students should make every effort to reconcile all transfer credits during their first term of enrollment at HPU

Maximum Transfer Credit

The maximum amount of total undergraduate transfer credit from all transcripts and test scores is 90 credit hours. Credit hours awarded cannot exceed 90 total credits and are restricted by the sources below:

  • Maximum of 90 credits from accredited four-year college or university

  • Maximum of 60 credits from a community college or from American Council on Education (ACE) evaluation

  • Maximum of 45 credits toward an associate’s degree

  • Maximum of 36 credits may be earned in passing courses by examination (including CLEP and DANTES)

  • Maximum of 30 credits combined may be awarded for dual credit, Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), and eligible advanced standing credits from international secondary school curricula

  • Maximum of 15 credits of extension or continuing education

  • Maximum of 4 credits in physical education/activity

  • Only academic courses that carry a grade of C- or better will be accepted for transfer credit

  • Repeated courses will only transfer credit once; the most recent attempt will be used for credit

Courses Receiving No Credit

HPU does not accept the following types of courses for transfer credit:

  • Courses from unaccredited institutions: Coursework taken at any institution not fully accredited by a regional U.S. accrediting association or not recognized by the Office of Admissions is not transferable

  • Courses below college level: At HPU, courses include those numbered below 1000

  • Developmental or remedial courses are not transferable

  • Life experience, internship or practicum credit are not transferable*

(*unless denoted as part of an articulation agreement)

Military Service or Schooling

Coursework taken through military schools will be considered for credit on the basis of recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE). All students using VA education benefits or tuition assistance are required to provide transcripts of previous education and training before their enrollment will be certified to the VA.  The student must submit their Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), Sailor-Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART), Joint Services Transcript (JST), or Community College of the Air Force (CCAF) transcript.  The student’s DD-214 or DD-295 form should be submitted along with the official transcript.  HPU must evaluate the transcripts and provide the student with an assessment of the evaluation, which will decrease the time and cost of the program if credit is granted.  The students prior education records will be kept with the students’ academic record, and records will be provided to the VA or the State Approving Agency upon request.

Courses with Non-traditional Grades

Courses completed with non-traditional grades such as CR (credit), P (pass), or S (satisfactory) may be transferrable only if the grade represents a C- or higher. Courses with non-traditional grades are generally only accepted as elective credit and do not fulfill university, college, school, or departmental requirements.

Current Student Transfer Credit

All transfer credit taken at another institution while concurrently enrolled as an HPU student are subject to approval by the university before transfer credit will be accepted. It is recommended to see an academic advisor to complete the process for credit approval.

 

GENERAL EDUCATION TRANSFER CREDIT

Students who transfer to an HPU Baccalaureate program may satisfy all General Education (GE) areas (except for Hawai‘i and the Pacific) by completing one of the following prior to matriculation:

  • The full California State GE Breadth certification (CSU Cert) or University of California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (UC/IGETC) certification

  • An Associate of Arts degree with embedded CSU Cert or UC/IGETC certification

  • Equivalent GE transfer degree or certification from an out-of-state community college

  • An Associate of Arts degree from a regionally accredited college or university

  • A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

All other transfer credit is evaluated on a course-by-course basis, and may require the submission of course syllabi or catalog descriptions.

For students transferring to an HPU Associate degree program or returning to complete a second Associates degree:

  • General Education requirements may be waived for Associate of Science degrees (except for Hawai‘i and the Pacific) based on the criteria listed above.

  • General Education requirements will not be waived for Associate of Arts degrees.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER CREDIT

HPU accepts academic credit earned at international institutions that are fully accredited by their country’s Ministry of Education, but only if the courses meet general transfer credit policies. Evaluation of credit is done at the time of admission based on official English-translated transcripts and course descriptions completed by an accredited translation service.