Students are responsible for reviewing their scheduled courses with their Academic Advisor and informing him or her of any courses that they believe are duplicative or equivalent in content to previously completed coursework or nontraditional learning. Students may submit official transcripts to the University of Arizona Global Campus for review of transfer credits at any time. However, transfer credit and/or nontraditional credit is not retroactive. Credits submitted and evaluated will not be accepted if they are duplicative of course work already earned at the University of Arizona Global Campus, through transfer of credit, or nontraditional credit. Students are fully responsible for any charges for duplicative coursework taken at the University of Arizona Global Campus.
The University of Arizona Global Campus Office of the Registrar maintains records of all previous education and training obtained from students as part of the initial transfer credit evaluation at enrollment in accordance with the Arizona Standards for Permanent Records. Any additional evaluation requested by students following enrollment is also maintained. The outcomes of all transfer credit evaluations completed are communicated to students along with the resulting shortened program of study where applicable, as shown in their Student Portal. Documentation of the evaluation, granting of credit when appropriate, and the shortening of the program are maintained in the student record by the Office of the Registrar.
Please note: For students utilizing Veteran Benefits, the University of Arizona Global Campus must obtain a written record of prior education and training (including military training). Documentation of the evaluation, granting of credit when appropriate, and the shortening of the program are maintained in the student record by the Office of the Registrar.
The University of Arizona Global Campus will provide an unofficial pre-evaluation of transfer credit upon request of the student and submission of unofficial transcripts. This service is intended to assist the student in determining how many transfer credits are likely to apply to a UAGC degree and if transfer credit is equivalent to the University of Arizona Global Campus courses prior to submission and evaluation of official transcripts. Pre-evaluation of transfer credit prior to the submission of official transcripts never guarantees that a certain number of transfer credits will officially apply toward the student’s specific degree program. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) documentation or submissions will not be reviewed or pre-evaluated until students have met the eligibility requirements.
Once the official transfer credit evaluation is completed, students are responsible for reviewing their degree progress reports and notifying their Academic Advisors of any perceived discrepancies between credits completed and credits applied in transfer.
Duplication: It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that transfer credits, nontraditional learning, and/or the University of Arizona Global Campus coursework do not duplicate previous credit earned. A student may not earn credit by examination, nontraditional learning or transfer credits in an area in which they have completed an equivalent course/exam or a course of a similar level. Degree-seeking students should work with their Academic Advisor to determine if coursework will fit into their academic plan and not duplicate previous credit awarded.
Regression: It is the student’s responsibility to ensure that transfer credits, nontraditional learning, and/or the University of Arizona Global Campus coursework is not considered regression from previous credit earned. A student may not earn credit by examination, nontraditional learning or transfer credits in an area in which would be considered regression from previous courses/exams they completed. A student may not take the University of Arizona Global Campus coursework in an area in which they have already completed a course that is more advanced in content level. Degree-seeking students should work with their Academic Advisor to determine if coursework will fit into their academic plan and not be considered regression from previous credit awarded.
Applicants and/or students who have questions concerning their transfer credit evaluation and/or official degree progress report should contact their Academic Advisor to discuss their concerns. Students requesting re-evaluation of specific transfer credits will be directed to the Transfer Credit Appeal form in the Student Portal at www.uagc.edu and are required to submit course descriptions and/or syllabi for the previous courses to be reviewed by the Office of the Registrar.
Transfer credits will be officially evaluated, based on review of official transcripts by the Office of the Registrar, in terms of curriculum. Courses similar in content and level will be accepted as equivalents to University courses based on the following criteria along with any program specific criteria:
- Transfer credits must carry college level academic credit (generally, 100-level or higher).
- Remedial or developmental course credit is not transferable into a program of study.
- Credits must have been earned with a passing grade from an approved accredited institution. Transfer credits will generally be evaluated from each college or university independently.
- Credits from international institutions will be accepted based on a detailed evaluation from an approved evaluation service.
- Transfer credit may not be granted when it duplicates college credit previously earned. Credit will not be given for the same learning twice.
- Unless special conditions exist, upper-division courses will not be considered equivalent or duplicative of lower-division courses.
- No general age limit on transfer credit from an approved accredited institution is imposed, with possible exceptions in subject areas where there has been significant change. Requirements are noted in specific degree/major requirements.
- Graduate-level credits cannot be applied to undergraduate degrees.
- A quarter credit hour taken in transfer will be equated to two-thirds of a semester hour. When quarter credits are used as equivalencies to General Education requirements, the difference in required credits must be earned through completion of coursework necessary to achieve the total required credits for graduation. For example: A 3-quarter-credit course may be accepted as meeting General Education core or competency requirements but will equate to 2.00 credits applied towards that requirement. Therefore, one additional credit of coursework will be needed to meet General Education graduation requirements. A minimum of 5 quarter credits in Natural Science is required to meet the General Education Science requirement, if a laboratory component is included. If not, the equivalent of 6 semester credits without a laboratory component is required.
- Limitations on the number and type of transfer credits accepted are set by each UAGC degree program.
- Capstone courses must be taken at the University of Arizona Global Campus. Students may not use transfer credits or nontraditional credits to waive capstone course requirements, with the exception of GEN 499 General Education Capstone, which in certain circumstances may be waived. Refer to General Education Capstone in the General Academic Information and Policies section of this Catalog.
Credits from any institutions with whom the University of Arizona Global Campus has current articulation agreements will be considered for transfer.
*Credits earned from institutionally accredited Colleges and Schools will be reviewed on a case by case basis to determine if the accrediting body was approved and in good standing when credits were earned.
Associate of Arts Transfer Credit, Prior Learning Credit, and Nontraditional Credit Provisions and Limitations
- Students in an Associate of Arts program may apply a maximum of 49 credits of combined nontraditional learning, prior learning and transfer credits toward the 67 credits required for an Associate of Arts degree. Students in a 64 credit Associate of Arts program may apply a maximum of 46 credits of combined nontraditional learning, prior learning and transfer credits toward the degree.
- A maximum of 30 nontraditional credits of which a maximum of 15 Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credits may be applied toward degree completion on a course match basis. A combined maximum of 6 PLA credits may be earned through UAGC Interactive Learning Opportunities.
- PLA credit cannot be awarded for a course previously taken with the University when a failing grade was received.
- A maximum of nine (9) credits with a "D" grade are transferable into a program of study as long as the student's cumulative overall GPA is 2.0 or above. "D" credits cannot be applied toward the major or toward General Education core competencies at any time.
- Students who transfer in General Education courses or transfer from a UAGC Bachelor’s program will be required to complete all of the course requirements for an Associate of Arts program, even if the student transfers in 64 credits or more.
Bachelor's Degree Transfer Credit, Prior Learning Credit, and Nontraditional Credit Provisions and Limitations
- A maximum of 90 credits of combined nontraditional learning, prior learning, and transfer credits may be accepted and applied toward the 120 credits required for a Bachelor’s degree.
- Within the 90 credit maximum, a maximum of 75 credits of nontraditional credit, including a maximum of 30 Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credits may be applied toward degree completion. A combined maximum of 6 credits may be earned through UAGC Interactive Learning Opportunities. These 75 credits can be any combination of acceptable types of nontraditional credit.
- Nontraditional credits may also apply up to a maximum of 50% of the requirements for an emphasis or specialization; or 100% of the requirements for a transfer concentration. The content of nontraditional credits must be comparable to the content of the replaced course.
- Nontraditional credit may not be counted toward the residency requirement in a degree program.
- Nontraditional credit may not be granted when it duplicates college credit previously earned. Credit will not be given for the same learning twice.
- Nontraditional credit is posted to the transcript as credit earned (i.e., without a grade), and does not affect a student’s grade point average.
- PLA credit cannot be awarded for a course previously taken with the University when a failing grade was received.
- A maximum of nine (9) credits with a “D” grade are transferable into a program of study as long as the student’s cumulative overall GPA is 2.0 or above. “D” credits cannot be applied toward the major or toward General Education core competencies at any time.
- Maximum allowance of six (6) credits may be accepted from Physical Education type activity courses (unless student was a prior PE major). Physical Education type credits are generally applied towards the elective credit requirement.
- Maximum allowance of six (6) credits may be accepted for software applications courses.
- Unless special conditions exist, upper-division courses will not be considered equivalent or duplicative of lower-division courses.
- Credits earned from an approved accredited institution as part of an Associate degree, or Arizona General Education Curriculum Certificate, where a student earned a 2.0 cumulative GPA or higher are accepted as fulfilling all General Education competency and core competency requirements of a Bachelor’s program*, with the exception of Foundations and Skills for Lifelong Learning General Education Competency, and the General Education Capstone, if one of the three subsequent conditions is satisfied:
- The student meets the General Education requirements for Bachelor's degrees offered through state universities in which the college granting the Associate degree resides; OR
- The transfer credits have been evaluated and deemed acceptable by the Office of the Registrar; OR
- The student has earned an Arizona General Education Curriculum Certificate (AGEC Certificate), regardless of subsequent degree completion. Students may earn the AGEC-A, AGEC-B, or AGEC-S to qualify.
- In order to transfer credits for NUR courses in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing program, the credits to be transferred must come from a school or program accredited by Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
- In order to transfer credits for HIM courses (numbered 215 and higher) in the Bachelor of Science in Health Information Management program, the credits must come from a program accredited by the Commission on Accreditation for Health Informatics and Information Management Education (CAHIIM).
*Certificate programs and Associate degrees with minimal general education coursework will not be accepted as fulfilling all General Education core or competency requirements and will be evaluated on an individual course by course basis for application toward the Bachelor's degree.
Nontraditional Credits
In alignment with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) and WASC Senior College and University Commission, UAGC defines Credit for Prior Learning (CPL) as “a practice used by institutions to recognize or award credit for demonstrated college-level learning gained in settings outside of higher education”. At UAGC, nontraditional credits are considered synonymous with Credit for Prior Learning and can be awarded in three ways: through national testing programs, through national credit recommendations, and through UAGC Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)..
National testing programs include:
- AP: Advanced Placement
- Cambridge International Education (CIE)
- CLEP: College Level Examination Program
- DSST: DANTES Subject Standardized Tests
- Excelsior: UExcel
- IB: International Baccalaureate,
- TECEP: Thomas Edison College Examination Program.
National credit recommendations include the American Council on Education (ACE) and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).
UAGC PLA includes Sponsored Professional Training and Experiential Essays. Work or life experience not covered by a national testing program or national credit recommendation service may be eligible for review through UAGC PLA for possible college credit.
Please review the Transfer Credit Provisions and Limitations sections for additional information regarding nontraditional credits.
Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
The UAGC Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) program allows students pursuing an Associate or a Bachelor’s degree and, in some cases, a Master's degree*, the opportunity to earn credit for college-level learning that occurs outside a traditional classroom setting and which does not carry credit through a national testing program or national credit recommendation. The program complies fully with the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) standards for assessing learning. Credit will only be awarded in areas that fall within the regular curricular offerings at the University of Arizona Global Campus.
Students may earn credit through the Prior Learning Assessment program in two ways:
Through Sponsored Professional Training: Students may participate in the Sponsored Professional Training component of PLA by providing the following documentation:
- Evidence of successful completion (i.e., official certificate or letter)
- Evidence of length of course (number of contact hours)
- Evidence of course content (i.e., syllabus or handouts)
- Contact information for course instructor/work supervisor (current phone/email)
- Credit Rationale Paper for each submission/topic
The University of Arizona Global Campus Faculty Subject Matter-Expert(s) will evaluate the submission of Sponsored Professional Training for evidence of college-level learning. There are no additional fees for evaluation of Sponsored Professional Training. Evaluation does not guarantee that credit will be awarded.
Through Experiential Learning: Students may participate in the experiential learning component by first enrolling in the Experiential Learning Credit (ELC) Workshop, a collection of 5 self-paced modules that guides students through the writing of their Experiential Essay, which will be reviewed for credit towards a specific course in their degree program. To gain access to the ELC workshop, students must work with the PLA department and identify the first course they would like to write about. At the conclusion of the modules within the workshop, students may submit one or more experiential essays for review. The University of Arizona Global Campus Faculty Subject-Matter Expert(s) will evaluate the experiential essay submission for evidence of college-level learning applicable to the student’s UAGC degree program. There are no additional fees for either participating in the workshop nor evaluation of essay(s) submitted for evaluation. An evaluation of an essay does not guarantee that credit will be awarded. No credit is awarded for completion of the workshop.
Students may participate in one or both PLA components depending on their experience, background, and need.
PLA credit awarded at another approved accredited institution may be transferred to the University of Arizona Global Campus with the approval of the University of Arizona Global Campus Registrar and the Department of Prior Learning Assessment, if the content area falls within the regular curricular offerings of the University of Arizona Global Campus. In order to be applied toward a Global Campus degree, transcript records must include PLA subject area and/or content information. Students may also be required to submit the original PLA documentation. Such transfer credit counts toward the nontraditional credit maximum applicable in a degree program.
PLA credit may apply to students pursuing Associate or Bachelor’s degrees, and in some cases, a Master's degree*. It does not apply to students pursuing a Doctoral degree, nor non-degree seeking students. To be eligible for PLA, degree-seeking students must be fully admitted, satisfy the Written Communication Core Competency 1 requirement, and successfully complete their first course at UAGC. Additionally,
- PLA credit cannot be awarded for a course previously taken with the University when a failing grade was receive;
- PLA cannot be used to waive Entry point courses, Honors Program Courses** or Capstone courses; and,
- PLA credit may or may not be transferable. It is the student’s responsibility to find out if credits will transfer to an institution that the student may plan to attend in the future.
Students who wish to explore PLA options should contact pla@uagc.edu.
Students who have formally completed the PLA process but disagree with the final credit decision may be eligible to appeal. Please contact the Department of Prior Learning Assessment to discuss the appeal process. Please read the Transfer Credit Provisions and Limitations for more information in this section of the Catalog.
*The Master of Public Health program is not eligible for PLA.
**Honors Program elective(s) may be met with PLA.
NCLEX-RN® Exam Credit
Students in the Bachelor of Science in Nursing (RN-BSN) program at the University of Arizona Global Campus may be eligible to receive up to 20 non-traditional elective credits through Prior Learning Assessment for completing the NCLEX-RN® exam. Students should wait until all previous post-secondary coursework has been reviewed and then contact their Academic Advisor to determine if there is a need for the exam to be reviewed for college credit. To request the credit to be applied, students must complete the Application for NCLEX-RN Exam Credit (provided by the Academic Advisor), provide a copy of their current RN license, write a 1-3 page Credit Rationale Paper, and submit all documents to pla@uagc.edu.
Articulation Agreements
The University of Arizona Global Campus enters into articulation agreements with other schools in the spirit of cooperation and to mutually recognize each other as quality institutions of higher learning. The purpose of an articulation agreement is to enable students transferring to the University of Arizona Global Campus to carry with them the credit they have already earned for as much relevant study as possible. Students who transfer under the terms and conditions of a valid articulation agreement are subject to the requirements outlined by the articulation agreement and the University of Arizona Global Campus Academic Catalog at the time the student is enrolled into their UAGC program. A list of schools with which the University of Arizona Global Campus has established articulation agreements, terms of articulation and transfer guides outlining all articulated courses by degree program can be found on the UAGC website on the transfer traditional-college-credit page.
Dual Enrollment
As part of an active articulation agreement, the University of Arizona Global Campus may offer collaborative opportunities with partners, for students to enroll in both institutions concurrently. The purpose of a Dual Enrollment Program is to enable students transferring to the University of Arizona Global Campus to save time towards graduation by working towards two degrees at the same time. Dual Enrollment Program pathways will outline the required courses to complete at both UAGC and our Partner, to avoid duplication of credit. A Dual Enrollment Program is only open to students of articulated partners who meet the specific admission requirements outlined in the applicable active Dual Enrollment Program pathway. These programs may be for undergraduate or graduate students. Eligible students must opt-in to the program though their Online Application. Additional requirements may apply.
Dual Enrollment, defined as a student actively enrolled at UAGC and an eligible partner at the same time and in an approved program-to-program degree-seeking pathway, is only available where specified in an active agreement program pathway. In the context of a valid Dual Enrollment Pathway, the use of the term “Concurrent Enrollment” will be considered synonymous with this definition of Dual Enrollment. Please visit the UAGC website transfer traditional-college-credit page for information on UAGC partners and active pathway opportunities, including Dual Enrollment opportunities.
The University of Arizona Global Campus cannot speak on policy and procedure for any other institution, outside of any policy published on public dual enrollment pathway documents. Students who have questions about another institution’s processes or participation in a Dual Enrollment (sometimes referred to as Concurrent Enrollment) program should contact that institution’s Office of the Registrar, Student Records, or equivalent.
Reverse Transfer Program
The University of Arizona Global Campus is a Host Institution (Host) participant of the National Student Clearinghouse Reverse Transfer program, which allows Hosts to securely share student data including course and grade information with any participating two-year institution from which a student has transferred, for the purposes of potentially awarding an associate degree. This program is for undergraduate students who have not yet earned their Associate degree from any institution. New students may opt-in to the program though a question on their Online Application. Existing students may change their selection at any time by contacting their Academic Advisor.
For students with an active opt-in on file, course information for credits earned through UAGC will be shared with any participating, confirmed-previously-attended, two-year institution or Degree Granting Institution (DGI). The DGI will review new credits earned and determine if any remaining degree requirements are met. If all requirements are met, the DGI may award the student their degree without interrupting enrollment with UAGC.
As part of the Reverse Transfer process, no student transcripts are sent to the DGI. If an institution needs a transcript, students are responsible for requesting one through the normal transcript request processes.
The Reverse Transfer service is provided at no-cost to UAGC undergraduate students, degree or non-degree seeking, who have not completed their first degree. Participating DGI may, or may not, require graduation or other fees prior to conferring the associate degree. It is the responsibility of the DGI to communicate such requirements to a student.
The University of Arizona Global Campus cannot speak on policy and procedure for any other participating institution, DGI or Host. Students who have questions about another institution’s processes or participation in the Reverse Transfer program should contact that institution’s Office of the Registrar, Student Records, or equivalent.