TRANSFER OF CREDIT

Reference:  Federal Requirement 34 CFR §602.249(e); WY State Statutes §21-16-1308(iii) and  §21-18-202(vi); HLC Transfer criteria; and the ACE National Guide

Western Wyoming Community College (the College) shall provide a general education curriculum that ensures consistency, continuity, and quality. This shall safeguard the transferability of credit earned from Western to other colleges or universities.  

The College’s general education curriculum shall be based on:

• A philosophical rationale for each academic program offered by the institution, i.e., Associate of Arts, Associate of Nursing, Associate of Science, Associate of Applied Science and Bachelor of Applied Science;
• General education categories for the core curriculum; and
• Credit hour requirements for each category.

The College shall evaluate all transfer of credit from colleges and universities to:

• Validate that the coursework is similar and relevant to the coursework within the certificate or degree that the student is applying for admittance to;
• Review that all transfer credit meets the minimum grade requirement for each applicable course
• Ensure that the content is not outdated or obsolete. Please note that some courses that are more than ten (10) years old may not be transferable. In addition, courses must be no more than seven (7) years old for some health programs (please check with the department).
• Validate that the coursework was earned at a regionally accredited postsecondary institution. The American Council on Education Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education publication is used to identify appropriate accreditation. There are certain conditions under which international credit may be accepted.

Alternative Options for Credit: The Board believes there is validity in life experience learning.  The College shall develop procedures that allow for granting a student credit for learning acquired from work or life experience, participating in courses or training sponsored by professional associations, businesses, industry, unions, the government, and the military or College Level Examination Program (CLEP) or other recognized testing entity.

A maximum of 45 semester hours of transfer credits may be accepted toward Western’s Associate degrees. A maximum of 90 semester hours of transfer credits may be accepted toward Western’s Bachelor of Applied Science degrees. The College President and/or his/her designees shall maintain and publicize procedures to comply with this policy. Transfer information shall be available to the public on the institution’s website, catalog and other pertinent information.

Policy included in Catalog
Adopted: March 8, 1984
Revised: May 26, 1988
Revised: June 8, 2006
Reformatted: April 29, 2011
Revised: October 16, 2014
Revised: June 17, 2021

Procedure 5220D

TRANSFER OF CREDIT

Transferability of Western Credits
Any student who has successfully completed courses - the equivalent of grade "C" or above - identified in the articulated academic program offered by the institution, i.e., Associate of Arts, Associate of Nursing, Associate of Science, and Associate of Applied Science general education curriculum and who is admitted in transfer to a receiving institution will be granted standing comparable to current students who have completed the same number of equivalent credit courses toward an associate/baccalaureate-level degree and will be able to progress toward associate/baccalaureate degree completion at a rate comparable to that of students who entered the associate/baccalaureate institution as first-time freshmen.

To assure students of comparable treatment, receiving institutions agree to the following standards and procedures:

• Receiving institutions will accept the core of general education for direct application to their degree or major requirements;
• Receiving institutions may require admitted transfer students to complete institution-wide general education requirements not included in the transferable core.
• Receiving institutions will grant equivalent general education credit for satisfactorily completed courses identified in the general education core to students admitted in transfer who began but did not complete the Associate of Arts Degree at an accredited receiving institution.

The official signed agreement shall be housed in the College’s Chief Academic Officer’s office. The College’s Chief Student Services Officer shall be provided a copy of that agreement and shall share that with his/her advising staff and the Registrar. The College’s Marketing Office shall also be provided a copy and that articulation agreement shall be posted on the College’s official webpage for public notice.

Acceptance of Credit from Other Higher Education Institutions
Credits earned by a student from another regionally accredited college or university which are in compliance with Board Policy 5220D shall be accepted as meeting Associate of Arts (AA), Associate Degree in Nursing (ADN), or Associate of Science (AS). Credits earned by a student which are applicable to specific Associate of Applied Science (AAS) or occupational certificate programs which are approved by the Board shall be accepted as meeting degree or certificate requirements in comparable or equivalent programs.

FROM BACCALAUREATE-GRANTING INSTITUTIONS: Lower division credits earned by students enrolled in baccalaureate granting institutions (accredited by nationally recognized regional accrediting associations) of higher education which are applicable to BA or BS degrees shall be accepted as meeting the general education requirements for the AA or AS degrees.

Alternative Options for Awarding Western Credit
The College may grant a maximum of 40 credit hours for life experience learning toward an associate degree. Transfer of these life experience credits to other institutions, however, is at their discretion. Grades on these courses are noted as either S or U on the student's transcripts.

The College may grant these credits in four (4) ways to a current student:

CLEP Examinations
A student who earns a specified score on a College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exam can receive college credit for that course. There is a fee for each exam. Further information on fees, subject tests, required scores and scheduling is available in Mustang Central.

To receive credit for these exams, students must achieve a specified score and have an active Western transcript. Since these core requirements are constantly under review, students should discuss the current requirements with Registration and Records.

Credit by Examination
A student may request credit by examination for any course for which a CLEP test is not available. If the exam indicates the student is as proficient as a typical student who completes the course, the College will award that student credit for that course.

The student, furthermore, will be allowed to take an advanced course or to proceed to other courses. Four conditions, however, apply:

• Must be enrolled at Western.
• Cannot take the exam during the last thirty calendar days of the semester.
• Cannot earn credit by examination if he or she has completed a higher level course in the same subject.
• Must pay the established fee for taking the examination.

Outside Courses and Programs
Students may receive college credit if they have taken courses or programs, for example, while working for a business or while in the military, and these courses are listed in an appropriate credit assessment guide.

Students with military service also will receive credit for physical education in accordance with the recommendations of the Accreditation of Service Experiences. Credit will also be given to students who have successfully completed advanced military science courses.

Students must request credit for military service in writing and must submit appropriate documentation.

Credit for Similar Work
If a student believes that he or she has completed work that corresponds to the work required for particular Western course, that student may submit a written request to the Registrar asking for credit for that course. The student must submit supporting material and documentation. The Registrar will review the material, and forward it to the Division Chairperson and the appropriate instructor for a recommendation. The student will be notified by the Registrar of the results.

Adopted: May 26, 1977
Revised: January 26, 1984
Approved: May 26, 1988
Revised: January 12, 2006
Revised: July 16, 2008
Reformatted: April 29,2011
Revised: October 16, 2014
Revised: June 17, 2021 
Reformatted: October 7, 2022