Residency Requirement
To earn a Saint Michael’s College degree, students must earn a minimum of 32 credits at SMC. At least half of the credits used to satisfy major and minor requirements must be earned at SMC, or through a college-approved study-abroad or study-away program. 24 of the final 32 credits must be earned at SMC, or through a college-approved study-abroad or study-away program.
Transfer Credit Policy
Credit is transferred on a course-by-course basis. Transferred courses are assigned an equivalent Saint Michael’s College course prefix/number when applicable. If no equivalent course is designated, general credit in the appropriate discipline may be awarded.
The Registrar’s Office makes the final determination on transferability of courses in consultation with the appropriate academic department.
In order to be eligible for transfer credit at Saint Michael’s College, a course must meet the following criteria:
- Institution where the course was completed is a regionally or nationally accredited, degree-granting college or university in the US; or the institution is recognized as a post-secondary, degree-granting institution by the foreign government or state governmental agency in the country where the institution is located. (For US institutions, the institution’s accrediting body must be recognized by the US Department of Education and/or the Council on Higher Education Accreditation).
- Course is comparable in content, nature, and rigor to course offerings in the corresponding discipline at Saint Michael’s College.
- Course is completed with a grade of C- (or equivalent) or higher. A course with a grade of ‘P’ (Pass) or ‘S’ (Satisfactory) will be accepted only with official documentation verifying successful completion of the course at the C- or higher level.
A course is not transferable under the following circumstances:
- Course discipline is not offered at Saint Michael’s College, e.g. nursing, physical education, or culinary arts.
- Course is considered remedial or developmental in nature, and doesn’t count toward degree requirements at sending institution.
- Course appears on transcript without credit and/or a grade assigned.
- Course credit was awarded based on life or work experience.
- Course credit was earned based on internship or cooperative education experience.
- Course credit is awarded in Continuing Education Units (CEU).
Grades in transferred courses are not transferable, and they are not used in the computation of the GPA at Saint Michael’s College.
Transfer credit is awarded based on the credit value of the course in semester credit hours (or equivalent) at the sending institution, not based on the credit value of the comparable course at Saint Michael’s College. The number of transfer credits Saint Michael’s awards for a course will never exceed the credit value of the course at the sending institution. However, a three-credit transferred course may be used to satisfy a requirement if it is deemed equivalent to a four-credit Saint Michael’s College that meets that requirement.
Transcripts
Students are responsible for ensuring that official copies of transcripts from each institution at which they have taken college-level coursework are submitted to Saint Michael’s College for evaluation.This includes college credit earned through high school dual enrollment programs, Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB). Saint Michael’s College accepts both hard-copy and electronic official transcripts.
College Credits Taken in High School
College level coursework completed in high school may be eligible for transfer credit. Coursework must be completed in accordance with the transfer credit policy information outlined in this catalog. An official transcript issued by the college or university granting credits is required. Transfer credit will not be considered for college-level coursework that appears on the high school transcript.
Advanced Placement (AP) Program of the College Board
Students who have taken AP courses in high school and who score 4 or 5 on an AP examination may receive credits for no more than one SMC course for each exam. A score of 3 on an AP exam may, in certain subjects, lead to placement in courses beyond the introductory level, but not to course credit (except in Calculus).
To receive credit through AP, students must request that an official score report be sent to the Registrar’s Office at Saint Michael’s College. The Saint Michael’s College four-digit College Board (or CEEB) code is 3757.
It is common for students who score at a qualifying level to decline AP credits so that they may take an introductory course in a subject in which they may want to major. This is particularly common in the natural sciences. Consultation with the chair of the appropriate department or the faculty advisor is encouraged when a student is considering this.
Advanced Placement Credit Information
International Baccalaureate (IB) Program
Students who complete the IB Diploma Program are eligible to receive up to 32 credits at Saint Michael’s College, which is equivalent to one full year of study, or sophomore status.
IB students not completing the Diploma Program are also eligible to receive advanced standing and/or credit, which may be awarded for Higher Level (HL) or Standard Level (SL) courses with grades of 5, 6, or 7. A maximum of 32 credits will be awarded.
Official IB score reports should be sent directly from International Baccalaureate Organization to the SMC Registrar’s Office.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
Students taking College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams may receive transfer credit, provided the exam is in one of the subjects offered at Saint Michael’s. All exams taken prior to beginning a degree program at Saint Michael’s will be considered for transfer credit. Once matriculated at Saint Michael’s, students are limited to earning credit for one CLEP exam, which typically corresponds to four credits at the introductory level. The minimum score for earning credit is 50 (comparable to a grade of C). To receive CLEP credits an official score report must be sent directly by the College Board to the Saint Michael’s College Registrar’s Office.
Credit for Military Service
Military Experience as documented on the Joint Services Transcript (JST) is considered for transfer credit at Saint Michael’s College in accordance with American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations and the tenets of the transfer credit policy. The coursework must be comparable in content, nature and rigor to courses offered at Saint Michael’s College. Students with military experience must request that an official copy of their Joint Services Transcript be sent to the SMC Registrar’s Office for review.
SMC Students Taking Courses at Other Institutions
Students in degree programs at Saint Michael’s College may be given permission to take courses at other institutions with the purpose of transferring the credit to SMC to meet degree requirements. Courses must be approved in advance by the Registrar’s Office and, for major or minor courses, by the department chair. Students must complete a Transfer Credit Pre-Approval Form and provide accompanying documentation, such as course descriptions and/or syllabi. Courses not approved in advance may not be accepted for transfer. Full-time students in degree programs must have permission from the Associate Dean of the College in order to enroll concurrently in any courses at another institution.
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