Transfer Credits

A-Level and AS Level Exams

Hartwick awards credit for Advanced Level and Advanced Level Subsidiary Exams.

In general, up to 6 academic credits will be granted for each A-level exam with a passing grade. Up to 3 academic credits will be granted for each AS-level exam with a passing grade. No more than 30 academic credits from all A-level and AS-level exams may be applied to a Hartwick degree.

Liberal Arts in Practice divisional and general elective credits will be awarded for each exam. Credit is not directly awarded for specific Hartwick courses unless approved by an academic department Chair.

No grades are posted for A-level or AS-level credit awards.

Advanced credit policies are reviewed on a regular basis and are subject to change without notice.

Advanced Placement Credit (AP)

Hartwick College offers advanced placement and credit for scores of 3 or better on many of the advanced placement (AP) tests of the College Board. In order to receive AP credit, students must have their official exam scores submitted to the Registrar’s Office directly from the testing agency.

The following equivalencies are subject to change as periodic reviews of placement exams and credit policies are conducted.

*Credit is applied to the requirement listed in this column. FL = foreign language, QFR = quantitative and formal reasoning. Elective credit = credit not applied to specific general education requirement but does count toward the overall 120 academic credits required for graduation.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Credit is offered through the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) under specified conditions for students who have acquired mastery of a subject through experience or other avenues outside the traditional classroom setting. Approval of a particular exam for credit must be confirmed, in writing, by the Registrar, using the Request for Non-Hartwick Course Approval form. Approval must be obtained prior to completion of a CLEP exam. Credit is only awarded for subject exams, not for general exams. Equivalencies are subject to change as periodic reviews of exams and credit policies are conducted.

Hartwick adheres to ACE scoring guidelines for awarding of credit. Click here to read more.

Credit for College Courses

Transfer credit from nationally and regionally accredited colleges is given for courses substantially similar to those offered at Hartwick College, completed with a grade of C or higher, or the equivalent, regardless of mode of delivery. A student may only transfer in 75 credits toward a Hartwick College degree with the exception of students enrolled in the Nursing Partnership Program (PNOP) who may transfer in up to 90. Grades for courses taken elsewhere are included when determining a student’s eligibility for honors at Commencement but are not posted on the transcript. A grade of ‘CR’ (credit) is entered for all transfer courses. Credit earned for transfer courses is posted on the student’s transcript and counts toward the overall number of academic credits required for graduation. Credit awarded at Hartwick is equal to the number of credits earned at the institution where credit was earned. For example, a three credit course completed at another institution is transferred in as three Hartwick credits, regardless of the credit value of the Hartwick course it is equated to. The Office of the Registrar is responsible for evaluating all transfer credit for new and current students, and the final decision on whether or not to allow a course to transfer lies with the Registrar.

Hartwick accepts Mathematics credit for transfer courses below the pre-calculus level but does not count those courses (like algebra) toward the Liberal Arts in Practice curriculum. Hartwick does not count transfer courses towards the Writing Requirement (e.g. a Composition Course completed at another institution cannot be used to satisfy ENGL 110 Composition at Hartwick). Courses that are too technical in nature or too dissimilar from courses at Hartwick, like courses for Electrical Engineering or Microsoft Excel for Budgeting, are not eligible for transfer. As previously stated, courses must be similar to those offered at Hartwick to be eligible for transfer.

Hartwick College generally will honor the associate of arts or associate of science degree from accredited colleges by offering the equivalent of two years of credit. Associate degree candidates who are admitted must meet the Hartwick College graduation requirements; it is possible that this may take longer than two years in some cases.

Courses Taken Elsewhere by Current Students

Any course a student wishes to transfer after he or she has matriculated must be approved by the Registrar. A course intended to count toward a declared major must also be approved by the Chair of the Department in which the credit will apply (these courses must also be approved by the Registrar, however). A course intended to count toward the Liberal Arts in Practice (LAiP) general education curriculum must be approved by the Registrar. Approval by a Department Chair is not required for LAiP courses

All requests for course approval must be submitted to the Office of the Registrar using the Non-Hartwick Course Approval form. Incomplete forms will not be accepted. After submission to the Office of the Registrar please allow a minimum of five business days for a decision.

Process for Requesting Transfer Credit Approval – Current Students

• Select a course that will transfer to your major, an LAiP requirement or an elective. Do so by finding courses that are similar to those offered at Hartwick.
• Obtain a Non-Hartwick Course Approval form (available online or in the Registrar’s Office). Fill out the form completely and attach detailed course descriptions.
• Obtain the appropriate signature for courses you want to apply to your major.
• Return the completed form to the Registrar’s Office.
• Wait five business days for a decision. When you receive a copy of the approved form, check to see that ALL courses have been approved. If a course has not been approved, you will not receive credit for it.
• If a course you selected was not approved, select another and follow the steps above.

Transfer Credit Approval Process for New Students

New or incoming students must submit transcripts of courses completed, showing final grades, to the Office of Admissions. Once Admissions receives the transcripts they will be sent to a Transfer Credit Evaluator for review. The Transfer Credit Evaluator will determine which courses are eligible for transfer and contact you with a final transfer credit equivalency report showing how the transfer credit will apply to your Hartwick degree. The Transfer Credit Evaluator may contact you if more information is required to make a final determination on how to apply a course to your degree program (this is usually accomplished by requesting a course description).

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Hartwick recognizes the International Baccalaureate Diploma for purposes of admission. Course credit will be granted for most higher-level (HL) and standard-level (SL) subjects with grades of 4 or better. Equivalencies are subject to change as periodic reviews of exams and credit policies are conducted. Below is a listing of IB courses with Hartwick equivalencies.

Transfer Credit Appeal

If you do not agree with Hartwick’s decision on the awarding of credit you earned prior to attending, you have the right to submit an appeal to the Office of the Registrar. Students wishing to appeal must submit a description of the course and a course syllabus, with a brief description of how the credit should be applied to the academic record to the Office of the Registrar. Once all materials are received, a decision will be made in three to five business days and communicated to the student in writing.