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Academic Credit

Credit Hours Transfer Credit Transfer Credit-International Students Correspondence Courses

Military Service Credit Credit by Examination Self-Acquired Competency

Credit Hours

A credit hour normally represents one hour of lecture or recitation or two hours of laboratory/studio per week for the semester. A four-hour lecture course, therefore, meets four hours per week during the regular semesters. Spring Term and summer sessions are accelerated terms, and classes meet more often. (Hours earned for internships, practica, and other clinical or laboratory experiences may vary among schools and departments.)

Other variations of the term credit hours are:

• Attempted hours.Hours for which a student initially registers.
• Quality hours. Hours recorded for classes in which the student earned traditional letter grades (e.g., A, B, C, D, F). Quality hours are used in calculating a grade point average.
• Earned hours. Hours that apply toward degree requirements. Earned hours include (1) hours for classes taken at the University of Indianapolis in which grades of A, A-, B+, B, B-, C+, C, C-, D+, D, D-, CR, P, or S are earned; (2) hours awarded in transfer from other colleges or universities and through correspondence; (3) hours awarded through examination; (4) hours awarded for military service; and (5) hours earned by selfacquired competency demonstrated through a portfolio.

The three terms defined above are used on grade reports and transcripts.

Transfer Credit

The transfer policies of the University of Indianapolis are as follows.

1. Credit earned through courses taken at other regionally accredited colleges or universities is transferable to the University of Indianapolis. Courses are individually evaluated, and normally a course is accepted if a grade of C- or better has been earned and if the course is applicable to a program of study offered at the University of Indianapolis. (The following exceptions should be noted: Basic writing and English composition are transferable only if a grade of C or above has been earned. In addition, some academic programs require C or above grades in all major courses. Any course with a grade below a C would not be transferable into these programs.)
2. Transfer credit is awarded only for courses that have traditional letter grades (e.g., A, B, C) or have grades or scores that are certified on the transcript as representing a grade of C- or above.
3. No transfer credit is granted for credit that another college or university has awarded for placement or proficiency examinations or for self-acquired competencies.
4. No official evaluation of transfer credit will be made until the student has applied, but the registrar or key advisors will discuss general issues of transfer credit with any student or prospective student.
5. The key advisor or program director in each academic unit evaluates transfer work in cooperation with the deans and chairs. Credit awarded in transfer for one program may not apply to another program; therefore, the transfer work will be reevaluated if the student changes majors.
6. Transfer credit appears on a student's academic record, and the hours are included in the student's earned hours. Grades are not transferable and will not appear on the student's record or be calculated into the grade point average.
7. A currently enrolled student with a grade point average of 2.0 or above may petition the key advisor for his or her school or college (e.g., College of Arts and Sciences, School of Business, School of Education, School of Nursing, School of Psychological Sciences, Krannert School of Physical Therapy, or School for Adult Learning) to enroll in courses at other regionally accredited colleges or universities and to have the credit transferred to the University of Indianapolis. Petition forms for making such a request are available in the offices of key advisors and the registrar. These forms must be submitted and approved by the key advisor prior to enrollment at the other college or university. Any transfer course to be used to fulfill a course requirement in a major or minor also must be approved by the dean or department chair of the appropriate school or department

Transfer Credit-International Students

Transcripts for work completed at colleges or universities located outside of the United States should be evaluated by World Education Services or other authorized evaluation service. The academic advisors, using these evaluations, apply credit appropriately. Applications for requesting evaluation services by WES are available from the Office of Admissions or the International Division.

International students who have attended the University of Indianapolis-Athens, Intercollege, or another institution holding a special articulation agreement with the University of Indianapolis should submit official transcripts directly to the University for evaluation.

English as a Second Language (ESL) credit earned from other colleges and universities may not be applied toward the University's freshman English courses (ENGL-100 or ENGL-101). International students who speak English as a second language may be required to enroll in and complete a Basic Writing class prior to enrollment in ENGL-101.

Correspondence Courses

Students are permitted to transfer correspondence credit from other regionally accredited institutions. A student planning to take a correspondence course must have the course approved by her or his faculty or key advisor in advance. Transfer approval forms, also used for correspondence credit approval, are available in the offices of the key advisors and the registrar.

Military Service Credit

Service personnel and veterans may receive credit for DANTES and CLEP examinations (see below) and military training and experience. The amount of credit for military courses and experience is based on recommendations by the American Council on Education. Individuals who are eligible for such credit should submit official military or testing transcripts. (See the registrar for additional information about appropriate forms to be submitted.)

In addition to credit for courses and examinations, a veteran with one year of service experience may receive credit for KINS-101 Wellness and Fitness for a Lifetime and KINS-320 General Safety by submitting copies of the DD-214 (Report of Discharge) to the registrar.

Credit by Examination

The University of Indianapolis participates in five national and two international credit-by-examination programs.

College Board Advanced Placement Program (AP)
Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support Examination Program (DANTES)
Educational Testing Service College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)
National League for Nursing Examination Program (NLN)
Excelsior College Examination Program (ECE)
General Certificate of Education (GCE) A Level Exams
International Baccalaureate Program (IB)

General guidelines for the granting of credit through these programs:

1. Credit that has been awarded by examination appears on a student's academic record, and the hours awarded are included in the student's earned hours.
2. No letter grade is assigned for credit awarded by examination; therefore, this credit is not used in calculating a student's grade point average.
3. Credit is awarded only for those examinations specifically approved by the appropriate dean or department chair. (Information about approved examinations and passing scores is available in the Office of the Registrar and the School for Adult Learning.)
4. The scores recommended by the American Council on Education (or other appropriate agency) may be used in awarding credit for examinations approved by the appropriate dean or chair. The dean or chair determines the amount of credit.
5. The registrar awards credit based on the guidelines established for the individual testing program by the deans and chairs.

In addition to the national and international examinations that are used for the granting of credit, the University offers school or departmental examinations for the purpose of granting credit.

All inquiries about transfer credit, correspondence credit, military credit, or credit-by-examination should be directed to the registrar.

Self-Acquired Competency

It is possible to earn college credit for learning gained from life experience, work experience, business or industrial employee training programs, or volunteer experience. Such credit may be earned by the submission of a portfolio of the learning achieved outside of formal college courses. Credit is given for college-level learning that has come from the experience, not the experience itself. In compiling evidence and documentation of learning in a Self-Acquired Competency Portfolio, the student must demonstrate a balance between theory and practice. Students pay for the number of credit hours requested. Payment for the credit will equal half the prevailing Extended Programs tuition rate. Please note that three basic University rules govern students' documenting self-acquired competency in a portfolio and submitting it for evaluation.

1. Students are limited to requesting 30 hours of credit through the portfolio system.
2. Students must complete 12 earned hours at the University of Indianapolis before submitting a portfolio.
3. Only students enrolled in accelerated programs are eligible to apply for self-acquired competency credit.

More detailed information is available on the School for Adult Learning Web site (sal.uindy.edu/pla.html) or by contacting the School for Adult Learning.