Introduction
Volunteer State Community College (VSCC) grants transfer credit in accordance with the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges policy The Transfer or Transcription of Academic Credit. The College generally considers transfer credit as credit that has been certified and transcribed or credentialed by another institution of higher education.
Types of Credit Considered
Courses from Similar Institutions
VSCC generally accepts credits from other institutions of higher education that hold similar accreditation status to VSCC. Applicants who have attended other institutions of higher education, and will pursue a degree at VSCC, must provide official transcripts of all credits attempted. Transcripts are evaluated prior to, or during the initial term of enrollment. Students are notified as evaluations are completed. All collegiate-level coursework for each transfer student, who is degree-seeking or seeking a technical certificate, will be evaluated according to course similarity within the programs enrolled in at VSCC and course content equivalent to courses taught at the same level at VSCC. In some cases, VSCC may request additional information before awarding credit on a course-by-course basis.
Courses from Non-similar Institutions
Awarding of transfer credit from colleges that do not hold similar accreditation status to VSCC is considered on a case-by-case basis. In order for the credit to be accepted, documentation including the official transcript of courses taken, course content, course level, and contact hours will be reviewed in determining comparability and degree program relevance. Additional documentation may be requested, such as faculty qualifications and the standards for assessing student work, when deciding to grant credit. Students requesting the evaluation of credit earned at higher education institutions outside of the United States for potential transfer credit must provide an international transcript evaluation report from an authorized source. The Academic Dean, in consultation with appropriate faculty, will review the documentation submitted and coordinate with the Office of Records and Registration to confirm or deny courses for transfer.
Transfer of Credit Related to System-wide or State-wide Articulation Agreements
VSCC shall cooperate and collaborate to develop system-wide articulation agreements with technical colleges that offer programs in a similar academic field. These agreements will establish the transfer semester credit hours to be awarded by a community college upon the successful completion of the corresponding technical college program by a student. In all cases, the equivalent competencies specified in related Tennessee College of Applied Technology (TCAT) programs will satisfy the learning outcomes in similar courses and/or programs offered by VSCC.
VSCC will participate in the development of statewide articulation agreements of this nature, and representative community college and technical college faculty of aligned programs will convene to establish a crosswalk between technical college courses/programs and corresponding semester hour credit courses at the community college and a draft articulation agreement will be created based on this crosswalk. The final agreement will be approved by the college President and signed by the Chancellor of the Tennessee Board of Regents. Finalized agreements will be posted on the VSCC website.
Learning Support Transfer
Learning Support completed at another TBR institution will be considered satisfied, and transfer students will not be required to repeat it. Transfer students who have credit for Learning Support (reading, writing, and/or math) at non-TBR institutions may receive credit pending review and approval by the Academic Dean in consultation with appropriate faculty. Transfer students entering without transferable college-level English composition, a reading-intensive general education course, or college-level mathematics will be assessed in the content area as needed. Previous assessments at other institutions will be reviewed and the student may be exempt from further assessment.
Granting Transfer Credit
1. The grade point average the student transfers from another school will not be posted on the VSCC transcript and will not be used in computing the Overall nor Overall Combined grade point average for the student. All college-level courses including transfer work will be included in calculating graduation honors (Policy III:15:10) and in determining eligibility for certain types of financial aid.
2. Transfer credit in Military Science or R.O.T.C. may be counted in lieu of the same number of physical education hours.
3. Credit will not be granted for College Ready + Credit GED. Students may pursue credit through other methods of Prior Learning Assessment if they feel they are proficient in the areas covered in the College Ready + Credit GED. (This is not the same as GED or HiSET for high school credits).
Maximum Transfer and Alternate Sources of Credit
Credit for learning experiences outside of an institution of higher education may be granted according to VSCC Policy III:15:12 (Alternative Sources of Credit) and as outlined in the College Catalog.
Should a student be granted credit through transfer and alternate sources, the student must still complete all specific degree or certificate requirements as outlined in the respective Program of Study and meet the residency requirement for the conferral of the credential as published in the College Catalog. At least 25 percent of semester credit hours applied toward a credential must be completed in residence.
Appeals and Exceptions
Appeals related to the award of transfer credit should be made to the Vice President of Academic Affairs.
Exceptions to this policy may be approved by consensus of the Vice President of Academic Affairs and the College Registrar.
TBR Source: 2:00:01:06 TBR Meeting, December 13, 2018. This policy replaced the following four TBR policies and guidelines: 2:01:00:01 (Articulation with Proprietary College), 2:01:00:03 (Principles for Articulation in Vocational/Technical Education), A-030 (Articulation Among Community Colleges and Universities), and A-031 (Components of Articulation Agreements).
VSCC Source: Former II:09:34, April 30, 1990, President; March 26, 1999, President; March 31, 2008, President's Cabinet. Former II:09:38, July 23, 1997; January 8, 2009, President's Cabinet; August 4, 2014, President’s Cabinet; April 27, 2015, President’s Cabinet; January 28, 2019, President’s Cabinet; April 19, 2023, President’s Cabinet.
