Bethel College Policy on Accepting Transfer Credits

Advanced Placement (AP)
Bethel College awards college credit to students who participated in the Advanced Placement program in high school. Students receive college credit based on credit recommendations of the College Board. Details can be found at www.collegeboard.com. Most courses with a score of three, four or five earn three college credits. No grade or quality points are assigned for awarded credit. Applicants must submit original AP scores to the Office of the Registrar for evaluation.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
The College Level Examination Program provides opportunity for a student to earn college credit by examination. Details are available at www.collegeboard.com.

The following CLEP tests will be equated to the following Bethel College courses:

1. Freshman College Composition with optional essay section – ENG 101/102 for 6 credits


2. History of the United States I – HIS 201 for 3 credits


3. History of the United States II – HIS 201 for 3 credits


4. Introductory Psychology – PSY 200 for 3 credits


5. Introductory Sociology – SOC 200 for 3 credits


6. Biology – SCI 101/102 for 4 credits


7. College Mathematics – MAT 115 for 3 credits

Students should check with the registrar’s office BEFORE taking any CLEP test in order to obtain the latest information on acceptable scores and tests.

To gain credit, a CLEP test must be taken before a student earns credit in a comparable college/university course or subject area.

To receive consideration for credit, a minimum scaled score at or above an established national percentile must be earned on each area tested. Check with the registrar’s office for these minimum-earned-score requirements.

CLEP scores must be submitted to the registrar’ office before the student completes the last 25% of their degree requirements.

No grade or quality points are assigned for awarded credit.

Credit for Military Education
Veterans who have successfully completed courses in the military service training program may submit a record of the courses to the Registrar for review. The amount of credit granted will not exceed that recommended by the American Council on Education in the “Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces.” No credit is awarded for technical or vocational training. No grade or quality points are assigned for awarded credit. Students must submit a transcript available from the military. AARTS Transcripts are for Army and Army National Guard personnel and reservists. Request transcripts from http://aarts.army.mil/. SMART transcripts are for Navy and Marine Corp personnel. Request transcripts from https://smart.navy.mil/smart/welcome.do.

Maximum Credit Awarded under the AP, CLEP, Military Education
A maximum of 45 semester hours of credit for the baccalaureate degree and 20 semester hours of credit for the associate degree may be earned through any combination of AP, CLEP, and Military education credits which are deemed acceptable by the Office of the Registrar.

General Conditions for All Credit Transfer
After a student has completed 75% of his program the college will not accept course work in transfer, unless a special waiver has been granted by the Academic Dean.

The final 25 percent of credits for any program must be earned at Bethel College.

Once accepted into a degree program at Bethel College, a student must obtain a transient letter to have credits accepted from another institution. Transcripts for transient credits must be received by the deadlines
of November 1st or March 1st to be considered for that semester.

Credits accepted in transfer must be graded with a “C” or higher.

Bethel College requires all college-level work to be represented on an officially approved transcript from the originating institution with the transcript sent directly from the originating institution to the Office of the Registrar at Bethel College.

Official transcripts must be received by the deadlines of November 1st for fall admittance and March 1st for spring admittance, to qualify for transfer.

Bethel College does not generally accept credit given by one institution for another institution’s transferred credits.

Students have the right to appeal transfer credit decisions made by the Office of the Registrar. The student must write a letter of appeal accompanied by any additional documentation requested by the Office of the Registrar. The appeal will be reviewed by the appropriate academic department chair/college dean with additional documentation and the student will be notified of the decision rendered.

Transfer Practices
The Transfer Credit Practices of Designated Educational Institutions published by the American Associate of Collegiate Registrars and Admission Officers is referenced. The college reserves the right to deny credit for specific courses from any college or university, regardless of accreditation.

The student may be required to provide scores from E-ACT or SAT prior to admission in order to demonstrate the ability to work at the postsecondary level.

Credits from an accredited institution
Credits earned at an institution accredited by an accrediting association recognized by both the US Department of Education (USDE) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) are transferred on an unconditional basis as long as they are comparable to Bethel College courses and are compatible with the student’s degree plan.

Credits from an unaccredited institution
Students who are transferring from any other institution may petition the Office of the Registrar requesting that their credits be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. Petitions are available from the Office of the Registrar and require active student participation in the collection of documentation. Petitions must be submitted with all requested documentation no later than the student’s first semester of attendance by November 1st for a fall semester or March 1st for a spring semester. Bethel College recognizes that quality instruction and learning can and does take place in non-traditional settings, but the college is also committed to the concept that coursework transferred or accepted for credit must represent collegiate coursework relevant to the degree being sought, with course content and level of instruction resulting in student competencies at least equivalent to those of students enrolled in Bethel College’s own degree programs.

To facilitate the evaluation of the student’s credits, he or she will be asked to supply any or all of the following documentation:

1. an official transcript;


2. catalog from the awarding institution that contains a full course description;


3. an official statement from the sending institution as to the credentials of the faculty, if this information is not provided in the catalog;


4. an official statement from the sending college or university as to the duration of courses, including how many minutes the course met each day, how many days it met each week, and how many weeks it met during each semester;


5. any other documentation deemed necessary by the Registrar or department in which the course of study is being pursued, for example, exams, research papers, original course syllabus, and other relevant documents by which the rigor of the course may be determined by the appropriate faculty or evaluator at Bethel College. A positive evaluation is essential for the credit to be accepted.

A maximum of 32 credit hours may be accepted in transfer and are normally applicable to general education or electives in any given degree program. Courses may be applied to general education or major requirements upon the advice and consent of the appropriate division chair or academic dean of the college and the registrar.

Course-by-course petitions require the transfer of credit be held pending the demonstration of successful work during the student’s first semester (12 credit hours minimum) of attendance at Bethel College. Credits will not be transferred if the student fails to meet a minimum grade point average of 2.0.

International credits
International credits must come from a college or university recognized by the country’s department of education or ministry. Credits will only be reviewed after evaluation by an approved independent evaluation service. Contact the Office of the Registrar for a list of approved service providers. The student is responsible for the cost of this service.