Are You Looking for a High College Credit Transfer Program?

For many students, life can get in the way of completing a degree. Students may pause their schooling because of a job or personal obligations, or both, and they may have many credits but no degree.

Online education, coupled with a generous college credit transfer policy, makes it easier for adult learners returning to school to complete their degrees.

Excelsior ranks among the best colleges in these important areas. In addition to offering a wide variety of online degree programs, Excelsior also accepts up to 113 credits depending on the specific program.

Students can receive credits from Excelsior College for a variety of learning accomplishments, including college-level exams, professional training, military training, health care credentials, and industry certifications.

“Excelsior College is incredibly transfer-friendly,” says Rebecca S. Schenck, director of academic evaluation at Excelsior College’s Transcript Analysis Center. “Our dedicated team of 30-plus academic evaluators are trained to maximize the number of transfer credits each individual student presents, and they work to build a degree MAP (My Academic Plan) that gets students to the finish line as quickly and efficiently as possible.”

The Residency Requirement at Excelsior College

The college credit transfer policy at Excelsior College makes the school a great choice for those who have started degrees at other accredited institutions or have an associate degree and want to move on to earn a bachelor’s degree.

The policy, which ranks among the best in the country, also can result in cost savings for students who can transfer credit from other schools and earn their degree sooner.

To earn a degree from Excelsior College, students must meet the standards of the school’s residency requirement. These standards mandate that all students complete three specific courses at Excelsior College:

  • A Cornerstone course at the beginning of their time at Excelsior College
  • A Capstone course at the end
  • A 1-credit Information Literacy course

A Generous Transfer Expiration Policy

Excelsior College also designed its college credit transfer policy to provide a generous expiration period for courses taken in the past. According to the college’s transfer credit guidelines, students may still be able to transfer credits earned decades ago.  Guidelines vary based on the degree program.

For example, the health sciences transfer credit policy allows students in the Bachelor of Science in Health Care Management/MBA dual degree program to claim credits earned within 20 years to the date of enrollment in the undergraduate component and within 10 years of the date of enrollment in the graduate component.

For the Master of Science in Health Sciences specializations, students must earn the credits within seven years of enrollment.

The Bachelor of Science in Liberal Arts and Associate in Science in Liberal Arts programs have no time limit on credits earned. In theory, a student could transfer 113 credits and then complete a Cornerstone, Capstone, and Information Literacy course to graduate.

“This means that credit a student completed in the ’70s,’80s,’90s or last month could be used to fulfill degree requirements, depending on what type/level of credit the student presents to us,” Schenck says.

Excelsior College provides a list of time limitations on transfer credit for all online degree programs. The Academic Evaluation team is divided into specialties, says Schenck. This gives each degree area a group of dedicated experts to support students.

Prospective students must first apply to the College to have their transcripts reviewed. Students currently pay a $50 application fee.

With the potential of transferring so many credits, it’s worthwhile for prospective students to determine what credits they will receive. Many may find they are closer to completing their degree than they imagine.

For more information, and to see how much credit you can transfer, visit https://www.excelsior.edu/start-with-more-credit/ on Excelsior’s website.