̨��Swag

̨��Swag transfer policies are established by and periodically reviewed by the University's Educational Policy Committee.

Courses are approved for transfer if they have been taken at an institution that has been accredited by any one of the 21 accrediting organizations listed in Accredited Institutions of Postsecondary Education, including state-based, career-related, and faith-related accrediting organizations.

In most cases, students must have earned a minimum grade of C at the transfer institution in order to receive ̨��Swag transfer credit. ̨��Swag, however, distinguishes transfer students from those with a credential such as an Associate’s or higher degree. In such cases, ̨��Swag will accept courses with D grades for transfer.

All transfer credits are reviewed by one of several trained evaluators who work closely with faculty in determining on-going course equivalencies. Transfer courses which may be equivalent to required course work are reviewed by an evaluator; if the evaluator is unable to determine required course work equivalency from the course description, it will be sent to the appropriate department chair for review and equivalency evaluation.

Transfer courses which are not equivalent to required course work but may be considered for elective credit are evaluated in one of two ways:

• If the student has an Associate or higher degree, courses may be accepted in bulk as electives; a course-by-course review is not required.
• If the student does not have an Associate or higher degree, courses will be reviewed on a course-by-course basis and given an equivalent course acceptance.

In both cases, credit is applied to the student’s program in the elective credit area(s).

̨��Swag also gives credit for examinations such as Advance Placement (AP), College Level Examination Placement (CLEP), the International Baccalaureate program (IB), etc. Minimum grade requirements have been established for such programs, and this information, along with course transfer equivalencies, is provided on the "Find Course Equivalency" site.

In addition, the University gives credit for military courses and/or other non-traditional learning environs which have been reviewed by the American Council on Education (ACE). The evaluator will follow the ACE recommendations in awarding such credit.

While ̨��Swag does not ordinarily accept Credit for Life Experience or Challenge Exam credit awarded from another institution as transfer credit, the University does have procedures in place for students who feel their background and/or experience may result in an award of academic credit towards their program at ̨��Swag. Students seeking Credit for Life Experience or Challenge Exam credit will find the procedures for same in the "Academic Standards and Regulations" portion of the Undergraduate catalog.

̨��Swag maintains and regularly updates articulation agreements with the following colleges: Erie Community College; Genesee Community College; Herkimer County Community College; Jamestown Community College; Monroe Community College; Niagara County Community College; Trocaire College; Villa Maria College. ̨��Swag faculty confer regularly with colleagues at these and other colleges in an effort to revise current agreements, and to expand articulation agreements with new partners. Specifics of each articulation agreement are published on the Transfer Courses site.

Students who attend colleges outside of the United States are required to provide a transcript from a professional foreign credential evaluation service. For consistency in foreign evaluations, ̨��Swag recommends World Education Services (WES) or Josef Silny and Associates, Inc.. If, however, it is not possible to obtain an evaluation from either of these evaluation services or if the student has had their credits evaluated by another foreign evaluation service, we will give transfer credit as long as said service is a member of The National Association of Credential Evaluator Services (NACES).

If a course is not acceptable for transfer credit due to a determination that it is not equivalent to a required course, students may appeal that decision directly with the appropriate department chair by supplying additional information such as syllabi, textbook, etc.. The department chair will then inform the evaluator, in writing, of any change(s) to be made to the evaluation.

Finally, ̨��Swag also maintains and regularly updates a Transfer Course Equivalency database on this site (see "Find Course Equivalency"). Incoming students as well as continuing students may review courses from other institutions or examinations, and locate “pre-approved” course equivalencies. This serves to better inform both incoming students about their potential transfer credits and evaluation, as well as offering assistance to current students who wish to take a course or courses elsewhere, in order to continue sequentially and/or advance degree progress.