Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy

Transfer Credits

Definition: Credits earned for instruction not under the direct control of SUNY Potsdam are transfer credits.

Acceptance of Credit: The Office of Admissions is responsible for evaluation of transfer credentials. Credits will be accepted for coursework completed with a grade of 1.0/D or higher at a regionally accredited institution of higher education, (i.e., college, junior college, technical institute, seminary, Armed Forces Institute, Service Members Opportunity College or foreign institution). Guidelines issued by the American Association of College Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) will be used where necessary and applicable to assist in evaluation.

An official evaluation of transfer credit will be completed for each transfer student at the time of acceptance to the College. This evaluation constitutes an agreement between the student and SUNY Potsdam and is binding for six years from the catalog date indicated on the evaluation. During that time no changes may be made to the detriment of the student because of subsequent changes in College policy or requirements.

Because of the difficulty in evaluating the equivalence of grading systems among institutions, grades earned elsewhere in courses accepted for transfer credit will not be used in computing the academic average. Therefore, they are not included in eligibility for the President’s List, Dean’s List or honors designations.

Transfer credit from colleges on a different credit/calendar plan necessitates numerical conversion to semester credit hours (for example: quarter hour credits multiplied by 2/3 = semester credit hours).

Upper-Division Credit: Courses taught at the upper-division level at the transfer institution will transfer as upper-division credit. In general, courses taught at the lower-division level at the transfer institution will transfer as lower-division credit. However, a lower-division course may transfer as equivalent in course content to an upper-division SUNY Potsdam course. In this situation, the decision to grant upper-division credit for the course rests with the corresponding academic department in consultation with the Office of Admissions.

Major Field Credit: The decision as to whether and how transferred credits apply toward completion of a major at SUNY Potsdam rests with the major academic department. Note: A grade of 2.0/C or better must be earned in each course to be applied toward the major or major cognates. In addition, a minimum of 15 credits in the major at the upper-division level must be completed at SUNY Potsdam.

Liberal Arts Credit: In general, credits earned in a department corresponding to an arts and sciences department at SUNY Potsdam will be considered liberal arts. Should the liberal arts content of a particular course be questioned, the decision will be made by the Office of Admissions in consultation with the department concerned. Courses from departments of education, military science or business administration are typically defined as non-liberal arts. If students question the determination of non-liberal arts credit for courses originating in such departments, they may appeal to the Office of Admissions for a reexamination of the decision.

Transfer credits from departments which do not exist at SUNY Potsdam may be given liberal arts credit. In such cases, the decision will be made by the Office of Admissions in consultation with related departments.

Transfer Support Services

SUNY Potsdam acknowledges that students transferring from one academic environment to another face special needs and concerns.  Any student having questions related to the transfer of undergraduate credit to SUNY Potsdam is encouraged to contact the Office of Admissions, 120 Raymond Hall, (315) 267-2180, transfer@potsdam.edu.

SUNY Potsdam students looking to take coursework elsewhere should complete an undergraduate transfer credit request form and consult with their academic advisor(s).  The transfer credit request form can be accessed at transfer Credit Approval Form.pdf (potsdam.edu).

SUNY Student Transfer Appeal Processes

The State University of New York has an appeal process pertaining to decisions regarding the transfer of credit from SUNY Community Colleges to baccalaureate programs at a SUNY institution, according to the SUNY guidelines for eligibility.

This process is only for SUNY Community College students who have been accepted or are currently enrolled in baccalaureate programs at a SUNY institution, and who do not agree with the campus decision regarding acceptance or placement of credit earned elsewhere in SUNY.

Coordination of the appeal process will be facilitated by the Office of Admissions (120 Raymond Hall). Students wishing to pursue this process should contact the Office of Admissions at (315) 267-2180 or transfer@potsdam.edu. If a concern is not resolved through informal communication between the appropriate program director or academic department chair, the following processes are available.

Appeal at the SUNY Potsdam Campus Level

Step One: The student submits a written letter outlining the reasons for the appeal to the appropriate program director or chair. For instance, appeals regarding General Education credit are submitted to the Director of General Education and appeals regarding a major degree program are submitted to the chair of the department in which the degree program is located. The Transfer Coordinator can assist a student in identifying the appropriate person to whom a specific appeal should be submitted. Within five business days of the date of receipt of the appeal, the program director or chair will respond to the student in writing regarding the disposition of the appeal.

Step Two: If the student is not satisfied with the decision rendered in Step One, a Step Two appeal may be submitted to the Office of the Provost outlining the reasons for the appeal and responding to issues raised by the program director or chair in Step One. The Provost or a designee will respond in writing to the student in five business days of receipt of the Step Two appeal.

Note: An appeal at the SUNY System level is available, as outlined below. The Admissions Office can supply the appropriate forms for this level of appeal.

Appeal at the SUNY System Level

If the student has not had a response from the campus within ten business days, or is not satisfied with response at the campus level, they can submit an appeal to the SUNY Provost with supporting materials. The SUNY Provost or designee will gain additional information from the receiving institution as needed. The SUNY Provost will respond to the student within five business days from receipt of completed appeal application.

If the SUNY Provost reverses the campus decision on a course, that reversal will apply only to that student, not to the generalized acceptability of the course. All decisions will be officially communicated to the student and the campus provost or provost’s designee. If appropriate, the SUNY Provost may recommend that the University-wide Transfer Review Committee consider this course during deliberations during the next campus appeal cycle.

Most Common Transfer Credit Sources

College/University Transfer Credit

Credits will be accepted for course work completed with a grade of 1.0/D or higher at regionally accredited institutions of postsecondary education. In order to transfer these credits, students must request official college/university transcripts to be mailed (or emailed from a secure transcript service) directly to the Office of Admissions.

Advanced Placement (AP) Examination Credits

A student who has had advanced work in one or more subjects in high school may be granted college credit on the basis of college Board Advanced Placement (AP) Examination scores. The assignment of college credit will be determined by the Office of Admissions in consultation with related departments (see AP chart).

AP credit may be applied toward General Education requirements, major/minor requirements or electives. Students who have earned such credit should have official score reports forwarded to SUNY Potsdam Office of Admissions. Application forms and a bulletin of information about the AP Examinations may be obtained from the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations, P.O. Box 992, Princeton, New Jersey 08540 or online at https://apstudent.collegeboard.org/home

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) Credit

The College-Level Examination Program provides the opportunity for students to earn college credit by examination.

CLEP credit may be applied toward General Education requirements, major/minor requirements or electives.

Credit for CLEP subject exams is granted for students earning the minimum score (equivalent to a C/2.0 grade) or higher as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE). The assignment of college credit will be determined by the Office of Admissions. Students must have an official score report sent directly to the SUNY Potsdam Office of Admissions in order to gain transfer credit.

Information regarding CLEP examinations and requests for official score reports can be obtained from the College-Level Examination Program, P.O. Box 6600, Princeton, NJ 08541-6600 or online at https://clep.collegeboard.org. The closest CLEP Test Center to Potsdam is located at Jefferson Community College, 1220 Coffeen Street, Watertown, NY 13601, (315) 786-2288.

International Baccalaureate Program (IB)

With its origins in Europe, the International Baccalaureate Program is a rigorous pre-university course of study leading to examinations, being offered by a number of high schools in the United States. SUNY Potsdam welcomes applications from IB students.

College credit for Standard and Higher level IB subjects will be granted on a course-by-course evaluation for each subject in which a student earns a score of four (satisfactory) to seven (excellent). In order to gain credit, students must have both a final high school transcript and official IB score report/transcript sent directly to the Office of Admissions. In most cases, a one-year IB course will transfer for three to four semester hours of credit and a two-year IB course will transfer for six to eight semester hours of credit in the course discipline. IB credit may be applied toward General Education requirements, major/minor requirements or electives.

Information regarding the International Baccalaureate Program can be found at www.ibo.org.

Military Credit

College credit for military education will be granted on a case-by-case basis for students who provide official educational documentation. The Transfer Coordinator grants college credit for military education based on recommendations from the American Council on Education (ACE) as noted on each transcript. Military credit typically transfers as elective credit, in some cases however, it may transfer to satisfy specific Potsdam course work. It also satisfies the College’s physical education requirement.

Students who served in the Air Force should contact www.au.af.mil/au/barnes/ccaf/transcripts.asp and have an official transcript sent to the Office of Admissions. Students who served in the Army, National Guard, Coast Guard, Marine Corps or Navy should contact https://jst.doded.mil/official.html and have an official Joint Services Transcript (JST) sent electronically to the Office of Admissions.

Credit by Examination in The Crane School of Music

See The Crane School of Music Student Handbook available at https://www.potsdam.edu/sites/default/files/CSH.pdf.