Transfer of Credit Policy

Recognized academic credentials and academic credit-hours earned outside of IWU may be used to fulfill the entrance requirements and/or course requirements for IWU academic programs and may provide advanced standing entry into IWU academic programs within the following boundaries.  

The University Registrar is responsible for approving the transferability of all credit-hours.  Credit-hours accepted in transfer are recorded as part of the student's official academic record, but quality points and grades are omitted.  Grades from transfer courses are not included in IWU GPA calculations except in determining honors for baccalaureate degrees.  IWU is not permitted to release received transcripts, test scores, or other academic documents to the student or any other party.  All credit-hours are accepted as semester credit-hours; quarter credit-hours are converted to semester credit-hours using a two-thirds conversion ratio. 

Credit is granted for undergraduate course work with a satisfactory grade (“C” or above) in a 100-level or higher course, or for graduate course work with a satisfactory grade (“B” or above) in a 500-level course or higher, taken at a college or university that is accredited by an accrediting agency recognized by both the U.S. Department of Education (ED) and the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA).  Currently this includes the following accrediting agencies:

• Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN)
• Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)
• Association of Advanced Rabbinical and Talmudic Schools (AARTS)
• Association of Theological Schools Commission on Accrediting (ATS)
• Distance Education Accreditation Commission (DEAC)
• Higher Learning Commission (HLC)
• Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)
• New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)
• Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACS-COC)
• Transnational Association of Christian Colleges and Schools (TRACS)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges – Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges (WASC–ACCJC)
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges – Senior College and University Commission (WASC–SCUC)

IWU also receives credit from schools accredited by agencies recognized by the International Council for Evangelical Theological Education:

•  Africa: Association for Christian Theological Education in Africa (ACTEA)
•  Asia: Asia Theological Association (ATA)
• Caribbean: Caribbean Evangelical Theological Association (CETA)
•  Europe: European Council for Theological Education (ECTE)
•  Euro-Asia: Euro-Asian Accrediting Association (E-AAA)
•  Latin America: Association for Evangelical Theological Education in Latin America (AETAL)
•  Middle East and North Africa: Middle East-North Africa Association for Theological Education (MENATE)
• North America: Association for Biblical Higher Education (ABHE)

No more than 75% of the requirements for an IWU undergraduate degree or certificate and no more than 50% of the coursework in the major may be satisfied by transfer.  Any culminating project (capstone, research, thesis, etc.), clinical, or practicum requirement associated with a degree or certificate program must be taken at Indiana Wesleyan University.  No more than 35% of a graduate degree or certificate program may be satisfied by transfer credit.  Graduate credit-hours graded credit/no credit or pass/fail at another institution may not be transferred in unless approved by the academic unit.  Transfer credit-hours applied to the major curriculum of the academic program must be academically current as determined by the academic unit and may be restricted by the academic unit based on curricular considerations or the requirements of programmatic accreditation.  Individual academic units may specify exceptions as appropriate for their respective disciplines or accrediting bodies.

Transcripts from international institutions may need to be sent to an external agency for evaluation and determination of transferable credit-hours, degrees, and GPA.  If this external review is necessary, students are responsible for the initiation of this evaluation and for any fees incurred during the process.  

Indiana Wesleyan University accepts credit through official transcripts from the American Council on Education (ACE) and the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS).  ACE and NCCRS evaluate and provide credit recommendations for educational offerings for a significant number of corporate universities and other learning providers.

Credit through examination (CLEP, DSST, AP, institutional examinations) or assessed learning is not accepted in transfer from another institution.  Credit through examination is awarded by Indiana Wesleyan University with official test scores from an official testing center.  Credit from nontraditional learning by life experience is awarded through the IWU's assessed learning process.

Courses from non-accredited colleges and universities and from schools/colleges/universities not accredited at the same level, such as proprietary business schools, vocational/technical schools, or other single purpose institutions may be presented through the prior learning assessment process. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) includes an evaluation of a student’s prior learning experiences.  IWU relies on industry best practices established by organizations like the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) which has served as a leader in the development and implementation of assessment for experiential learning and corporate training since 1974. Students are required to submit through the student portal appropriate documentation which clearly demonstrates academically relevant learning.  The number of credit-hours awarded through various examinations (CLEP, DSST, AP, AICE, etc.) plus prior learning assessment shall be limited to a total of 40 semester credit-hours for baccalaureate degrees and 18 semester credit-hours for associate degrees.  Prior learning assessment is not available for graduate credit, with the exception that graduate programs may specify specific learning experiences for which credit may be granted for specific courses through petition.  The Indiana Wesleyan University Honesty, Cheating, Plagiarism, and Forgery Policy applies to all Prior Learning Assessment requests and submissions.

Displaced Students

School closures sometimes displace students near the completion of their studies.  Special provision is made for such displaced students, allowing them to transfer-in a larger percentage of credit-hours toward an IWU degree.  Special provisions may be articulated in a teach-out agreement between IWU and the closing school.  Unless otherwise specified in a teach-out agreement, all normal rules governing transfer credit apply with the following exceptions.
For displaced degree-seeking undergraduate students, 85% of an IWU degree may be satisfied through transfer credit-hours.
For displaced graduate students, 75% of program requirements may be satisfied through transfer credit-hours. 

•  For programs of 18 credit-hours - students must take 4 credit-hours from IWU
•  For programs of 24 credit-hours - students must take 6 credit-hours from IWU
•  For programs of 30 credit-hours - students must take 7 credit-hours from IWU
•  For programs of 33 credit-hours - students must take 8 credit-hours from IWU
•  For programs of 36 credit-hours - students must take 9 credit-hours from IWU
•  For programs of 42 credit-hours - students must take 10 credit-hours from IWU

Displaced doctoral students must complete 15 credit-hours plus any comprehensive final exams or culminating projects (dissertation, etc.) at IWU.