Credit Options

Classroom Study

The most common way to earn credit in the College of Arts and Sciences is by registering in the semester programs of the University, attending classes under the instruction of a university professor, submitting the required work, and passing the required examinations.

Online

Online courses are provided to undergraduate students as a supplement to the on-site, face-to-face, classroom experience. IWU-Marion offers online course options for undergraduate students during all class terms. During the Fall and Spring semesters, full-time students are allowed to enroll in a maximum of one (1) IWU-Marion online course. Additional stipulations may apply e.g. Military/Veterans benefits, On-campus housing, international students, enrollment limitations, etc. Students should speak with their academic advisor and check the course catalog in Student Planning for a course schedule. 

Transfer

Students who have attended other regionally accredited colleges or universities may transfer credit toward their education at IWU. Transcripts of all other university work must be submitted directly to the Indiana Wesleyan University Registration and Academic Services office from the office of the registrar at the college or University previously attended. Transcripts delivered by hand or received from another party are not official and cannot be used for purposes of transfer work.

Credit taken by correspondence from a regionally accredited institution may be applied toward a degree at Indiana Wesleyan University, for a maximum of 12 semester hours accepted.

Credits from unaccredited schools, colleges and universities and from schools/colleges/universities not accredited by recognized accredited agencies–such as proprietary business schools, vocational/technical schools, or other single purpose institutions may be assessed individually for possible credit. The number of credits transferable from such institutions will be limited to two years (62 semester hours).

Credits earned from international institutions will need to be evaluated by having official transcripts sent to Registration & Academic Services in English. External evaluators are the Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE) and the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) may be required before Registration & Academic Services can evaluate the transcript. For more information about this organization, please visit their website (https://www.ece.org/) or (http://www.naces.org).

CLEP/DSST Examinations

Credit through examination (CLEP/DANTES/Advanced Placement) may only be awarded with official test scores from an official testing center and an Indiana Wesleyan University individual assessment. The maximum number of credits awarded for all credit through various examinations (CLEP, DANTES, AP, AICE, etc.) and prior learning shall be limited to a total of 40 semester hours for the baccalaureate degrees and 18 semester hours for the associate degrees, and ordinarily will not be applied to upper-division requirements in the major (junior and senior levels). It is the responsibility of the student to obtain approval from the appropriate division for the application of credits to the majors.

Examinations can be scheduled through The Center for Student Success (CSS) after approval from the Registration & Academic Services office. A $25 per credit hour transcription fee will be assessed, in addition to the CSS testing fee. Select CLEP examinations are recognized by the University for credit; however, the College of Arts and Sciences may not accept all CLEP tests, including the College Composition Modular CLEP test.

Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, AICE Cambridge

Select Advanced Placement (AP) courses are evaluated as equivalent to university freshman-level courses and appropriate credit will be given for scores of 3 or above. See the Registration & Academic Services (RAS) portal page for details on placement scores.

AP credit for these courses will not meet intercultural competency.

Credit may be awarded for successful completion of some courses through the International Baccalaureate (IB) programs or AICE Cambridge courses. The maximum number of credits awarded for all credit through various examinations (CLEP, DANTES, AP, AICE, etc.) and prior learning shall be limited to a total of 40 semester hours for the baccalaureate degrees and 18 semester hours for the associate degrees, and ordinarily will not be applied to upper-division requirements in the major (junior and senior levels). Scores of 5 or higher are required for such credit to be accepted for IB and a passing score for AICE Cambridge based on a course by course evaluation. Credit may only be awarded with official scores and an IWU individual assessment.

Assessment – Prior Learning/Portfolio

Credit from non-traditional learning by life experience may only be awarded with an Indiana Wesleyan University individual prior learning assessment. Credit will be determined through the assessment and approval process. Students with life experience education may have developed a body of information equivalent to university-level learning. This may be work experience, hours earned at non-accredited institutions, or other non-transcripted learning. After a student has been admitted into a major and has accumulated at least 12 classroom credits, assessment of such learning may be attempted. The maximum number of credits awarded for all credit through various examinations (CLEP, DANTES, AP, AICE, etc.) and prior learning shall be limited to a total of 40 semester hours for the baccalaureate degrees and 18 semester hours for the associate degrees, and ordinarily will not be applied to upper-division requirements in the major (junior and senior levels). Guidelines and fees information is available in the Registration and Academic Services office.

Independent Learning Contract

The academic independent learning contract will be reserved for those special studies that a student desires to pursue that are not available through any of the courses in our catalog. Independent learning contracts are a privilege extended to degree-seeking junior and senior students. The student contracts with a faculty member, who then helps construct the syllabus and who meets with the student at least once a week to make sure they are staying on track. The student pays an extra fee ($100/credit).

Undergraduate students who have earned a 3.0 cumulative GPA, have met the university writing competency requirement, have completed all course prerequisites, and have earned a minimum of 60 credit hours may apply for independent learning. Undergraduate students on academic probation may not participate in independent learning. Students who wish to take an independent learning course should work closely with the professor of the course and Registration and Academic Services to complete the specific paperwork and comply with the following:

• No more than six credit hours may be earned by independent learning during the student's academic career at IWU.
• No more than one independent learning course may be taken per semester.
• Courses with a 180 number may not be taken by independent learning.
• Students may not take an incomplete grade in an independent learning course.
• Independent learning may not be used to repeat a failing course.

All coursework is expected to be completed by the end of the semester in which the course is attempted. If medical or other extenuating circumstances arise that prevent a student from completing all coursework in that semester, a professor may, at his or her discretion, award a grade of "I" (incomplete). See full incomplete policy for additional information on the RAS portal page.

Additionally, students may pursue completion of studies through the additional types of courses as follows:

• Alternative course offering are courses that are in the catalog, but that are not on the schedule because the course did not fill or was not planned for this semester. It might also be needed for a student who has two required courses that are both offered only at the same time. The student would need to present compelling justification for why they could not just wait and take the course at a later time. There would be no extra fee to the student. 
• Special topics course is often a new course that a department is running as a trial to determine demand. A course number of 396 in a specific subject code, titled Special Topics in that subject, is available for students to pursue with appropriate approvals.
• Faculty/student research course. Every subject has a course number of 495 and a course title of Research in "specific subject". These are faculty/student cooperative research projects in which the faculty and student are working together.

Audit

A student who has been accepted into an Indiana Wesleyan University degree program or as an unclassified student may choose to audit specified courses as follows:

• Audit registration is allowed on a space available basis. Undergraduate students may not register under this category until after the first day of class and must have the approval of the class instructor.
• The current audit fee per credit hour must accompany the registration.
• Auditing a course gives one the right to attend the course. No credit or letter grade is given. The course will be indicated as an "AU" on the student's IWU transcript.
• The student auditing the course is not expected to participate in classroom or study group assignments or to complete homework, quizzes, or tests.
• The faculty for the course is under no obligation to grade any work an auditing student chooses to submit or to give feedback on progress.
• The materials required for the course are optional for auditing students.
• The student must meet course prerequisites or be approved by the appropriate administrator of the specific college/school.
• No change may be made from audit to credit, or credit to audit after registration closes.
• Forms for admission to audit classes are available in the Admissions Office.