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Biola University
Transfer of Credits for Online Degree Programs Students considering Biola's online degree programs typically have different educational backgrounds than students entering our traditional undergraduate programs. Their prior education often includes coursework other than undergraduate courses from a two or four-year institution. To accommodate this expanding student population: • Biola will grant up to 30 semester credits as general electives for coursework on ACE transcripts, including military credit. • Credit will be granted for ’L’ & ’U’ level courses only. • “Credit overlay” for corporate training, Straighterline, etc. is acceptable as elective coursework. • CAEL PLA (portfolio) may be used to meet Core Curriculum (GE) requirements. Distance Education Biola University will accept credit for equivalent courses from schools accredited by regional or national agencies recognized by CHEA (Council for Higher Education Administration), including online or correspondence courses. Bible Residency Requirement Biola has a residency requirement for biblical studies. Of the 30 credits of Bible required of all students, 15 credits must be taken at Biola. Transfer credit, credit for prior learning, or credit by examination may not be used to fulfill the minimum residency requirement. Majors other than Biblical and Theological Studies or Christian Education may count a maximum of 30 Bible credits toward graduation. Core Curriculum (GE) Options for Transfer Students Transfer students may fulfill their Core Curriculum (GE) requirements by completing Biola University's Core Curriculum (GE), completing the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC), or completing CSU Breadth. The IGETC/CSU Breadth model for either the University of California (UC) or the California State University (CSU) systems is accepted by Biola University with the following provisions: 1. The current foreign language requirement for all Bachelor degrees cannot be completed by the IGETC/CSU Breadth certification. 2. The current ENGL 313 (Writing in the Disciplines) requirement cannot be fulfilled by the CSU Breadth certification. 3. The minimum of 120 credits for graduation will remain the same. 4. In addition to IGETC/CSU Breadth certification, students must take all major-specific Core Curriculum (GE), prerequisite, and support courses if not met through IGETC. 5. Official documentation certifying IGETC/CSU Breadth completion must be received by the Office of the Registrar by the graduation petition deadline (April 15 for Spring, November 15 for Fall) prior to receiving Commencement and/or Graduation clearance. Advanced Placement Program Biola University, as a member of the College Entrance Examination Board, recognizes the merits of the Advanced Placement Program and will grant credit for Advanced Placement exams taken in high school. Credit will be given when the Advanced Placement examination grade is 3 or better.
Transfer students will not be required to take the SAT Reasoning Test or the ACT or submit high school transcripts if 15 or more semester credits of college level coursework is completed prior to enrollment. Transfer students coming from institutions which are not accredited or recognized may be given the opportunity to validate credits through the College Level Examination Program or through consultation. Information on this procedure is available from the Registrar's Office. Provisional credit for liberal arts courses from non-accredited institutions will be granted in accordance with the policies of state colleges or universities of the state in which the institution is located. Provisional credit is considered validated only when the student performs at the ’C’ level or better following enrollment in Biola University. College-level credit earned during the 9th through 12th grades will be given credit. A combined maximum of 32 credits will be awarded for all forms of advanced credit options including AP, CLEP and IB. See Biola University's Transfer Policy (http://studenthub.biola.edu/ undergraduate-transfer-policy/) for additional information. Transfer of Credits A student may transfer a maximum of 70 credits from community colleges. Upper-division credit cannot be allowed for courses taken at a community college. Final authority for the acceptance of transfer credits into Biola University rests with the Office of the Registrar. Current students taking courses at local community colleges while enrolled at Biola should request written prior approval of courses in order to assure that transfer credit will meet the needs of their curriculum. No course below a ’C’ (2.0) grade will be transferred from another institution; a ’C-’ will not be transferred. Vocational or technical courses will not be accepted for University credit. Admission counselors are prepared to give academic advisement to those attending, or planning to attend, community colleges with the intention of transferring into Biola University. Transcripts must be official transcripts from an accredited institution sent directly from the institution to Biola in order to be recognized and officially evaluated for credit transfer. Any transcript that is hand carried or mailed from the student will be considered unofficial and the student will need to re-order a new transcript. All students are required to take a minimum of 24 credits of upper- division in their major, 15 of which must be taken at Biola University. Biola has a residency requirement for Biblical Studies; of the 30 credits of Bible required for all students, 15 credits must be taken at Biola. Grades do not transfer — only credit amounts. A student's grade point average is computed only on work completed at Biola University. Courses taken as a Pass/Fail or Credit/No-Credit grade are not recommended, as they would not meet the grade requirement for transfer of “C” or better. Non-music majors are limited to a maximum of 8 credits of Applied Music (including ensembles), and non-physical education majors are limited to 8 credits of physical education or skill courses. A course taken at a community college or a lower-division class from a four-year school will not be given upper-division credit toward graduation requirements, even if the course content is approved by a Substitution Request.
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