Biola University 2015–16 Catalog
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 10th 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. Biola University’s Transfer Policy is available online at: studenthub. biola.edu/undergraduate-transfer-policy. 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. Credit/ No-Credit and Pass/Fail courses should not be taken. 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 for graduation purposes only on work completed at Biola University. Courses taken as a Pass/Fail or Credit/No-Credit grade would need to be equal to at least a “C” or better in order to transfer. Courses taken as a Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit grade that do not meet a “C” or better will not be transferred. 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. 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. English Composition credit may not be earned via distance education. Communication credit may not be earned through distance education unless first approved by the Communication Studies Department. 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. Students may petition the Office of the Registrar for an exception to this rule. 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. General Education Options for Transfer Students Transfer students may fulfill their general education requirements by completing Biola University’s General Education Curriculum or, prior to enrolling at Biola, completing the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC). The IGETC model for either the California State University (CSU) or University of California (UC) 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 certification. 2. The minimum of 130 credits (124 credits for B.B.A.) for graduation will remain the same. 3. In addition to the IGETC, students must take all major-specific General Education, prerequisite, and support courses if not met through IGETC. 4. Transfer students following the IGETC must complete it before they enroll at Biola University. A certified IGETC must normally be in the student’s Biola file before enrolling for classes. Students who do not complete it before they enroll will follow the Biola General Education curriculum. 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. A maximum of 32 credits can be awarded for all forms of advanced credit (AP, CLEP, IB, etc.). See studenthub.biola.edu/transfer-equivalencies for more information. College Level Examination Program Biola University recognizes the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) of the College Entrance Examination Board. Biola University encourages transfer students from non-accredited schools to validate certain credits on the basis of the examinations provided by this program. High school students with superior records are encouraged to take the exams prior to attending Biola University. Credit will be awarded for CLEP exams, provided no college credits have been attempted or earned in the same field. Students should not take English composition through CLEP. English composition through CLEP does not meet the English Composition requirement. Students should take CLEP exams as early as possible in their college program to receive the maximum value from them. After 27 credits of college coursework have been completed (including transfer credits), students are no longer eligible to take CLEP exams; exception: foreign language, calculus and pre-calculus exams. Biola University reserves the right to determine the score at which credits will be released and the amount of credit awarded. Unlike other CLEP exams, having previously attempted or completed a college level foreign language course does not preclude a student from taking the exam. A student may take a CLEP foreign language exam without pre-approval from the Office of the Registrar. To obtain credit, the student must seek a higher level of language than previously completed. To view current CLEP score requirements, visit: studenthub.biola.edu/ transfer-equivalencies. Challenging a Course A student may be able to challenge a course or requirement if the department has a challenge exam available. Check with the specific department to see if a comprehensive challenge exam is available.
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