Credits to be transferred from other institutions are evaluated on the basis of their equivalent(s) at Benedictine University. This determination is made by the Transfer Credit Evaluation team staff and, if needed, the appropriate department chair or program director. Transfer grades are not counted in the cumulative GPA earned at Benedictine University.

Quarter credit hours transferring from other institutions are converted to semester credit hours:

Credit Transfer

Quarter Credit Hours	Semester Credit Hours
5	3.33
4	2.67
3	2
2	1.33
1	0.67

Transfer Credit Policy/Practice

Benedictine University will evaluate coursework presented by students from U.S. institutions that are accredited by one of the regional accrediting organizations. Institutions that have been granted candidacy status by a historically regional accrediting association may be considered for transferable coursework. Benedictine University may also evaluate coursework for transferable credit from institutions and programs accredited by additional recognized U.S. accrediting organizations at the time the coursework was taken. To be recognized means that the accreditors in the database have been reviewed by the Council For Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and by the U.S. Department Of Education (USDE) and meet the quality standards of the respective organizations. Coursework may be considered from international institutions if submitted on an official third-party, course-by-course evaluation report, e.g. Educational Credential Evaluators (ECE), Educational Perspectives (EP), World Education Services (WES), SpanTran. International transfer credit is subject to Benedictine University’s transfer credit evaluation criteria.

1. Students may present transcripts for transfer credit consideration toward general elective, general education core requirements, major course equivalents, or elective coursework within a discipline. Awarding of credit is determined through the process of transfer credit evaluation and/or program/departmental approval. Students may be required to present course descriptions, syllabi, or additional information for departmental review and consideration of credit.
2. Benedictine University undergraduate degrees are based on semester credit hours. Any non-semester transfer courses (quarter, trimester) will be converted to semester hours.
3. Grade point average (GPA) may be used for admission; however, only grades earned in Benedictine University courses will be used in calculating the Benedictine University cumulative GPA.
4. Coursework may be accepted with grades of “D” or higher; however, students will be required to complete specific degree, basic skills, major, or minor coursework after transfer if designated as requiring a grade of “C” or higher.
5. Transfer coursework that is presented with a “pass/fail” type grade may be accepted as transferable credit if the previous institution’s transcript indicates that Pass “P” or Satisfactory “S” grades are defined as a “C” or better at the undergraduate level.
6. Coursework must be submitted on official transcripts from the institution where the coursework was taken. Previously transferred credit, if posted on another institution’s transcript, will not be considered an official record of courses taken.
7. Benedictine University is a participating member of the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) for the Illinois transferable General Education Core Curriculum (GECC) and Baccalaureate Majors.
8. Transfer students who complete their Associate of Arts (A.A.) or Associate of Science (A.S.) degree at a participating IAI school, have previously not attended Benedictine University, and meet admission requirements will have met the Benedictine University General Education degree requirements with the exception of the Interdisciplinary Seminar Courses and the co-curricular requirements (Learning Community/Engaged Learning and courses designated as Sustainable and Global).
9. Students who complete the Illinois GECC prior to transfer without an A.A. or A.S. degree, have previously not attended Benedictine University, and meet admission requirements will also have met the Benedictine University General Education degree requirements with the exception of the Interdisciplinary Seminar Courses and the co-curricular requirements (Learning Community/Engaged Learning and courses designated as Sustainable and Global).
10. For all transfer students from Illinois institutions who transfer 20+ credit hours, their degree requirements are structured to align with the IAI requirements for General Education where IAI coursework will satisfy specific Benedictine general education requirements. For specific requirement details refer to the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) section of this catalog.
11. For all Transfer students from participating AZ Transfer Arizona institutions who have not previously attended Benedictine University and meet admissions requirements who complete their A.A. or A.S. degree with the Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC-A, AGEC-B, AGEC-S) or transfer students who transfer 20+ credit hours and all accelerated program students can refer to the General Education for Transfer and Adult Students sections of the Mesa catalog to review the specific Benedictine general education requirements aligned with the AGEC curriculum that have been satisfied.
12. All 3 + 1 partnership program students will be evaluated on the same General Education standards as traditional students. These programs are usually designed with predetermined transfer pathways that will ensure all or most Benedictine general education requirements are satisfied with transfer coursework before starting the degree program with the exception of the Interdisciplinary Seminar Courses and the co-curricular requirements (Engaged Learning and courses designated as Sustainable and Global).
13. Benedictine University will accept course credit earned at 2-year regionally accredited institutions from transfer-based programs and required coursework.
14. Certificate, professional training, or community education may not be accepted in transfer from any institution (2- or 4- year).
15. Technical courses from 2- and 4- year programs may be reviewed for credit consideration and are evaluated on a course-to-course basis.  
16. Pre-college level or developmental courses will not be accepted for credit upon transfer; however, these courses may be used for admission requirements and/or placement upon enrollment.
17. All coursework completed at 2-year regionally accredited institutions will be considered for acceptance at lower-level credit (1000 or 2000). Coursework from regionally accredited 4-year institutions will be considered for upper-level transfer consideration with department approval.
18. Coursework that is part of degree completion/transfer agreements will be transferred in accordance with articulations in the Transfer Evaluation System (TES) and is subject to review and approval by the course subject department. The agreement between the two institutions may outline these articulations and how they are being applied to the program degree requirements in accordance with this catalog.
19. Coursework, in some disciplines, may be reviewed for course content based on major/minor requirements, licensure standards, or additional accreditation standards to ensure the transfer course has current content and requirements. Coursework that is not considered current will not be transferrable and students will be required to take the Benedictine University required course for degree completion.
20. Coursework that has been repeated at previous institutions is not accepted for credit across all programs.  
21. Internships or independent study courses may be reviewed by departments for transfer credit acceptance. These types of courses may have more stringent credit hour limits, grade requirements, or credit level restrictions. Students may be asked to submit additional documentation for department review including learning outcomes, syllabi, or course outlines.
22. Military credit that is provided from a regionally accredited institution will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis. Students who present Joint Services Transcripts (JST) for evaluation transcripts will be evaluated based on the American Council on Education (ACE) recommendations. Coursework may also be reviewed for direct course consideration by academic departments and students in nursing programs may have non-U.S. nursing credentials evaluated by the Commission on Graduates of Foreign Nursing Schools (CGFNS).
23. Graduate level courses may be considered for transfer credit upon review by department. Graduate level transfer courses have the following restrictions:
    1. Must have received a “B” or higher on transcript.
    2. No courses with a grade of Pass (P), Satisfactory (S) or other pass/fail award will be accepted.
    3. Correspondence coursework, work experience, or proficiency will not be accepted as graduate level credit.
    4. A student may earn no more than 9 semester credit hours of coursework at the 5000 level toward their undergraduate degree. Graduate credits earned in graduate programs by reverse transfer under special agreements, such as a 3+3 program leading to a professional degree, are not subject to this limitation.

Acceptance of transfer credit to be applied to the major area or minor area is determined by the appropriate academic department chair or program director.

The Office of the Registrar Transfer Evaluators will remove earned duplicate credit as appropriate from a course completed at Benedictine or a transferred (or other external credit) course for courses deemed as equivalents.  

For information about transfer credit evaluation and selecting courses that are transferable to Benedictine University, check the Transfer Credit Evaluation web site. Students can consult with Transfer Credit Evaluators for questions about course articulation and the evaluation process or online tools available through the Advising Center while attending a community college to ensure courses will have a Benedictine course equivalent or be accepted as an elective.