EGAA REGULATION
AWARDING OF ALTERNATIVE CREDIT
SECTION ONE: PURPOSE AND ALIGNMENT OF POLICY
1.01 Purpose
The purpose of this regulation is to establish a procedure for evaluating, awarding, and accepting credit not originating from Angelina College.
1.02 Alignment
Angelina College (AC) evaluates, awards, and accepts credit not originating from the institution. The procedures outlined in this regulation ensure the academic quality of any credit or coursework recorded on an Angelina College transcript, an approval process with oversight by persons qualified to make the necessary judgments, and that the credit awarded is comparable to a designated credit experience and is consistent with AC’s mission.
SECTION TWO: DEFINITIONS AND GUIDELINES
2.01 Definition
External credit is any credit awarded from an external institution to include public and private intuitions in the state of Texas, outside the state of Texas, and international institutions.
2.02 Conversion of Credit Hours
Academic transfer and non-transfer coursework that is submitted using the quarter-hour system is converted to semester credit hours using the definition provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in their Glossary of Terms. The definition states, “The conversion of quarter hours to semester credit hours is 3 quarter hours equal to 2 semester credit hours.”
2.03 Previous Coursework
Students entering Angelina College as transfer students are required to provide official transcripts from each institution previously attended. Angelina College utilizes the U.S. Department of Education website to verify national and regional accreditation of colleges and universities: http://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.
2.04 Determination of Equivalent Credits
Angelina College will not award more credits for a course than those granted by the transfer institution. As described in Section 3, credits from multiple transfer courses may be combined to award credit for Angelina College courses, and credit from upper-division courses may be used to fulfill lower-division course requirements. All course equivalencies are awarded at the discretion of the lead academic administrator.
SECTION THREE: AWARDING OF EXTERNAL CREDIT
3.01 Academic (Transfer) Courses
For coursework taken at another Texas public institution of higher education, once accreditation is verified, academic transfer course equivalency is also verified through the Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS). Courses that are equivalent based on the TCCNS are coded with the appropriate equivalent course number. All verified freshman and sophomore-level coursework for which the student obtained a “D” or better is added to the student’s Angelina College transcript.
3.02 Administrative Review of Courses
In the event there is not an equivalent course listed in TCCNS, the lead school academic administrator reviews the course as a possible substitution for a course in the degree plan based on a comparison of learning outcomes in the two course descriptions. When course equivalencies are in question, the lead academic administrator will confer with a faculty subject matter expert for guidance. This process ensures the academic quality of the coursework recorded on the student’s transcript.
3.03 Non-transfer Courses
Course descriptions of academic non-transfer courses are evaluated by the lead academic administrator of the corresponding school for course relevance as determined by comparing current course learning outcomes to the outcomes of the course taken by the student. Current course outcomes are established in the Workforce Education Course Manual (WECM) published by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board. Courses that are equivalent are coded with the appropriate equivalent course number. All verified freshman and sophomore-level coursework for which the student obtained a “D” or better is added to the student’s Angelina College transcript. When course equivalencies are in question, the College will follow the process outlined in 3.02.
3.04 Conversion of Credit Hours
Coursework that is submitted using the quarter-hour system is converted to semester credit hours using the definition provided by the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) in their Glossary of Terms. The definition states, “The conversion of quarter hours to semester credit hours is 3 quarter hours equal to two 2 semester credit hours.”
3.05 External Credit from an Out-of-State or Private Institution
Once the accreditation of out-of-state or private institutions is verified, course descriptions are retrieved from the institution’s website or registrar’s office. Following the same procedures for comparing course outcomes described in 3.02, any courses that are determined to be equivalent are added to Angelina College’s database for that institution, and all future course evaluations from that institution will receive the equivalent course designation. All verified freshman and sophomore-level coursework for which the student obtained a “D” or better is added to the student’s Angelina College transcript. When course equivalencies are in question, the College will follow the process outlined in 3.02
3.06 External Credit from an International Institution
Students who have completed college coursework from an institution outside the U.S. are required to have the transcript translated and evaluated by an evaluation company that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credit Evaluators (AICE). The evaluation must verify U.S. undergraduate coursework equivalency, including semester credit hours and GPA conversion. All verified freshman and sophomore-level coursework for which the student obtained a “D” or better is added to the student’s Angelina College transcript. When course equivalencies are in question, the College will follow the process outlined in 3.02
SECTION FOUR: AWARDING OF ALTERNATIVE CREDIT
4.01 Alternative Credit
Alternative credit is defined as military, credit by experience, credit by exam, College Level Examination Programs (CLEP), College Board Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate Diploma (IBD), and Course Bypass - Spanish. Refer to the alternative credit guidelines in the catalog for application instructions, fees, credit equivalencies, and limitations. For documentation requirements, see EGAA, Exhibit A.
The Vice President of Academic Affairs is responsible for reviewing and updating this regulation. Policy reviews are made in accordance with the Office of Institutional Effectiveness Policy Tracking document.
Document History
Adopted: 6/2024