Transfer Credit Policy

Purpose

To provide a framework for the evaluation and granting of transfer credits.

Scope

This policy applies to all full- and part-time Seneca students who wish to obtain transfer credits towards their Seneca credential for previously obtained, equivalent postsecondary education.

Key definitions

Non-eligible grade

A grade below the minimum grade requirement, an in-progress grade or an incomplete grade.

Transfer credit

In accordance with the Ontario Council on Articulation and Transfer, “credit granted by one program or institution for courses taken in another program or at another institution. May apply to program-specific courses deemed equivalent in content or may be used to fulfil Liberal Studies options or General Education course requirements.” A transfer credit appears as “TC” on a student’s official transcript and is not included as part of Grade Point Average (GPA) calculation.

Policy

1. Eligibility requirements to apply for transfer credit

  1. Grades
    • A minimum grade requirement of C (60%) for most certificate, diploma and graduate certificate programs, and C+ (65%) for degree programs, is required. However, a higher minimum grade may be required by certain program areas.
    • Courses on transcripts with non-eligible grades will not be considered for transfer credit.
  2. Criteria for course equivalency
    • Courses in which a student has met the minimum grade requirements will be eligible for transfer credit at the discretion of the academic area. Evaluation will be based on criteria such as content, practical components, lab components, learning outcomes, credit values and/or number of contact hours.
  3. Private career colleges
    Courses from a Ministry-approved program in good standing, offered by a registered private career college, are eligible to be submitted for transfer credit evaluation. Evaluations are made on an individual basis by each program of study.
  4. Dual credit courses
    Postsecondary dual credit courses successfully completed at a recognized postsecondary institution will normally be eligible for transfer credit.
  5. Collège d’enseignement général et professionnel (CEGEP) courses
    Studies successfully completed at a CEGEP in second or subsequent years are eligible for transfer credit consideration.
  6. International baccalaureate/advanced placement courses
    Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) courses may be eligible for transfer credit. AP and IB courses will be considered on an individual basis. AP courses – A minimum grade of 4 in the AP exam is required to qualify for review. IB courses – A minimum grade of 5 in the Higher Level exam is required to qualify for review. No credit is awarded for Standard Level exams.
  7. Life of a credit
    Seneca reserves the right to limit the time for which a course is considered current and eligible for transfer credit. Such eligibility is determined by each faculty. For more detail, refer to the Guidelines for Use in Making Life of a Credit Decisions.
  8. Transfer credit while on academic suspension
    • Generally, courses completed by a student outside of Seneca during a period of academic suspension will not be eligible for transfer credit.
    • Transfer credit requests received during a period of academic suspension will not be considered.

2. Transfer credit decision appeal

  1. Students may request re-evaluation of transfer credit decisions within 30 days of the original decision date as  posted to Student Home. For more information, refer to the Transfer Credit Appeal form.

3. Transfer credit pre-approval

  1. Students must seek program area approval through the Transfer Credit Pre-Approval form, prior to enrolment at the visiting institution.
  2. Pre-Approval applications for general education or liberal studies breadth courses require approval from the School of English and Liberal Studies.
  3. Courses taken through a pre-approval request will count towards cumulative course attempts.
  4. Courses taken through a pre-approval request will not count in the term, the program or the cumulative GPA (grade point average).
  5. Transcripts for courses completed in a student’s final graduating year must be received no later than one month after the end of any term (fall term-January 31, winter term-May 31, and summer term-September 30) to ensure timely graduation.
  6. Upon successful completion of the pre-approved course from the visiting institution and upon receipt of a transcript form from the visiting institution, transfer credit will be updated to the student record.

4. Communications and general education courses

  1. For students entering a diploma or advanced diploma program:
    • graduates with a completed three- or four-year undergraduate degree from a recognized Canadian postsecondary institution are eligible to receive transfer credits for COM101 and all other required general education courses.
    • graduates with a completed three- or four-year degree from a recognized international institution where the language of instruction is English are eligible to receive transfer credit for COM101. 
    • graduates with a completed master’s degree from a recognized institution where the language of instruction is English are eligible to receive a transfer credit for COM101.
  2. In order to receive transfer credits, students can apply through the Registrar’s Office.

5. Non-eligible transfer credit

  1. Transfer credits will not be granted:
    • based on a previous exemption or transfer credit from another institution. The original course and transcript must be submitted for review unless otherwise stated in a collaborative agreement between Seneca and another a recognized postsecondary institution
    • for courses that have been used for prior transfer credit at Seneca within the same program, e.g. using same external course
    • for high school courses unless the course is an approved dual credit, AP or IP course as stated in Section 1 of this policy
    • where the previous institution does not meet postsecondary education recognition standards.

6. Requirements for transfer credit pre-approval

  1. Full time students must take their general education or liberal studies breadth course requirements at their home institution unless a unique circumstance can be identified by the student on the Transfer Credit Pre-Approval form.
  2. In order to qualify for transfer credit for pre-approval or Letter of Permission the following will apply:
    • students must be in good academic standing (a GPA of 2.0 for diploma and certificate programs; 2.5 for degree programs).
    • courses must be those that are not be available for enrolment at Seneca College.
    • the residency requirement where at least 25% of all program requirements must be successfully completed at Seneca must be met.
    • the visiting institution must be an accredited postsecondary Ontario College or University.
    • students in an accelerated program are not eligible for pre-approval requests.
    • students in first semester are not eligible for pre-approval requests.
    • the student account must be in good standing (no fees owed to Seneca College).
    • the student has not already received credit for the course being requested for pre-approval consent.
    • the course being requested must be a graded course (a letter or number grade).

Supporting documentation

Related Seneca policies

Related materials

Appendix B: Guidelines for use in making life of a credit decisions

Life of a credit refers to the length of time a course is considered current. Assessment of the life (currency) of a credit may be required in a number of different situations:

  • students who interrupt their studies for an extended period, or who take significantly longer than the normally prescribed program duration to complete their studies, may be required to take additional courses and/or repeat courses that have gone through significant change
  • students with previously earned academic credits from other postsecondary educational institutions may be able to apply such credits toward completion of a Seneca program, depending upon whether or not the credit is deemed current
  • the currency of a credit may need to be assessed when a student who has completed requirements for a particular program, wants to apply any of the credits to a different credential at Seneca.

When evaluating the currency of a course the following should be considered:

  • the course (learning outcomes and content) relevance in the context of the overall program learning outcomes*
  • course learning outcomes of the course submitted for consideration (whether from another institution or an aged Seneca course) compared to the course learning outcomes of the current Seneca course
  • changes to technology (e.g., hardware, software, etc.) since the credit was earned
  • changes to regulatory and/or professional standards since the credit was earned.

*Note: Generally, a decision will be based on the guidelines outlined above; however, a credit shown on the student’s transcript may be considered as current in one program, but not in another, depending on the requirements of each program.

When a credit is deemed to no longer be current, a student may choose to access the Prior Learning Assessment Recognition (PLAR) process as outlined in Seneca's Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition policy.


Approval Date: May 2018