The following information and guidelines are intended to provide the student with the ability to navigate their transfer process and access transfer resources. These resources would apply for transferring credit both into and out of Century College. Definitions and resources contained in this section of the catalog will help to inform a student in the process of transfer. For more information, please visit the Transfer Information website.
Responsibilities
Students are responsible for collecting the necessary information that enables satisfactory transfer. This responsibility includes:
- Understanding the Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC), credits and credit hours.
- Providing necessary supporting course information for transfer review, such as:
- Official transcripts
- Syllabi
- Course outlines with learning outcomes
- Course descriptions
- Becoming familiar with the requirements of the student’s intended degree both at Century and at student’s intended transfer institution.
Schools are responsible for providing the necessary information and resources to allow a student to plan transfer. This includes a clear outline of their MnTC requirements and information on the intended use of various degrees, certificates and diplomas. Students may consult with transfer specialists, available through the Transfer Student Services Office and/or the Advising, Counseling, and Career Center, for assistance with transfer resources and planning.
Definitions
Transfer specialists are individuals in a college or university who assist students with transfer issues and have a deep understanding about transfer. The transfer specialist may be a registrar, admissions officer, counselor or advisor. Students planning to transfer should contact the transfer specialist at their current school and at the school to which they plan to transfer. Contact information for transfer specialists can be found through Mntransfer.org under “Transfer Resources”.
Minnesota State is the name for the colleges and universities system in the state of Minnesota, not including the University of Minnesota. Minnesota State includes Minnesota’s state supported universities, community colleges, and technical colleges.
U of M is the University of Minnesota. Their five campuses are separate from Minnesota State and are located in the Twin Cities, Crookston, Duluth, Morris, and Rochester.
Private colleges and universities are the another category of schools within Minnesota. Private colleges are not state funded.
Minnesota Transfer Curriculum (MnTC) is a collaborative effort among all two-year and four-year public colleges and universities in Minnesota to help students transfer their coursework in general education. Forty semester credits are required in ten goal areas that reflect competencies adopted by the public higher education institutions in Minnesota.
Transfer articulation agreements are written documents that outline transfer arrangements between schools. Agreements may be within or between systems or between individual schools.
Technical credits are earned through courses taken in technical programs. These courses are not part of the MnTC. Technical credits will likely transfer as free electives unless there is a transfer agreement or a course equivalence table outlining the transfer of technical credits between institutions. Students may request that these credits be reviewed by the receiving institution for applicability to their major. Receiving institutions may limit the number of technical credits accepted for transfer.
Official transcripts are transcripts sent by the Records Office/Registrar of previously attended schools directly to the institution to which a student plans to transfer. Most schools require official transcripts be received from all previously attended schools prior to a decision being made on the application for admission.
Sending institution is the school that is sending transcripts to another school - transfer out.
Receiving institution is the school that is receiving transcripts from another school(s) - transfer in.
Accreditation is a system for recognizing education institutions and professional programs affiliated with those institutions for a level of performance, integrity, and quality that entitles them to the confidence of the education community and the public they serve. Accreditation is the process by which students are assured of the school’s and/or program’s quality.
Regional Accreditation is the institutional review held by schools in the Minnesota State system, U of M system, and by most private colleges and universities in Minnesota. This level of accreditation allows for the relative ease of transfer of general education and other equivalent and comparable coursework. Level of accreditation can impact the transfer of credits and students should check with their transfer specialist if they have questions on accreditation.
Additional Sources of Credit
The following are additional ways that a student may have accumulated college or university level credits. Consult your school’s transfer specialist and transfer website for how to utilize additional sources of credit.
Credit for Prior Learning is an attempt to translate an individual’s life and work experiences into college level credit. All schools do not recognize experiential education credits or limit the number that may be used towards a degree. This might also be known as experiential education.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a nationally standardized exam generally taken before entering a college or university. Credit may be used in general education, subject matter areas, and as elective credit. Official scores are required to receive credit.
Advanced Placement (AP) is a nationally standardized program of advanced college level courses offered during a student’s high school experience. Credit may be used in general education, subject matter areas and as elective credit. Official scores are required to receive credit.
International Baccalaureate (IB) is an internationally recognized program through which high school students complete a comprehensive curriculum of rigorous study and demonstrate performance on IB examinations. Credit may be used in general education, subject matter areas and as elective credit. Official scores are required to receive credit.
Military credits. College or university credit may be earned from education experiences completed while in the military. Students must provide a military transcript to receive credit.
Minnesota Bilingual and Multilingual Seals and World Language Profieciency Certificates
Minnesota districts and charter schools may award Minnesota bilingual and multilingual seals and world language proficiency certificates to graduating high school students who, in grades 10, 11, or 12 demonstrated the required levels of language proficiency on languages other than English, including American Sign Language (ASL) and American Indian (indigenous) languages.
Minnesota State (formerly MnSCU) will award college credit to enrolling students with bilingual and multilingual seals and world language proficiency certificates. Students must request college credit within three academic years of graduation from high school and upon enrollment in a Minnesota State college or university.
For more information, please visit the Credit for Prior Learning website.
Others
International coursework is coursework completed at a college or university outside of the United States. International coursework may transfer to regionally accredited institutions if it was completed at a recognized or government-sponsored school. Any student who has completed or plans to take coursework from a school outside of the U.S. should contact the transfer specialist at the school where they plan to earn their final degree, to determine the school’s policy on the transfer of international coursework. In order to earn credit for international coursework students may be required to obtain additional transcript evaluations and translated documents.
Age of credit. Some schools and/or some majors/programs will place a time limitation on previously earned credits they will allow in transfer. This limit could apply to general education courses and to courses in a major.
State-to-state transfer processes vary greatly depending on where and what type of institution to which a student is attempting to transfer. Students should contact the receiving institution as early as possible for information on how credits and programs will transfer. Transfer specialists at the current institution can assist students with locating the appropriate resources at the receiving institution.
Resources
Degree Audit Reporting is a tool that lets students know what program requirements have been met and what requirements remain to be completed.
MnTransfer.org is a website with a tremendous amount of information on transfer within Minnesota and links to other states’ transfer sites. This website provides direct links to most other regionally accredited Minnesota schools and also provides resources about transfer planning.
Transferology is a resource for students who have completed courses in higher education and want to know which colleges and universities will accept those courses and apply them to a degree. Transferology will provide quick answers from hundreds of institutions in a streamlined and dynamic interface. For more information, please visit the Century’s Transferology website.
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