New changes to transfer credit processing

Recently there were changes made to the processing of transfer credit by the Office of the Registrar’s Credit Evaluation Services team. Students transferring credits from institutions on a different academic calendar or within a different educational system (e.g. quarter and international institutions) will have their credits converted to semester hours as exact credit values, using decimal values to the hundredths place (i.e., 3.35).  The historic practice had been to round (up or down) the credit value to the nearest whole number, compromising the integrity of the actual credits earned by students in the weeks of instruction at their former institutions. UW–Madison’s historical practice of rounding credit values from these institutions does not align with the university’s Credit Hour Policy or adhere to the American Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admission Officers (AACRAO) Transfer Credit Best Practices. In addition, a survey of our Association of American Universities (AAU) peers and other UW System institutions revealed that UW–Madison was an outlier in not posting exact credit. This has been previously communicated and reviewed with Academic Advising & Policy Leaders (AAPL) and the Degree Audit Encoders group. All incoming summer/fall 2023 undergraduates (freshman, transfer, and reentry) will be awarded exact credit value. For current students, we will not look back and revise any current students’ transfer credit evaluations. As of March 1, 2023, current students who transfer courses back to UW will be awarded the exact credit value. A relatively small number of students will be impacted. During the spring, summer and fall 2022 semesters, approximately 213 students brought in transfer credit that could have been evaluated exactly (as a decimal value). Projecting the scope of impact looking forward, the number of matriculated students with exact transfer credit will remain under 10% of students with evaluated credit.   FAQs What do you mean by exact credits? Credit values from quarter calendar institutions in the United States are generally two-thirds of a semester credit hour. One credit at a quarter institution equals .67 semester credits. Therefore a 4-credit quarter class equals 2.68 semester credits. For institutions outside the United States, credit conversion rates can vary by educational system and institution and each transcript is assessed individually to determine a credit conversion rate.   How does this impact degree requirements? Exact credit values below a required credit threshold for completion of University degree, general education, school/college degree, and major/certificate requirements will not fulfill those requirements.   How does DARS work with exact credit values? Requirements which look for a particular course will continue to be satisfied by direct course equivalencies that transfer to UW–Madison as non-whole numbers (ex: a major requires PSYCH 202; a student who transfers work equates to PSYCH 202 earning 2.68 credits. That requirement will be satisfied). If a requirement requires a specific amount of credits and the transfer course does not meet that credits value (ex: 3 credits biological science is required; a biological course transfers in as 2.68 credits), that course will not satisfy the requirement in DARS. Credit requirements, like GPA requirements, do not round in DARS.   How does this impact course requisites? As occurs now, if a course requisite requires a specific amount of credits in a subject to satisfy a requisite and a student has a transfer course where the credit value does not meet that credit value, they will not satisfy that course requisite and will need to be given permission to enroll via the normal process in SIS.   This change furthers the RO’s core values by ensuring academic integrity within our record keeping and enrollment process. This new process will not only ensure consistency with our institutional credit hour policy, it also puts UW–Madison in alignment with national standards. Thanks to everyone involved in this process for their amazing work.