Transfer Credits

Transfer credit is granted for college-level, credit-bearing courses taken at other accredited institutions whose accreditation is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the Department of Education, regardless of delivery method (e.g., in person, online, hybrid, etc.). Credit earned at international institutions not accredited by one of the United States accreditation agencies may transfer after review and recommendation by the appropriate department chair to the Dean of the respective school who makes the final decision.

Transfer credits may be granted for coursework completed as part of advanced or occupational military training that is comparable in nature and content to courses and credits offered through Stonehill College programs. Credits earned for Basic Training are not transferable. Students wishing to transfer in credits for military courses must provide Stonehill with an official college transcript from an accredited institution of higher education or from The American Council on Education (ACE).

Courses taken through Stonehill’s study abroad program will be entered as transfer credit and follow all transfer credit rules; these courses must also be pre-approved by the Office of International Programs to ensure proper course transfer into the student’s program.

Dual enrollment transfer credit will be granted following the rules of this policy and upon receipt of the official college transcript – transfer credit from high school transcripts will not be accepted.

Stonehill does not allow transfer for:
•    Pre-college-level or developmental coursework credits;
•    Courses taken in the natural and computer sciences more than 10 years ago.

Grades

Credit will only be granted for courses in which the student has received the equivalent of a grade of C- (1.7 on a scale of 4.0) or higher. Grades of Pass (P), Satisfactory (S), or similar will transfer only when official transcripts indicate that such grades are equivalent to a C- or higher.

Since Stonehill lecture/lab courses are graded with a single grade, transfer lecture/lab courses for which each component is graded separately may be accepted even if one of the grades is lower than a C- if the weighted combined average grade is equivalent to a C- or higher.

Grades from transfer courses do not transfer – only credit hours are transferred. Transfer courses are noted on the Stonehill transcript with grades of TR. These grades are not included in the computation of the cumulative grade point average (GPA) and cannot be used to replace Stonehill course grades in the GPA should a transfer course be taken after a student’s admittance to Stonehill.

Residency Requirement/Maximum Transfer

To qualify for a Stonehill degree, a transfer student is required to complete at least 25% of their credits at Stonehill, with a maximum of 90 transfer credits allowed. At least 50% of courses required by major or minor must be taken at Stonehill or through a Stonehill-sponsored program. Individual academic departments may further restrict which courses may be transferred into the major and/or minor. Exceptions to the major and minor residency requirements are allowed through department chair and dean approval.

Credit by Examination

Transfer credit may be granted for students who demonstrate competency by means of scores on examinations such as Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), International Baccalaureate (IB), National Examination in World Languages (NEWL), and the Seal of Biliteracy.

Ordinarily, credit will be granted for scores in which the student has received the equivalent of a grade of C- (1.7 on a scale of 4.0) or higher: 3 and higher for AP; 50 and higher for CLEP; 5 and higher for IB (Higher Level only).

Academic departments recommend course equivalencies for awarding placement for the examinations to the deans of the respective schools who make the final decision. When a course equivalency does not exist, the student is awarded general elective credit. The score requirements for each course equivalent are published annually in the Hill Book.

Students who have taken multiple examinations in the same subject area may not receive credit for more than one. Students may not register for a course at Stonehill for which they have received transfer credit.

General Education credit can be awarded if the course equivalents are for courses that fulfill General Education requirements.

Process for Transferring Credit

From other institutions: Students must provide official transcripts for evaluation before transfer credit can be awarded. Official transcripts must come directly from the college or university either electronically through an official transcript company like Parchment or the Clearinghouse (preferred method), or by postal mail. We will also accept a transcript from the student provided it is in a sealed and unopened envelope. Electronic transcripts forwarded from student emails or physical transcripts in opened envelopes are considered unofficial and cannot be used to grant transfer credit.

Electronic transcripts (preferred) may be requested directly through a transcript company by choosing Stonehill College as the institution or by entering our email, transfer@stonehill.edu. Physical transcripts may be sent to:

Office of the Registrar
Stonehill College
320 Washington St.
Easton, MA 02357

International transcripts: Transcripts in any language other than English must be accompanied by supporting official translation into English. Additional information may be required of the student.

Examinations: Students must request official scores be sent directly to Stonehill from the College Board or other examination company.

Transfer credit will be processed only after a student is officially admitted and made a deposit to attend Stonehill. Once credit is transferred, it becomes part of the student’s permanent record and may not be removed.

Credit will transfer to Stonehill as the course equivalent, if it exists; as an elective equivalent within a comparable department, if it exists; or as a general elective. Credits earned in a quarter-hour system will be converted to semester-hour equivalents. Credit will not be granted for duplicate coursework or for two courses that cover the same or similar content.

Appeals

Appeals to these policies may be submitted to the Vice President for Academic Affairs on behalf of the student. Appeals must be submitted in writing by the Office of Academic Advising and/or the Registrar's Office.