Academic Experience
Question 1.4 Details

Does the school give credit for courses taken online from other institutions and sources of instruction?

There are ever–increasing opportunities to earn credit for online courses and other forms of learning offered by traditional accredited institutions, for–profit and nonprofit educational organizations (which may or may not be accredited), business and industry, the military services, and so on. Instruction and learning that take place electronically at a distance used to be called "nontraditional," but given the variety of legitimate choices that exist, that term is virtually meaningless.

Even with the greater recognition that alternative forms of learning have, many schools are understandably careful about granting credit for every credential and transcript that a student might present. If you have invested time, energy, and money in distance learning, you will want to know whether and how the schools you are considering will recognize your work in terms of advance credit toward degree completion and/or exemption from required courses.

Institutions that arbitrarily refuse to accept credit for courses taken electronically from other sources have not made the transition to the current learning environment. That is not to say that every form of distance learning will or should be accepted. An institution's methods for ensuring quality control should focus on learning outcomes and how they relate to the academic requirements, not on the method of delivery.

You should learn whether there are restrictions on the number of credits earned electronically (whether taken from the home campus or elsewhere) and understand the process of applying for such credit. Are there limits on the number of such credits that can transfer? What are the quality controls for accepting online courses taken through other institutions? What is the process for getting approval for transfer of such courses?