Transfer to Garrett College

As part of the admissions process, students who have attended one or more institutions before transferring to GC submit an official transcript from each institution. Once all transcripts are received, transfer applicants may schedule their new student advising appointment which serves as the transfer applicant's request for an evaluation of transcripts. The transcript analysis is completed by the Office of Records and Registration (ORR) and notification of credits accepted in transfer is sent to the student's College email. Students are also informed of the results as part of their new student advising session. Full details on the transfer evaluation process and procedures can be found here.

High school students who enroll in Garrett's high school dual enrollment (HSDE) program have the opportunity to jump-start their college career while still attending high school. Dual enrollment allows high school students to take GC courses and earn both high school and college credit. The key to understand here is that HSDE students are actually registering for courses that will be part of their official college transcript. Dual enrollment opportunities currently exist for students in the following school districts:

• Garrett County Public Schools
• Turkeyfoot Valley Area School District

Click here for more information on earning college credit while still in high school.

Articulation agreements are formal arrangements between GC and other entities where GC agrees to award certain credits for specific learning and experience that was attained while in high school. Articulated credits may apply toward GC programs and requirements, but are not assigned letter grades, do not count in grade point calculations, and typically do not transfer to other colleges and universities.

• Berlin Brothersvalley High School

Students enrolled at Garrett College may request course equivalency credit be granted for certain military experiences as recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE). Courses appropriate to Garrett's curriculum and applicable to the student's major program of study may be accepted, at no charge to the student.

Students requesting to have military equivalency credit are required to contact the designated military review agency and obtain an evaluation of their military experience. The results of the evaluation should be sent directly to Garrett's Office of Records and Registration.

• Joint Services Transcript (encompasses Army, Coast Guard, Marine Corps, and Navy)
• Air University / Community College of the Air Force

Upon enrollment at Garrett College, a student who has passed Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations with a minimum score of 3 may request to have equivalent credits posted to their Garrett College transcript, at no charge to the student. To receive credit, an official AP Score Report must be sent from the College Board directly to Garrett’s Office of Records and Registration. Students may visit http://apstudents.collegeboard.org/sending-scores to order their official score report.

• AP Score Requirement & Equivalency Chart

Students planning to transfer to other colleges/universities after Garrett College should contact those institutions to determine whether AP credits will be accepted upon transfer.

The Cambridge AICE Diploma is an international pre-university curriculum and examination system that emphasizes the value of broad and balanced study. These exams are usually taken in high school upon the completion of a specifically designed course of study. Garrett College may award college credit for Cambridge exam grades of A through E (equivalent to US letter grades of A though C). Credits awarded may range from 3 or 6 credits for non-lab science exams or up to 8 credits for lab science exams. Interested students should contact Garrett College Office of Admissions for estimates of how Cambridge exams may equate to GC coursework.

To receive credit, an official Cambridge AICE grade transcript must be sent directly to Garrett's Office of Records & Registration. U.S. students may use Cambridge International's Grade Transcript Service to order results. For students outside of the U.S., Garrett officials will access your scores via the Cambridge International Direct system; to request a review please email the following information to registrar@dos5.net: student's Cambridge Centre number, candidate number, date of birth, and the relevant exam series (date the exams were taken).

Students planning to transfer to other colleges/universities should contact those institutions to determine whether AICE credits will be accepted upon transfer.

The International Baccalaureate Programme (IB) is a rigorous two-year curriculum offered in select secondary schools throughout the world. In order to receive college credit for IB, the student must sit for the examination in each subject of study. A minimum score of 4 on the Standard or Higher Level exam is required for most courses, with higher scores required in some areas. To receive credit, an official IB transcript must be sent directly to Garrett's Office of Records and Registration. If results have not yet been released, student may contact their IB programme coordinator for assistance. After the release of results, student may use the Request for Results service (rrs.ibo.org) to order transcripts.

• IB Score Requirement & Equivalency Chart

Students planning to transfer to other colleges/universities after Garrett College should contact those institutions to determine whether IB credits will be accepted upon transfer.

Enrolled degree-seeking students may earn college credit by taking CLEP (College Level Examination Program) exams. CLEP is a credit-by-examination program offered through the College Board. A minimum score of 50 must be achieved on the exam, and no more than 12 CLEP credits will be awarded. To receive credit, students must request an official CLEP transcript be sent directly to Garrett College for evaluation. CLEP credit granted by another institution does not automatically transfer to Garrett College. Students may order transcripts via their My CLEP Account on the College Board website.

• CLEP Score Requirement & Equivalency Chart

Students planning to transfer to other colleges/universities after Garrett College should contact those institutions before taking a CLEP exam to determine whether or not credits earned through CLEP will be accepted upon transfer.

Credit toward a degree may also be earned through a variety of formats other than traditional classroom instruction. Review the following discussions to learn more about Garrett's credit for prior learning opportunities. In most cases, a fee will be assessed for nontraditional credits earned via these assessment programs; nontraditional credit fees for EMS coursework in the Paramedic Studies program are waived. For more information, contact Garrett's Office of Academic Affairs (academics@dos5.net).

Students planning to transfer to other colleges/universities after Garrett College should contact those institutions to determine whether credits will be accepted upon transfer. Transferability of credit for prior learning is at the discretion of the receiving institution; there is no guarantee that credits awarded by GC will transfer to another institution.

Credit by Certification

Enrolled degree-seeking students who have participated in training courses offered through professional organizations by licensed instructors leading to certification or licensure may be eligible to earn elective or major-specific college credits. The training will be evaluated using ACE recommended credit awards whenever such evaluation is available. If ACE evaluation is not available, the student must demonstrate to the assigned faculty evaluator that student has attained the learning outcomes of the course for which student seeks credit.

Credit by Examination

Enrolled degree-seeking students may earn credit for a course by requesting a proficiency exam. Not all courses qualify for Credit by Examination; contact the Office of Academic Affairs for more information. In the case of a repeated course, credit earned via proficiency exam does not replace a prior grade in the CGPA calculation and credit can only be earned once.

Life Experience Assessment Program (LEAP)

Students seeking a degree in a field directly related to their work, may request Life Experience credit. To be considered for life experience assessment, students must be currently enrolled in a degree program at Garrett College. Interested students should first meet with their academic advisor to discuss life experience possibilities. No more than 50% of the credits for major courses may be awarded through LEAP. LEAP credit may not be awarded for GER, institutional requirements, or elective courses. LEAP credits may only be awarded for courses within career preparation majors.

Portfolio Assessment

Students who are enrolled in a degree program at Garrett College are eligible to apply for portfolio credit for some courses. Portfolios must consist of work products that illustrate the ability to match a specific course's learning objectives. A student may earn a maximum of 12 credit hours through portfolio assessment. Portfolio Assessment is only available for career preparation courses for which there exists appropriate work product(s) that demonstrate attainment of course learning outcomes. A request for submission of a portfolio must be approved by the Chief Academic Officer prior to the start of classes and the portfolio submitted for assessment no later than six weeks before the final examination period for the semester in which credit is sought. Portfolios will be reviewed by faculty in the discipline in which the course credits are sought. The decision of the reviewer(s) is final. Any work portfolio submitted for evaluation must be produced by the individual seeking the credits.

Completion of Certification or Licensure Program at Garrett College

Garrett’s Continuing Education & Workforce Development division offers a number of non-credit programs that prepare students for certification and licensure by a professional or governmental agency. A student who completes such a program and obtains professional licensure or certification may seek nontraditional elective or major credit toward a Garrett College associate degree program. To be eligible for nontraditional credit and/or advanced standing the student must have completed the training program at Garrett College, have taken the specified professional certification or licensure exam and passed the exam within five years of matriculating into the GC degree program, and have current certification or licensure in the professional area for which nontraditional credit/advanced standing is being requested. Whenever possible, college credits will be assigned for major or elective credit based upon the recommendation of the American Council on Education (ACE). If an ACE recommendation is not available, a student may request credit by demonstrating that the instruction time and content meet the requirements for a college-level course (elective credit only) or that student has attained the learning outcomes of a specific course. This evaluation will be carried out by the Chief Academic Officer or designee. A student seeking nontraditional credit and/or advanced standing may have to take college-level courses in the same subject areas in order to complete a degree. The Continuing Education courses focus on certification and licensure preparation and may not be of sufficient scope and depth to prepare students for advanced work within the content area. Refer to the College Catalog for a list of CEWD certification and licensure programs for which students may request alternative credit, the degree program(s) to which the alternative credits may be applied, and the number of alternative credits that can be applied.