Undergraduate Transfer Policies

Transfer of Credits from Accredited Colleges or Universities 

Credit for courses that have been earned at other regionally accredited colleges or universities with a grade of “C-” or above and meet the requirements of the student’s chosen degree may be transferred into undergraduate studies at Nelson. Courses completed with a grade of “D+” or below will not be accepted in transfer. Nelson only transfers credit to meet course requirements for graduation. With the exception of transient courses, grades received at other institutions are not entered on Nelson transcripts and do not count toward the student’s GPA. Transient courses – courses taken by continuing Nelson University students – will still have grades recorded on the Nelson transcript. 

Students must request official transcripts from their previous institutions be sent to the Admissions Office in order to transfer credit. Official transcripts must come directly from the sending institution. The University determines acceptable transfer credit from other institutions based on evaluation of course content as described in the catalogs of those institutions and in consultation with appropriate academic units at Nelson as necessary for clarification. Transfer credit may only be received for course work completed at regionally accredited institutions, or institutions which satisfy Nelson University’s Unaccredited College Policy. A lower-level course that is transferred for an upper-level course does not count towards the upper-level hour requirement. 

New/Returning Transfer Student 

For policies concerning transfer credit for new and returning students, please refer to section entitled Admission as a Transfer Student. 

Current Student 

Continuing students – students currently enrolled – planning to transfer courses from other colleges should check with the Registrar’s Office before taking any course work. Students who are within the last 30 hours of their degree can only transfer six (6) additional hours. Continuing Nelsonstudents who take courses as transient students at other institutions may transfer their grades back to Nelson 

Transfer of Credits from an Unaccredited College 

In order to have courses from an unaccredited college evaluated, the student must complete the following steps: 

1. An official transcript (signed and sealed) must be sent directly from the college to the Admissions Office. 

2. An official transcript from the sending college as to the duration of courses must be provided. This must include how many minutes the course met each day, how many days it met each week, and how many weeks it met in each semester. 

3. Letters from at least three (3) colleges that are regionally accredited or accredited with the ABHE (Association for Biblical Higher Education) that indicate acceptance of the credits from the unaccredited college in question must be submitted. In addition, a statement of how the credits are accepted should accompany the letters (for example, the credits are accepted on probation, only half of the credits are accepted, only Bible courses are accepted, etc.). 

4. A catalog that has a full course description of each course represented on the transcript must be provided. 

5. The student must provide a syllabus for each course. 

6. Please note that students transferring credits from unaccredited institutions will be required to submit ACT/SAT scores regardless of total number of hours transferred. 

Finally, the student must validate the transfer of unaccredited courses by earning at least a 2.0 grade point average during the first 24 credit hours of study at Nelson University. 

Transfer of Developmental Course Work 

Please refer to section following entitled Developmental Studies Courses Policies. 

Military Credit 

Credit is reviewed on a course-by-course basis. Former military personnel may receive up to four (4) hours of physical education credit with proper documentation.  

General Guidelines for Acceptance of Vocational Type Credit 

Nelson University will accept a limited amount of vocational/technical credit towards the completion of a degree. Courses that are terminal in nature and focus on a single trade or craft (cosmetology, massage therapy, automotive, etc.) are not eligible for transfer. Also, Nelson will only transfer credit from institutions for which transfer is a stated ption and are accredited by a CHEA-recognized accrediting agency. Nelson does not accept vocational credits that are awarded through Continuing Education Units (CEUs). 

Courses eligible for transfer should meet the following requirements: 

7. Courses are transcripted as college credit and are not terminal in nature. 

8. Transferring institution is accredited by a CHEA-recognized accrediting agency. 

9. Courses cover a range of intellectual and professional skills rather than narrowly focusing on a repetitive single skill set or craft. 

Acceptance of Credit for Courses in Which Nelson University Does Not Offer Programs 

Nelson will accept up to 12 elective hours of vocational, technical, or applied sciences credit towards degrees in which Nelson does not have a specified emphasis in the coursework being transferred. Credit will be evaluated for quality, content, and learning outcomes. The general guidelines for acceptance of vocational credit as stated above apply. Courses eligible for transfer should employ a theoretical framework and higher-order thinking skills for the vocation in which they are being trained. 

Acceptance of Credit for Courses in Which Nelson Offers A Program 

For technical coursework in which Nelson does have an area of emphasis (Criminal Justice), transfer credit will be assessed on a course-by-course basis for applicability. All credit must still meet the general guidelines for acceptance as stated above. 

Correspondence Work 

Nelson will accept up to twelve hours of correspondence work from a regionally accredited university toward a degree. 

Graduate Transfer Policies 

A maximum of 2/3 of the graduate credits required for a degree that have been earned at other regionally or professionally accredited colleges or universities with a grade of “B-” or above may be transferred to Nelson University. Courses completed with a grade of “C+” or below will not be accepted in transfer. Nelson only transfers credit to meet course requirements for graduation. With the exception of transient courses, grades received at other institutions are not entered on Nelson transcripts and to not count toward the student’s GPA. Transient courses – courses taken by continuing Nelson students – will still have grades recorded on the Nelson transcript. 

Once enrolled in the graduate program, the student must gain approval from the Dean of the School of Graduate Studies or the Vice President for Academics before taking a graduate course at another university.