Fall 2023 > Academic Policies and Procedures > Transfer Credit > Non-Traditional Transfer Credit

Non-Traditional Transfer Credit

WCU may accept a maximum of 60 credits for a combination of non-traditional courses, trainings, exams, work experience military training, or experience achieved or demonstrated through the following:

Non-military (max 60 credits)

1. National and WCU Exams (CLEP, AP, IB, AICE, DANTES, WCU Challenge)
2. National Credit Recommendations (ACE)
3. Prior Learning Assessment (PLA)
   1. Professional Certificates, Licenses, and Trainings
   2. Experiential Credits (EC)

Military (max 30 credits)

1. Military Training or Experience

National and WCU Exams

WCU may award a maximum of 60 general education and/or elective credits for College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), Advanced International Certificate of Education (AICE), Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES), and WCU Challenge exams. 

CLEP, AP, IB, AICE, and DANTES Exams

WCU may accept credits for these exams based on the following criteria: 

1. Students seeking credit through completion of a CLEP exam must receive a minimum score of at least 50 as documented on an official CLEP transcript.
2. Students seeking credit through completion of an AP exam must receive a minimum score of 3 on any subject area exam as documented on an official AP transcript.
3. Students seeking credit through completion of an IB exam must receive a minimum score of 5 on any subject area HL or SL exam as documented on an official IB transcript.
4. Students seeking credit through completion of an AICE exam must receive a minimum score of C or better on any subject area AS or A level exam as documented on an official AICE transcript.
5. Students seeking credit through completion of a DANTES exam must receive a minimum score of 400 or better on any subject area exam as documented on an official DANTES transcript.
6. A student cannot receive credit by CLEP, AP, IB, AICE, and/or DANTES exam for a WCU course that the student earned a failing or non-passing grade.
7. Students may only take CLEP, AP, IB, AICE, and/or DANTES exams once.Exam transcripts showing an exam retake shall not be considered for evaluation.
8. CLEP, AP, IB, AICE, and/or DANTES credit shall be applied only to fulfill General Education or elective credit requirements. Courses in the major academic core are not eligible for credit by CLEP, AP, IB, IAICE, and/or DANTES exams.
9. The University shall not provide credit for CLEP general examinations. Only CLEP subject examinations will be evaluated for credit.
10. The CLEP, AP, IB, AICE, and/or DANTES exams must meet the requirements of the specific academic program for which it is being considered.  Each program maintains its own transfer credit requirements.

To be considered for evaluation, students must submit the appropriate exam score documentation directly to WCU from the testing agency by the deadlines mandated for post-secondary official transcripts.  Duplicate credit shall not be granted to students who have achieved minimum CLEP, AP, IB, AICE, and/or DANTES exam scores and have taken the equivalent course at WCU.  Credits earned through these standardized examinations do not count toward a student’s cumulative grade point average (CGPA).

Decisions regarding exam credit are made by the program Dean or Director at the campus to which the student is applying.  The program Dean or Director will review exam transcripts to determine what credit, if any, will be granted.  In addition to the university exam requirements, official transcripts must be received by the deadlines indicated by the individual program to which the student is applying.  If exam transcripts are not received within the appropriate university of programmatic time frame, credit may be awarded at the program Dean’s/Chair’s discretion.

Challenge Exams

WCU allows students to “challenge” a declined traditional transfer credit in some programs of study for which they have earned prior credit but for which credit was not transferred upon matriculation.  WCU Challenge exams are not an available option for all WCU academic programs, and the student is encouraged to confirm availability of this option directly with the program. If the WCU Challenge Exam option is available, the student must submit a Challenge Exam Application Form to the Director of Student Services at the campus they are attending and comply with the following requirements:

1. Students will only be allowed to take a WCU Challenge Exam if they meet the general and program-specific criteria. If the request to challenge a course is approved, and the student passes the appropriate examination, credits earned for classes challenged will be valid for 12 months from the time the exam is taken. Once a student matriculates, the course requirement is satisfied and posted to the transcript, becoming a permanent part of the student’s academic record. If the WCU Challenge Exam is not successfully passed, the course requirement will remain in the student’s program of study.
2. The student must declare which course(s) he/she would like to challenge and must gain approval from the program’s academic administration. Each program has its own unique requirements and deadlines for submitting the WCU Challenge Examination Application.
3. Students may not apply for a WCU Challenge Exam for courses in which they are currently enrolled or have previously taken at WCU. A course may be challenged only one time. Each program has established its own passing grade requirements for WCU Challenge exams, and no more than twelve (12) semester credits may be earned through WCU Challenge exams.  
4. Credits earned through WCU Challenge exams do not count towards the in-residence requirements or towards a student’s cumulative grade point average (CGPA). In addition, a student’s financial aid may be affected if challenge credit is received; therefore, students considering challenging a course should consult with their campus Financial Aid Officer on the impact of doing so.
5. A non-refundable fee of $100 will be charged per exam. All nursing clinical course challenge exams require a non-refundable fee of $500 per exam. The fee must be paid prior to the exam and is not included as part of the student’s financial aid package.
6. The University’s decision on a student’s eligibility to take a specific WCU Challenge Exam is final and may not be appealed. If a student achieves credit by successfully challenging a course and passing the challenge exam, no guarantee is made that the student will advance his or her degree completion date. Degree acceleration will be based on space availability.