Athens Technical College recognizes that it is necessary to establish reasonable and definitive policies for the acceptance of transfer credit. The college developed these guidelines in accordance with the standards set by the Technical College System of Georgia, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.
Please note that equivalencies and requirements may change without notice. While the director of registration and records is responsible for evaluating transcripts to determine transfer credit, the ultimate authority for the transfer evaluation rests with the instructional faculty and division deans in the discipline. For example, the mathematics coordinator and dean of general education are the ultimate authorities on the transferability of math courses to the college. Athens Technical College distinguishes between the acceptance of credit and its applicability toward program requirements. Applicability of credit toward a credential refers to the prerogative of the academic divisions to count specific credit toward the fulfillment of graduation requirements. Students should review individual program selection and admission requirements to determine if coursework needs to be completed within a specific timeframe.
The director of registration and records, instructional faculty, and division dean determine the transferability of courses taken at other postsecondary institutions by considering the educational quality of the learning experience for which students seek transfer credit; the comparability of the nature, content, and level of the learning experiences to the courses offered at Athens Technical College; and the appropriateness and applicability of the learning experiences to the programs offered at Athens Technical College.
The college has established the following procedures to guide the awarding of transfer credit:
Accounting Courses
Students will have completed Accounting I and II (6 credit hours) at a University System of Georgia college will be awarded credit for
ACCT 1100,
ACCT 1105, and
ACCT 1110 (11 credit hours) at Athens Technical College. These students will be required to complete an additional five credit hours of business or accounting coursework to meet their degree requirements.
Fine Arts and Humanities Coursework
Students who have coursework in music or art or who have taken classes in English literature may receive transfer credit that will meet the requirement for General Education Requirement Area IV provided that the course is comparable in scope, nature, content, and level of learning experience to the ARTS, MUSC, or ENGL courses offered at Athens Technical College. This type of transfer credit will be entered in the student's record as ARTS 11XX, MUSC 11XX, or ENGL 11XX. Transferability of these courses will be determined by the executive vice president in consultation with faculty on a case-by-case basis.
Computer Information System courses
The appropriate faculty and administrators will review both the course competencies and date of completion (typically within five years) before awarding transfer credit for courses in computer science, microcomputers, or networking.
Credit by examination
Credit awarded by examination tests administered at other postsecondary institutions is not transferable.
Health Information Management Technology
Health Information Management Technology coursework must have been completed at a postsecondary institution holding CAHIIM accreditation in order to be considered for transfer credit.
Learning Support coursework
Learning support coursework taken at other colleges is transferable if the course meets the same criteria for transferability as credit courses. Transferred learning support coursework is not calculated into a student’s GPA or earned hours.
Life Science Courses
Because of the competitive nature of the Life Sciences programs, transfer credit for courses specific to the Life Sciences programs is not routinely awarded. In rare situations where space allows, Life Sciences faculty and administrators will take into account the selection process and accreditation status of the student's former program when awarding transfer credit.
Official transcripts with final grades
Students must submit official transcripts from all colleges attended in the past. All official transcripts must include final grades. Students who submit transcripts with "in progress" coursework must submit additional official transcripts once they complete the "in progress" coursework for it to be considered for transfer credit.
Paralegal Studies
Paralegal Studies (PARA) coursework must have been taken at postsecondary institutions that hold American Bar Association (ABA) approval to be considered for transfer credit.
Science courses with separate labs
In order to receive credit for a science course, students must pass both the course and the associated lab. Transfer credit for lecture and lab will not be awarded separately.
Semester system
If students are coming from institutions on the quarter system, the quarter hours are converted to semester hours by multiplying the quarter hours by 0.6667. This conversion may result in students receiving fewer credit hours for coursework offered at Athens Technical College. It is the responsibility of students to ensure that they complete additional coursework, if necessary, in order to satisfy the graduation requirements of their program of study at Athens Technical College.
Social Sciences Coursework
Students who have coursework in history or political science may receive transfer credit that will meet the requirement for General Education Requirement Area II provided that the course is comparable in scope, nature, content, and level of learning experience to the HIST and POLS courses offered at Athens Technical College. This type of transfer credit will be entered in the student's record as HIST 11XX and POLS 11XX. Transferability of these courses will be determined by the vice president for academic affairs in consultation with faculty on a case-by-case basis.
Transcript Notation of transfer credit
Transfer credit is noted by TR, TRA, TRB, or TRC on the Athens Technical College transcript and is not included in semester, cumulative, or graduation grade point averages. The Registration and Records Office records transferred coursework on students' electronic academic records and notifies students via email at the @student.athenstech.edu email address that the credits have been posted. Students should access their student records on their Banner Student Web accounts through the college website (www.athenstech.edu) to verify the transfer credit awarded
Students wishing to transfer from Athens Technical College to another college must contact that college directly to determine the transferability of credits.
Transferable coursework
Students may receive transfer credit for courses taken at regionally accredited colleges and universities. If students attended a college that was not regionally accredited at the time of attendance, students may be asked to provide additional materials including course syllabi, college catalog course description, and instructors' credential information for the course to be considered for transfer.
The student must have earned final grades of A+/-, B+/-, or C+/- for a course to be transferable, and the course must have greater than or equal to the number of semester hours required by the similar course at Athens Technical College.
Grades earned in transferred courses are not calculated into Athens Technical College grade point averages; however, the Financial Aid Office includes transferred grades earned for all courses taken at all postsecondary institutions when calculation HOPE scholarship grade point averages and for determining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes.
Transferring from another Georgia technical college
Coursework taken under state-approved standards at other Technical College System of Georgia colleges is transferable provided the student's previous technical college is accredited by the Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools. If students attended a technical college that was not regionally accredited at the time of attendance, students may be asked to provide additional materials including course syllabi, college catalog course description, and instructors' credential information for the course to be considered for transfer.