External Credit

Transfer Credit

Any applicant who is degree seeking and has attended any institution of higher learning will be considered a transfer student. Transcripts will be required from high school (or GED scores if applicable) and from all colleges or universities attended. Volunteer State Community College generally accepts credits from other institutions of higher education. All collegiate level coursework for each transfer student who is degree seeking or seeking a technical certificate will be evaluated according to the following criteria: (1) course similarity within the programs enrolled in at Volunteer State Community College; (2) course content equivalent to course taught at the same level at Volunteer State Community College; (3) same credentialing requirements for faculty at the transferring institution. In some cases Volunteer State Community College may request that additional information be submitted before awarding credit on a course-by-course basis.
Transcripts will be evaluated prior to, or during the initial term of enrollment and students notified via email of credits awarded as evaluations are completed. Only grades of “D” or higher will be accepted for credit. Transfer grades are not calculated in the Volunteer State Community College grade point average. Credit for courses not corresponding with the curriculum at Volunteer State Community College may be entered on the transcript as elective credits. Credit from proprietary colleges will be considered on a course-by-course basis and will require additional documentation to be submitted to the Office of Records and Registration. Credit will be awarded from Tennessee Technology Centers and other similar institutions based on the Principles of Articulation in Vocational/Technical Education as specified in the Tennessee Board of Regents Policy 2:01:00:03.
A student transferring from another institution of higher learning may be permitted to attend Vol State for one semester regardless of academic standing at the last institution attended. Transfer students who have credit for Learning Support courses (reading, writing, math and learning strategies) at non-TBR institutions may receive credit for those courses pending review and approval. Transfer students who have not completed a college-level English composition and/or college-level algebra-based math course with a grade of “C” or better will be assessed upon entrance to the College following the assessment and placement procedures; *i.e., students with valid (less than three years old) ACT scores will be screened and, depending on those scores, may be required to take the appropriate placement test. Transfer students who have not been assessed at a TBR institution or completed any college-level courses in English composition or college-level math will be assessed according to the College’s assessment and placement procedures.

Correspondence or Extension Credit

Volunteer State Community College accepts semester hours earned by correspondence and/or extension, provided that such credits are taken from an institution which is a member of the University Extension Association, the Teacher College Extension Association, or the appropriate regional accrediting association.

Prior to a student’s initial registration at Vol State as a regular student, the Office of Records and Registration will determine the acceptability of extension and/or correspondence earned at other institutions. After the student has been admitted as a regular student, whether he/she is a beginning freshman or a transfer student, he/she will not be given credit applicable to any Vol State degree for subsequent correspondence or extension courses unless he/she has obtained, prior to his/her enrollment in such courses, written permission from the College Registrar.

No student is permitted to enroll for correspondence or extension courses while he/she is carrying a maximum load at Vol State.

A student who has completed at least 25 percent of semester credit in residence at Volunteer State Community College toward completion of degree requirements may earn additional credits by acceptable correspondence or extension work, or by residence at another approved institution. 

Credit for American Management Association Certificates

Students who have earned the American Management Association Certificate in Management or in General Management may apply that certification toward six hours of elective credit to earn the Associate of Applied Science, General Business Administration Option, Management Concentration. A copy of the American Management Association Certificate must be submitted as documentation.

Continuing Education Credit

Awarding of transfer credit based on completion of Continuing Education courses is considered on a case-by-case basis. Documentation including submission of official transcripts of courses taken, documentation of course content, contact hours, the standards for assessing student work and certification of the credentials of the course instructor may be required and must be submitted by the student to the appropriate Academic Dean for consideration. The Academic Dean will review the documentation submitted and coordinate with the Office of Records and Registration to confirm or deny approval of courses approved for transfer.

Prior Learning Assessment

Credit For Service In The Armed Forces
Veterans with an honorable discharge who have completed one year or more of full-time, extended active military service will be excused from taking the required physical education activity courses except PHED 107 (Lifetime Fitness). Veterans will receive four semester hours (less credit already earned) of physical education credit upon request and presentation of a copy of their discharge form (DD214) to the Office of Records and Registration. Reservists who have served six months active duty under the provision of the Reserve Forces Act of 1955 are not considered veterans; they may, however, be excused from taking the required physical education activity courses upon the presentation of a copy of their discharge form (DD214) to the College Registrar.
The College Registrar should be consulted to determine whether additional credit can be given for courses offered through the American Council on Education (ACE) or other service schools. An evaluation of service credit is not made until a student has applied and been granted admission to the College and a transcript has been provided to the College from their military service branch.
 

Credit by Examination
Examinations for credit in courses offered by the College are offered to students who believe they have already mastered the material of the course through private study, technical employment, or the like. The College will recognize credit for exam offered through the Educational Testing Service, CLEP exam program. Local tests will not be developed for courses where CLEP exams are available. Students interested in taking a CLEP exam should contact the Testing Office for registration and testing information.

Entering students may obtain credit for certain courses by obtaining high scores on the appropriate tests as follows:

ACT, SAT and COMPASS scores must be valid or within three years of original test date.

CLEP Subject Examinations
CLEP subject exams can be taken in order for credit to be obtained at another institution which accepts CLEP credit. Before registering for a CLEP exam that will be used at another institution, please contact the institution in order to determine if the CLEP credit is accepted, the minimum score needed and for which course credit is granted. The Testing Center offers other CLEP exams in addition to the exams listed. For more information concerning the expanded list of exams contact the Testing office.

CLEP General Examinations
As recommended by the American Council on Education, Volunteer State Community College will grant credit for the satisfactory completion of the General Examinations of the College-Level Examination Program of the College Entrance Examination Board. These CLEP General Examinations cover five areas as shown below; each area is scored separately; for the satisfactory completion of any area, Volunteer State Community College will grant six (6) semester hours of credit.

General CLEP scores:

The following is an interpretation of the manner in which credit in each area may be used by a student toward meeting degree requirements:

1. English Composition - This six (6) semester hours of credit will satisfy the requirement of freshman English composition in any program of study. (Credit is evaluated as being most comparable to English Composition I and English Composition II.)
2. Fine Arts and Literature (Humanities) - This six (6) semester hours of credit will satisfy the requirement in humanities in relevant programs of study. (Credit is evaluated as being most comparable to Art Appreciation, Music Appreciation, Introduction to Film, and/or Introduction to Philosophy). This credit will not meet the requirement of sophomore English Literature.
3. Mathematics - This six (6) semester hours of credit will satisfy the requirement in mathematics in relevant programs of study. (Credit is evaluated as being most comparable to College Algebra and 3 semester hours of math electives).
4. Biological and Physical Science (Natural Sciences) - This six (6) semester hours of credit may be used as an elective credit only and will not meet the requirement of a two (2) semester sequence in science in any program of study.
5. Social Science and History - This six (6) semester hours of credit will satisfy the requirement in social science in relevant programs of study. This credit will not meet the requirement of a two (2) semester sequence in World Civilization, American History, or Tennessee History in any program of study.

Credit by Local Examination
Any student who has been admitted to the college may make application to take an examination for credit, in limited courses in the Division or Divisions housing the course(s) in question. No examination may be given if a CLEP test is offered for that course. A student should be certain that he/she has at least the minimal preparation and background required before attempting any examination. Examinations may not be given in sequential courses numbered lower than those the student has already completed. The form of the examination and the method of administering it are left to the discretion of the Division Dean. Proficiency examinations cannot be taken to repeat course work or be used in lieu of an “F” or “I”. Credit examinations may not be taken in areas where a student has been given course exemption without credit. Credit by examination is recorded on the transcript as “Pass, credit by examination.”
To receive credit by examination, students must do the following:

• Student must submit completed application to division chair to challenge by exam. Approval will be indicated to the applicant in writing along with other information regarding the process.
• Student may apply at any time during the year. The Division will schedule the administration and the scoring of the exam in a timely manner.
• The Division Dean will notify the student in writing of the results of the examination, and if the student has passed, will submit the proper forms to the Office of Records and Registration. If the Credit by Examination is approved, the student must pay the current maintenance fee per credit hour awarded to have the course shown on the permanent record.

Credit by Examination is limited to one attempt per course. 

Credit For On-The-Job Training
Under certain circumstances, limited credit may be granted for on-the-job training. Verification of completion of the training and complete description of the training completed must be submitted to the College Registrar before an evaluation will be made. An evaluation will be made only for students who are currently enrolled at Volunteer State Community College. The steps below should be followed to request that credit be given:

• The student must present to the appropriate Academic Dean complete information relative to the type of training completed. This should include the place the training was obtained, the materials covered with regard to the kind of training received, and the number of clock hours involved in the training.
• The Academic Dean will assign an individual in the discipline involved to evaluate the material presented by the student.
• This evaluation will be presented to the College Registrar who, in consultation with the evaluator, will determine the courses for which credit may be granted.

No credit shall be awarded without the signatory approval of the Vice President of Academic Affairs.Credit will be posted on the transcript in term of the courses for which credit is being given. This credit will be listed under the heading; “Credit Granted on the Basis of On the Job Training.”

Portfolio Credit
Currently enrolled and former credit students may request consideration of college credit to be awarded for life experience. The Portfolio Assessment Committee has the responsibility of working with the student to evaluate the request and to determine if the Portfolio Credit option is appropriate.

The Office of Records & Registration oversees the Portfolio Credit application process. Applicants may contact the Office at 615-230-3466 or go to www.volstate.edu/Records/Prior-Learning-Assessment.php, to obtain a description of the application process and required forms. A non-refundable $25 application fee per course is required for credit requested. If credit is awarded, the student pays the maintenance fee per credit hour(s) minus the $25 fee.  Students requesting Portfolio Credit should apply at least one semester before they are considering enrolling in a particular class. Requests for Portfolio Credit must be submitted at least two semesters prior to graduation. Credit awarded through any of the options listed is not considered part of the College’s graduation residency requirements.

Portfolio Credit may be granted through two options:

OPTION 1: Credit for Courses offered by Volunteer State
Submission of a portfolio documenting professional experience that relates directly to specific course content offered by VSCC and approval of this portfolio by a college committee.
OR
Submission of the content and outcomes of prior learning through structured not-for-credit instruction offered by private or public agencies, verified by certificate or transcript, and approval of this content and outcomes by a college committee.
OPTION 2: Credit for Elective Credit (Selected Topics Courses)
Submission of a portfolio documenting work or other experience that is worthy of college credit but does not match specific existing credit courses offered by Vol State and approval of this portfolio by a college committee

OR
Submission of the content and outcomes of prior learning through structured not-for-credit instruction offered by private or public agencies, verified by certificate or transcript, and approval of this content by a college committee.

Portfolio Credit may not be requested for subject areas that offer CLEP or credit by examination options.

Students interested in pursuing Portfolio Credit should contact the Office of Records & Registration. 

Credit by External Examination
Currently enrolled and former credit students may request college credit for the successful completion of acceptable national, regional, or state examination. An official copy of the credential should be submitted to the Office of Admissions. Upon evaluation by the College Registrar and Academic Dean deemed most appropriate, credit may be applied to specific courses offered by the College or to elective courses such as those listed in the college catalog as “Selected Topics.” Any credit approved will be transcripted by the Office of Records and Registration as credit by exam.

Alternate Sources of Credit

Advanced Placement Credit
Volunteer State participates in the Advanced Placement Program of the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB). To be eligible for credit, an entering freshman must place in group three, four, or five of the CEEB Advanced Placement Tests. Each applicant, under this plan, is required to take the Advanced Placement Test of the CEEB during his senior year in the secondary school. The tests are scored by the CEEB and an official copy should be sent from them to the Office of Admissions at the College. Credit at Volunteer State Community College for the Advanced Placement test will be given as follows: 

*TBR community colleges will award/transfer PLA credit for AP scores in to the suggested course or the equivalent course at their institutions. There may be variations in course number and/or course title. Community Colleges should award the PLA credit for courses other than the suggested course when it is in the best interest of the student. Advanced Placement credit may be granted by Vol State for satisfactory achievement on the General Examination of the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) of the CEEB. Such credit will be granted as recommended by the American Council on Education, through its Commission on Accreditation of Service Experiences.  Also, advanced placement credit may be granted by Vol State for satisfactory achievement on the Subject Examinations of CLEP.

International Baccalaureate Credit

Volunteer State Community College recognizes International Baccalaureate achievement by awarding credits that may be counted toward courses required for graduation. International Baccalaureate test scores accepted for credit by the various departments at Volunteer State are listed below. Students who have taken tests in other areas may submit their scores to the appropriate dean’s office for evaluation.

Standard Level IB Courses

Higher Level IB Courses 

Credit for CAP Exam
Students having earned the Certified Administrative Professional certification are eligible to receive eighteen hours of credit at Volunteer State Community college as follows:

Course	Course Description	Credit
BUS 110	Introduction to Business	3
BUS 251	Business Law	3
ECON 2010	Principles of Economics I	3
OMT 101	Beginning Keyboard	3
OMT 253	Office Procedures	3
Business Elective	To be approved by the Business Division Dean	3
Total Credit		18

In order to receive VSCC credit for the CAP the student must meet the following criteria:

• Be accepted into the College
• Show validated evidence of the CAP certificate.
• Complete eighteen (18) semester hours of approved courses at the college.

Articulated High School Credits
Volunteer State Community College partners with certain county school systems to allow applicants who graduated from high school within two years of enrollment at VSCC and made at least a B in specified Career and Technical (Vocational) courses to earn college credits for those high school courses. A complete list of courses, participating high schools, and an explanation of the process to obtain credits can be found online at www.volstate.edu/CTE/ or by contacting the Office of Admissions.

Maximum External Credit Allowed From Various Sources
Not more than a total of 75 percent of semester hours credit can be granted by Vol State through any combination of external sources: credit granted for service in the Armed Forces (including physical education credit and credit for courses offered through the American Council on Education or other service schools), advanced placement credit (the Advanced Placement Program and College-Level Examination Program of the College Entrance Examination Board, credit by examination, or previous training or work experience qualifying for degree credit).

Should a student be granted the maximum total of 75 percent of semester hours credit through external sources, he/she must still complete all specific degree or certificate requirements as given in an outlined Program of Study. In order to receive a credential from Vol State, students must meet the 25 percent of semester hours graduation residence requirement for conferral of the credential. At least 25 percent of semester credit hours applied toward a degree or certificate must be completed in residence at Volunteer State Community College.

Learning Support
The Tennessee Board of Regents, which governs all the State’s community colleges and universities except the UT system, requires that students who enroll in college-level courses first show that they have high school level skills in order to succeed in college-level courses. First-time freshmen and Transfer students are classified as “Degree-Seeking” students. Any “Adult Special” or “Transient” student who wishes to take a college-level course which has a Learning Support prerequisite must also demonstrate the required level of skills.

Students ages 20 and under who possess valid ACT scores will be screened for placement into college-level courses or Learning Support courses according to their ACT sub-scores in English, Reading, and Mathematics. Students whose ACT sub-scores in English, Reading, and Mathematics are 19 or higher will have open access to college-level courses.  Students whose ACT sub-scores are 13-17 in English, Reading and/or Mathematics will be placed in Learning Support courses according to the following chart.  Students whose ACT sub-scores in reading and/or mathematics are 13-18 will be placed in Learning Support courses.

COURSE	ACT SUB-SCORE	PLACEMENT UNDER THE REVISED A-100
Writing	English 1-12	Non-credit LS, or standard LS with additional non-credit support as needed
	English 13-17	LS prescription based upon diagnosis of individual needs
	English 18-36	ENGL 1010; English Comp I college level
Math	Math 1-12	Non-credit LS or standard LS with additional non-credit support as needed
	Math 13-16	LS prescription based upon diagnosis of individual needs
	Math 17-18	LS prescription based upon diagnosis of individual needs
	Math 19-36	College-level Math Course
Reading	Reading 1-12	Non-credit LS or standard LS with additional non-credit support as needed
	Reading 13-18	LS prescription based upon diagnosis of individual needs
	Reading 19-36	College level

 

Students whose ACT sub-scores in English, Reading, and/or Math are 12 or below are not eligible to enroll in Learning Support courses.  In order to enroll in a Learning Support course, a student whose ACT sub-scores in English, Reading, and Math are 12 and below must first complete a diagnostic assessment in the Learning Commons and successfully complete the Continuing Education Basic Skills course in the subject area where remediation needed.  Continuing Education Basic Skills courses are not eligible for financial aid.

If a student has more than one set of ACT scores, they will be allowed to use their best sub-scores to obtain the best placement. SAT scores will be converted to ACT equivalent scores.

Students placed into Learning Support courses have the opportunity to challenge their initial placement by either taking a challenge test in the Testing Center (approved by the Advising Center) or taking a diagnostic assessment, completing a study plan, and retesting in the Learning Commons.

Course and/or Entrance Placement
The placement of a student in any given college-level course will depend upon his/her having met certain prerequisites for that particular course. Eligibility for any given course will be established on the basis of achievement on the related section of the ACT and/or the achievement on the other tests administered by the College during registration procedures ,and/or high school or other college courses completed. The placement procedures are designed to help guide the enrolling student into courses commensurate with his/her ability.

In selected career programs, students may be granted advanced placement if specific competence and proficiency are established by work experience and/or departmental examination. In special cases, up to 16 semester hours of credit may be awarded for proficiency as demonstrated by work experience and departmental examinations.

Entrance placement in a foreign language class will depend upon the student’s background in the language. A student who has completed one or more years in French or Spanish in high school with a grade of “C” or better may continue that language at the level they achieve on the foreign language proficiency exam given in the Testing Office. If the student has not studied the language in high school, but he or she has learned the language in some other setting, the student may take the proficiency exam for placement into foreign language classes.

Students who fail to achieve the required level of proficiency in high school courses/tests will be required to enroll in appropriate courses, some of which may be based on initial assessment.