Transfer Policy
The BAC welcomes students to apply for transfer credit. Many of our most successful students have transferred from other schools, and we are happy to help with this process. Any interested students will need to submit their materials to the Admissions office. School Heads will review materials and approve transfer credits, and Admissions will communicate decisions to the Registrar's Office, the Financial Aid office, Advising and the Bursar. Students may transfer up to half of the credits required for any degree programs, although certificate programs may consider a smaller proportion of transfer credits toward completion of these programs. Low residency programs only accept transfer credits by exception and with approval of the Program Director. Please contact the Head of School or Director of Program for more information regarding the program that interests you.
Like other institutions of higher education, the BAC will only accept credits earned at regionally accredited colleges and universities for purposes of transfer. However, other educational experiences may be applicable when students are requesting to waive a course. Please see the Registrar page for Guidelines for the use of educational experiences outside accredited academic institutions for credit at the BAC. If a course is transferred, it will count toward graduation; if a course is waived, the student will not be required to take it again at the BAC, but will be required to complete the same number of credits in the same subject area as the waived course in order to graduate.
Time limitations:
Students requesting transfer credit must do so within a year of matriculation. Students who earn course credit in other institutions between the time they matriculate at the BAC and their graduation may be charged a transfer fee. This will be true both for students who are matriculated and for those who take leaves of absence during their participation in BAC degree or certificate programs.
Requirements of courses to be transferred:
Any requests for transfer credit must be accompanied by a course description and a syllabus and evidence of learning accomplished. It is expected that any course for which a student is requesting transfer credit will have covered 75% of the equivalent course offered at the BAC. In cases where prior learning is being assessed for credit, portfolios may be required to be submitted by the student.
For all non design and non visual coursework, including general education, history theory and technology management courses, credit is awarded for classes that are deemed to be the curricular equivalent of a BAC requirement. Equivalency is determined via evaluation of the course description and syllabus. If the description indicates that the course covers at least 75% of the content of the equivalent BAC course, credit is awarded, provided the student earned the minimum grade required (C or better for all courses except Math and Physics, which require a B or better).
Courses categorized as design, meaning there is a visual component (examples include design studios, drawing/drafting, and CAD or other computer aided design), follow the above guidelines. In addition, learning outcomes of these courses must be demonstrated through visual examples of work done in these classes, preferably in portfolio form. Credit will be awarded upon verification of meeting the minimum grade threshold of C and determination of equivalency through a combination of the course description evaluation (and syllabus, if necessary) and analysis of visual examples.
Practice credit requirements:
In all cases, students should be aware that they will need to complete required practice credits for each level of study. Similar to academic transfer credits, any prior practice credit must be petitioned for and approved according to prescribed measures. Students should keep in mind that, if significant academic credits are transferred, students must still earn prescribed minimum Practice credits for portfolio and capstone project clearance, in addition to satisfying all Practice requirements - number of credits plus mandatory skill level - prior to receiving their degrees.
Professional and Continuing Education credit transfer:
Students who transfer from a BAC certificate program will be permitted to transfer all applicable courses and grades into degree programs. Matriculated students who successfully complete all courses required for certificate programs will receive certificates in addition to their completed degrees. Students enrolled in BAC continuing education classes will be permitted to transfer up to twelve (12) credits of applicable courses into degree programs. Students who matriculate into a degree program receive substantial services not offered to students enrolled in continuing education coursework. They receive necessary and ongoing advising, which facilitates the most efficient and effective educational trajectory for students in degree programs. Therefore, once a student is matriculated into a degree program, no further continuing education credits will count toward his or her degree.
The matriculated students' use of educational experiences outside accredited academic institutions for credit at the BAC:
There are many educational opportunities our matriculating students encounter outside the BAC. Some of these are offered by private entities and may not be offered for official credit, but these may still be of value to the student. Because the BAC is an accredited institution of higher learning, it is accountable for the assessment of all the education for which it awards credit. Therefore, students who intend to utilize such educational opportunities for BAC credit, whether waived or transferred, before beginning a relevant course of study, must find an instructor, usually a Head of School or Education Director, who is willing to serve as advisor to an independent study. The student will need to fill out an Independent Study Form online or at the Registrar's Office, and supply the Head of School with the name of the instructor, number of credits requested, a full description of the educational experiences expected, and the documentation the student will supply the instructor in order to assess the work at the end of the experience.
Please note that independent studies may be taken twice during a student's course of study at the BAC only after four completed semesters, and students are expected to have achieved the required grade point average of their programs.
Students who reactivate their BAC enrollment after four or more semesters of consecutive absence:
Consistent with BAC policies, students who leave their programs of study at the College while they are on probation will continue their probationary status and requirements upon re-enrollment. If students re-enter after a period of time greater than the 4-semester limit of absence, and their prior grades indicate poor performance, a Contract for Educational Progress will be created through a process of meetings between the student, her or his advisor and her or his Head of School or Program.
Only courses in which students have earned a "C" or better will be counted toward degree completion with the following exceptions, which require a "B" or better: Math, Physics, and Bachelor of Design Studies concentration courses.
If a student wishes to re-enter a BAC program after 5 or more years of absence, s/he must meet with a School or Program Head in order to determine what courses will be counted toward degree completion.