Transfer of Credit and Prior Learning Experience Policy

Purpose and Scope

This policy lets qualified learners shorten their Windsor University degree by applying graduate-level credit they have already earned, so they complete only the credits that remain.

It sets out which outside credit Windsor recognizes, how much may be applied, how it is evaluated and how it is recorded. It covers four kinds of prior learning:

1. Graduate coursework completed at another college or university.
2. Graduate-level courses and credentials from online learning providers that carry a credit recommendation from the American Council on Education (ACE), such as eligible courses on edX, Coursera and Bridge.
3. Completed edX MicroMasters® programs, reviewed by Windsor as credit for prior learning.
4. Learning from work, military service, on-the-job training or apprenticeships, documented and assessed as credit for prior learning experience.

Windsor University currently offers graduate programs only. Credit that is recognized only at the undergraduate level therefore cannot be applied toward a Windsor degree (see Section 4.3).

Definitions

Guiding Principles

• Level match. Only graduate-level learning counts toward a graduate degree. A credit recommendation or transcript must state graduate level (500+ or equivalent).
• Outcome match. Credit is granted for a specific Windsor course only when the outside learning covers substantially the same learning outcomes, not because the course titles match.
• Institutional discretion. An ACE credit recommendation, a certificate or a transcript from another provider supports a request; it does not guarantee acceptance. Windsor University makes every final decision.
• Degree integrity. At least half of every Windsor degree, including the Graduation Thesis, is completed through Windsor instruction.
• Transparency. Applicants receive a written evaluation listing each course accepted or declined and the reason, before they enroll in the affected course.

Recognized Sources of Credit

Windsor recognizes four sources of graduate credit; undergraduate-level alternative credit is not applied toward a Windsor graduate degree.

4.1 Sources applied toward a Windsor graduate degree

4.2 How to check a course before enrolling

Learners should confirm the course appears in the ACE National Guide with a graduate-level recommendation and ask Windsor's Admissions Office for a pre-evaluation before paying for the outside course. A course recommended only for lower- or upper-division credit does not qualify under Source B.

4.3 Sources not applied toward a Windsor graduate degree

The following are recognized by many undergraduate programs but are evaluated at the undergraduate level, so Windsor does not apply them toward graduate credit:

• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examinations
• Sophia Learning courses
• StraighterLine courses
• Study.com college courses
• Any ACE recommendation at the vocational/certificate, lower-division or upper-division level
• Professional certificates, continuing education units (CEUs) and non-credit badges without an ACE graduate-level recommendation or a university graduate transcript
• Work or life experience that has not been documented and assessed under Section 4.4

This credit may still be submitted with an admission application as evidence of foundational business knowledge. It does not replace the bachelor's degree or 120-credit-hour admission requirement unless the Chief Academic Officer approves an equivalency in writing.

4.4 Prior Learning Experience (work, military and training)

Windsor awards credit for learning gained outside a classroom when the learner shows, with documents, that it is equivalent to a specific Windsor course.

The full assessment procedure, decision rule and examples are in the Prior Learning Experience Assessment Policy. To request a review, use the form on the Prior Learning Experience page.

Written criteria. Each request must meet all of the following:

1. Equivalent learning. The experience covers at least 70% of the learning outcomes of the Windsor course it replaces, at graduate level, judged by a faculty reviewer against the Windsor course syllabus.
2. Documented source. The learning was gained through employment, military service, on-the-job training, an apprenticeship or a similar professional setting, and is shown by the documents listed below.
3. Verifiable. Windsor can confirm the experience with the employer, the military record or the training provider.
4. No double counting. The same learning has not already been credited through another source in this policy.

What to submit.

• The Windsor course or courses you are requesting credit for.
• A current résumé showing your roles and dates.
• At least one of the following: a letter from the employer on company letterhead confirming your role, main duties and dates; military records such as the Joint Services Transcript or DD-214; or a certificate of completed training, licence or apprenticeship.
• A short statement (about one page per course) explaining how your experience meets the learning outcomes of the Windsor course.

How it is assessed. A faculty member qualified in the subject reviews the documents against the Windsor syllabus and may ask for a short interview or a work sample if the documents alone are not enough. The result is recorded as Meets or Does not meet in the Transfer Credit Evaluation. The assessment is free.

Limit. Credit for Prior Learning Experience may cover no more than 50% of a program (15 of the MBA's 30 credit hours), and it counts toward the same 15-credit maximum as all other outside credit (Section 6). The Graduation Thesis cannot be replaced.

Eligibility Criteria

Each outside course is evaluated on its own and must meet all of the following:

1. Level. It is graduate level, shown on the transcript or in the ACE recommendation.
2. Grade. It was completed with a grade of C or higher. Pass/fail or completion-only results qualify only when ACE or the awarding university records them as graduate credit.
3. Recency. There is no age limit on previously earned credit.
4. Credit value. It is worth at least 3 semester credit hours, or several outside courses combined reach 3 hours in the same subject. Quarter hours convert at two-thirds of a semester hour.
5. Content match. It covers at least 70% of the learning outcomes of the Windsor course it replaces, judged by the faculty reviewer against the Windsor course syllabus.
6. No double counting. It was not already used to earn the degree that qualifies the applicant for admission.
7. Verifiable. Windsor can confirm it directly with the issuing institution, ACE or the credential platform.

Prior Learning Experience (Source D) is not graded or measured in credits, so it is assessed under the criteria in Section 4.4 instead of the Level, Grade and Credit value checks above.

Credit Limits and Residency

A student may apply at most 15 of the MBA's 30 credit hours (5 of 10 courses) from all outside sources combined, and must complete at least 15 credit hours, including the Graduation Thesis, at Windsor.

Credit for prior learning (Sources B, C and D combined) never exceeds 50% of a program. In any diploma or undergraduate program, at least 25% of the credits must be earned at Windsor University. Future graduate programs follow the same 50% ceiling unless their program page states a lower one.

MBA Course Equivalency Guide

Nine of the ten MBA courses can be replaced by matching graduate credit; the Graduation Thesis cannot.

Graduate credit that does not match a specific Windsor course is not applied. Windsor keeps a list of outside courses and programs already approved for each Windsor course and publishes it on the Credit Transfer page.

How to Apply for Transfer Credit

Requests are made during admission and are decided within a few business days of receiving all documents; credit is granted only before the student enrolls in the Windsor course it replaces.

1. Apply to Windsor first. Submit the admission application and indicate on it that you are requesting transfer credit. Applicants planning to take outside courses should request a pre-evaluation before enrolling in them.
2. Send official records. Arrange for each record to reach [email protected] directly from its source:
   • Colleges and universities: official transcript from the registrar, with course descriptions or syllabi.
   • ACE-recommended courses: the official ACE Transcript through Credly or Accredible, with the verified certificate.
   • edX MicroMasters® programs: the verified program certificate and the edX program record link (Profile → View My Records → View Program Record → Copy program record link).
   • Work, military or training experience: the documents listed in Section 4.4 (résumé, employer letter, military record or training certificate, and a short statement), sent by the applicant.
   • Foreign institutions: the official transcript from an institution recognized by its country's ministry of education, with certified English translations where needed.
3. Faculty review. The Admissions Office checks eligibility (Section 5, or Section 4.4 for prior learning experience) and a faculty member qualified in the subject compares each course with the Windsor syllabus.
4. Written decision. The applicant receives a Transfer Credit Evaluation listing each course accepted or declined, the Windsor course it replaces, the reason, and the courses and credits that remain.
5. Updated study plan. The student's program plan and tuition schedule are adjusted before the first affected term begins.

Incomplete requests are held for 14 days and then closed so the applicant keeps their place in the intake. Closed requests can be resubmitted before the affected course starts.

Recording, Tuition and GPA

Accepted credit appears on the Windsor transcript as "TR" with its source, earns no grade points and lowers tuition by $360 for each 3-credit course replaced.

• Transcript entry. Each accepted course is listed under the Windsor course it replaces, marked TR, with the source institution, ACE course ID or “Prior Learning Experience”. The Transfer Credit Evaluation, showing the source and basis for each acceptance, is kept in the student file. TR is described in the Student Catalog grading section, and adjusted tuition is shown in the enrollment agreement.
• GPA. Transfer credit counts toward the credits required to graduate but is not used to calculate the Windsor GPA, academic honors or Satisfactory Academic Progress.
• Tuition. Tuition is charged only for credits taken at Windsor, at the published $120 per credit hour. A student who transfers 15 credits pays tuition for the remaining 15.
• Fees. Evaluation of transfer credit is free. Any posting fee is listed in the Tuition and Fees schedule.
• Program length. Replaced courses are removed from the student's term plan, which may shorten the program. The cohort calendar and the Graduation Thesis term stay as scheduled.

Pre-Approved Pathways and Partner Agreements

Windsor may sign agreements with online learning providers that guarantee specific graduate-level courses will transfer to a named Windsor course, so learners know the outcome before they enroll.

• What an agreement sets. The provider courses covered, the Windsor course each one replaces, the credit value, the minimum score, how transcripts reach Windsor and the date the agreement expires.
• Guaranteed acceptance. A course listed in a current agreement is accepted without a new faculty review, provided the student meets Sections 5 and 6.
• Publication. The Pre-Approved Course List is published on the Transfer of Credit page and reviewed each year. A course removed from the list stays accepted for students who completed it while it was listed.
• Approval. Agreements are proposed by Admissions and approved by the Chief Academic Officer.
• Learner advice. Learners should apply to Windsor before taking pathway courses and should transfer other prior credit first, so they do not take a course they would not need.
• Current agreements. Students receive the list of institutions and providers Windsor has a signed articulation agreement with; the list is published on this page.

Transferring Windsor Credit to Another Institution

Students and graduates may have their official Windsor transcript sent directly to another institution by emailing [email protected]; the receiving institution alone decides which Windsor credits it accepts.

Windsor completes a transcript request within 5 business days once any outstanding balance is settled. Learners planning to continue elsewhere should confirm that institution's transfer rules before enrolling.

Appeals, Integrity and Administration

12.1 Appeals

A student may appeal a declined course once, in writing to [email protected] within 30 days of the decision, with any new evidence such as a fuller syllabus. The Chief Academic Officer, or a faculty member not involved in the first review, decides within 15 business days. That decision is final.

12.2 Academic integrity

Falsified, altered or misrepresented records lead to denial of admission or, if found after admission, cancellation of all transfer credit and dismissal under the Academic Integrity and Fraud Policy. Windsor may verify any record directly with its issuer at any time.

12.3 Responsibilities

12.4 Disclaimer

An ACE credit recommendation, certificate or outside transcript does not guarantee credit at Windsor. Acceptance is decided by Windsor University under this policy and any license conditions set by the Higher Education Licensure Commission.