Transfer Of Credits

A maximum of six (6) credit hours of appropriate coursework, taken on a graduate level at an accredited institution prior to program admittance, may be transferred and applied toward a Master's degree or certificate requirements. Students in the Expressive Therapies 48-credit Master's program are allowed to transfer up to 12 approved graduate credits from affiliated training institutions only. The student's academic advisor and school dean or designee must approve this coursework. Transfer credit requests from non-accredited colleges and universities are not acceptable for graduate degree programs. Students should contact each individual school for transfer credit policy.

Adult Bachelor's students should refer to criteria listed in the Lesley College Adult Learners Section. Ph.D. students should refer to the criteria listed in the Ph.D. program section.

An official transcript from all colleges, universities, or military institutions must be submitted with the Request for Transfer of Credit Form. This form is available by mail, from the Office of the University Registrar, or from the school/program office. The Request for Transfer of Credit Form and all required documentation are due before the conclusion of the first semester. Students utilizing Veteran Administration benefits must submit a copy of their military transcript prior to the conclusion of their second semester. All other transfer credit must be approved and processed prior to the final semester leading to graduation. Transcripts for courses taken at Lesley University are not required for review since these courses are part of the student's Lesley University transcript.

Transfer of credit reduces the number of courses that the student must take for completion of a program. Applicants should request to transfer credits into a program at the time of acceptance into the degree, certificate, or licensure program, or at the first meeting with the student's academic advisor. After admission, students may not take courses at other institutions for transfer credit without prior written approval from the appropriate school dean or designee.

Students who petition for transfer credit approval should not assume credits are accepted as transfer credit until they are posted on their academic record. While courses approved for transfer appear on the final Lesley University transcript, grades of transferred courses are not used to calculate the grade point average. The school retains the right to determine whether transfer credits may be accepted.

Transfer of Credits: Lesley College Adult Learners

A minimum of 30 credits must be earned at Lesley College. Students may transfer up to a maximum of 90 credits of approved coursework toward a Lesley Bachelor's degree. Eligibility of previous university-level work is determined on an individual basis by the student's advisor and the director of the Lesley College Center for the Adult Learner. The following requirements must be met in order to apply for transfer of credit:

• Credits must be from a regionally or nationally accredited institution recognized by the United States Department of Education. Credits from institutions outside the United States may be approved upon evaluation submitted by the admissions office at Lesley University, or by an outside evaluation agency. This evaluation takes place as part of the admissions process.
• A letter grade of "C" (2.0) or better must have been awarded. Courses with a pass grade may be approved if accompanied by a statement in the university handbook or from the registrar of the university indicating that the pass grade is equivalent to a "C"or better.
• Following acceptance into Lesley University, students may apply credit earned at other institutions toward their degree, if the approval of the academic advisor is obtained prior to enrollment in the course.

Credits older than 7 years:

Transfer credits older than seven (7) years can be transferred into professional majors, in on- and off-campus and LCB programs, based on careful review of transcripts and student's experience in the field.

ESL credits:

ESL credits can be transferred without cap if the student has been granted credits at the institution where s/he did the program, as long as they carry a transferable prefix (e.g., 100+). If transferred, the courses can fulfill humanities requirements only, not writing. Otherwise, the student can transfer the credits as part of her/his PLA portfolios.

Urban College credits/Bridge program:

Credits from Urban College acquired before 1996 are transferable, once students have completed Lives in Context with a grade of "B" or better.

Duplication of transfer of credits:

Duplicate courses will not be transferred, even if the student took them at different institutions (e.g., Intro to Psychology at Bunker Hill and Fundamentals of Psychology at Middlesex). In the case where courses have the same numbers and/or titles, students must provide proof to determine that the courses are different (e.g., course descriptions from catalogs or course syllabi).

In the case of College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), Dante Subject Standardized Test (DSST) and Advanced Placement (AP) tests, where students can get six (6) or more credits for the same subject, the advisor will evaluate the student's experience and determine her/his level of knowledge. At that point, the advisor will decide whether or not to allow the transfer of more credits, if necessary.

Adult Bachelor's Programs: Earning Credit through CLEP and ACT/PEP

CLEP credits by examination will be awarded through the University Level Examination Program and ACT/PEP (Proficiency Examination Program), if the content area is applicable to the student's course of study at Lesley University. Lesley College Adult Learners may receive a total of 30 credits through CLEP or ACT/PEP. The combined total of test credits and transfer credits may not exceed 90 credits.

Adult Bachelor's Programs: Prior Learning Assessment Credits

Lesley University recognizes that adults returning for Bachelor's degrees have often acquired an extensive amount of work experience and life skills related to their future careers. Accepted Lesley College Adult Learner degree candidates who document and evaluate past experiences relevant to their course of study may apply to receive a maximum of 45 prior learning assessment credits. Only prior learning assessment credits earned through the Lesley College Adult Learner prior learning assessment review process are eligible for acceptance for graduation requirements.

Lesley College Adult Learners: Credits Awarded for a Nursing Diploma

Individuals who have completed nurse's training and who wish to earn a Bachelor's degree from Lesley College may transfer a maximum of 64 credits for a three-year diploma and a Registered Nurse Certificate from a recognized institution toward the Lesley College Bachelor's degree.

Transfer of Credits: Independent Study Degree Program

For Independent Study Degree Program Master's or Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.) programs, previous work is not counted toward the degree. Work done during the semester in which the student applies to the Independent Study Degree Program may be counted as part of the degree work with the approval of the academic advisor. Academic work at accredited institutions outside of Lesley University completed during the program may be transferred using the Request for Transfer of Credit Form, available from the Office of the University Registrar. All transfer of credit policies listed for graduate-level programs also apply.

Transfer of Credits: Master's and Certificate Programs

To be accepted for transfer into a Master's or certificate program, a course must have been completed with a letter grade of "B" or better. The course must be in an area of study judged by the school/program to be essentially parallel to a required course or suitable in content for elective credit. The course must be a graduate-level course, must not have been used as credits to meet degree requirements in another program of study at Lesley University or at another institution, and must not be more than seven (7) years old at the time of graduation from Lesley University. Courses completed more than seven (7) years from the anticipated date of graduation will not be accepted. Master's and C.A.G.S. level courses with a pass grade may be approved if accompanied by a statement from the affiliated university handbook or from the registrar of the university indicating that the pass grade is equivalent to a "B" or better. Students should contact each program for the transfer credit policy.

Transfer of Credits: Ph.D. Program

Courses Taken Before Matriculation into the Ph.D. Program

Students are permitted to transfer a maximum of 12 credits of post-master's work toward the Ph.D. degree. The courses must be:

• approved through advisement
• taken post-master's level
• completed at regionally-accredited institutions
• completed no longer than five years prior to the date of admission to the doctoral program
• completed with a grade of "B" or better

Students who have received a Certificate of Advanced Graduate Study (C.A.G.S.) and who have taken required doctoral courses in Lesley's on-campus program (Nature of Inquiry, Interdisciplinary Seminars I & II, Quantitative Research Methods, and Qualitative Research Methods I), may transfer them in to the program as part of the 12 transfer credits.

Courses Taken After Matriculation into the Ph.D. Program

With prior approval of the senior advisor and the Advanced Graduate Council, Ph.D. students may include in their study plan traditional coursework at other universities (no limit on the number of credits that students can transfer into their program of study at Lesley University). Students register for these courses at the designated accredited institution and transfer the courses to Lesley University. All such credits must be approved by the senior advisor and the program director and must be transferred before the end of Phase II of the doctoral study.

Transfer of International Credits: Graduate Degree Programs

Accepted degree candidates may petition to transfer up to six (6) semester credits.

The Request for Transfer of Credit Form and all required documentation is due prior to or during the first semester of study. Transfer credits must be approved and processed prior to the final semester leading to graduation. Students are strongly encouraged to discuss whether the courses are appropriate for their graduate degree program with their academic advisor at their first meeting.

Students must submit official documentation from the native country and translations in English to the Office of Graduate and Adult Bachelor's Admissions. Documentation must include official transcripts with grades, course titles, course dates, and letters confirming accreditation. In some cases, the program director or the senior assistant director of international admissions may require additional information such as syllabi, course descriptions, and program brochures.

Students are strongly encouraged to speak with the senior assistant director of international admissions to determine what specific documentation must be submitted. The senior assistant director of international admissions will evaluate the credentials to establish that they are in accordance with University policy. However, if the Office of Graduate and Adult Bachelor's Admissions cannot conduct the evaluation, it becomes the responsibility of the student to submit a written evaluation of their academic records (transcripts or mark sheets). Once the senior assistant director of international admissions confirms the initial requirements, the senior assistant director will send the documents to the appropriate program director.

The program director will then review the documentation and determine if the course is acceptable as elective credit or appropriate for a course waiver. Approved transfer of international credits requests are forwarded to the Office of the University Registrar for processing. Students may view their approved transferred credits on LOIS.