The Transfer Evaluation & Student Services (TESS) unit of the Office of the Registrar provides transfer students with the information and resources necessary for a successful transition to Kennesaw State University. A critical component of the transfer process is determining course equivalencies. The University System of Georgia (USG) offers transfer course guarantees for students who meet General Education requirements from USG institutions. There are also transfer guarantees from the USG via an articulation agreement for students who transfer courses from the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). KSU may extend transfer course guarantees via articulation agreements with other regionally accredited post-secondary institutions or international post-secondary institutions with equivalent of U.S. regional accreditation.

TESS coordinates the course equivalency process for courses in the General Education Curriculum, lower-division requirements, upper division requirements, equivalencies for credit-by-exam mechanisms, and military education. Each academic department is responsible for determining course equivalency for transfer courses that may be applicable to the student’s program, including upper-division requirements.

The equivalency review process generally does not begin until a student is fully accepted to Kennesaw State University and all relevant documents are received. All transferable coursework shall be assessed and dully noted on the student's KSU transcript.

For further details and overall policy information, please visit our Catalog.

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Transfer Credit Practices

  • For purposes of clarity, transferability is the initial eligibility that credits are acceptable from another post-secondary institution. Applicability refers to eligible transfer credit counting toward a student’s degree requirements.

    Transferability of credit is allowed from post-secondary institutions that are accredited by a U.S. regional accrediting association at the time the coursework was completed. Transfer of eligible credit is allowed from post-secondary institutions that are accredited by a U.S. regional accredited institution at the time the coursework was completed.
    Applicability refers to eligible transfer credit counting toward a student’s degree requirements. 

    • Courses are transferable with a grade of “D”. However, some general education and major-specific requirements must have a higher grade to count toward requirements. English Composition courses are required a grade of “C” or higher for transferability.
    • Transfer credit for undergraduate coursework is not directly awarded for the following: internships, practicums, professional development workshops/seminars, study abroad, work experience, graduate-level courses, lower-division Nursing courses, remedial/developmental courses, third party platforms or affiliated entities (regardless of the regional accreditation of the partner institution). If you would like to seek credit for your experiential learning, a Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) may be an option
    • Courses determined to be remedial/developmental are not eligible to transfer
    • If a student chooses to change majors within KSU, credit previously transferred may be reevaluated and applied as appropriate to the student’s new degree program
    • Grades earned in the transfer credit courses are not calculated into the institutional GPA
    • Students cannot request the removal of transferable and/or applicable coursework from their transcripts or audits

  • State of Georgia Legislative requirements are met by successfully completing the following courses:

    • U.S. and Georgia History: HIST 2111 U.S. History to 1877 or HIST 2112 U.S. History Since 1877
    • U.S. and Georgia Constitution: POLS 1101 American Government

    If HIST 2111 or HIST 2112 and POLS 1101 not taken in residence or transferred from an approved Georgia Institution, students will have to pass the relevant Georgia Constitution and/or Georgia History exemption examinations available through our Testing Center.

    Please see the Office of the Registrar for more information regarding GA State Legislative Requirements.

  • Prior learning assessment (PLA) is the process of earning college credit for learning acquired from other sources, such as work experience, military experience/education, professional certification, or portfolios. It is important to clarify that this process refers to the acquisition of knowledge and how it translates into college-level courses, not on experience alone. KSU has approved three PLA methods: credit-by-exam, departmental challenge exams, and portfolio assessments. Complete information on departmental challenge exams and portfolio assessments can be found on the PLA website.

    Credit-by-Exam

    A student may receive college credit through approved credit-by-exam while a KSU degree-seeking student or before.

    KSU recognizes that high school students have the opportunity to take part in the Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB) programs or Caribbean Advanced Proficiency Examination (CAPE). Depending on the exam and score attained, a student may receive credit. The relevant testing body must send official test scores to KSU for consideration. KSU may honor AP or IB credit and course equivalent noted on the transcript of another USG institution.

    KSU recognizes College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST),  and Foreign Language Achievement Testing (FLATS) exams. Credit will not be awarded for a course previously failed or audited. The relevant testing body must send official test scores to KSU for consideration. KSU may honor CLEP, DSST, or FLATS credit and course equivalent noted on the transcript of another USG institution. These mechanisms are accessible to degree-seeking students via the KSU Testing Center. To register visit: https://testing.kennesaw.edu.

    TESS is tasked with the equivalency process for credit-by-exam mechanisms. The complete credit-by-exam equivalency tables can be found at Credit by Exam.

    Military Experience/Education

    Credit earned for military experience/education from the U.S. Armed Forces branches that furnish the Joint Service Transcript (JST) will be transferred and evaluated in accordance with the guidelines established by Section 2.14 of the USG Academic and Student Affairs Handbook. From Fall Semester 2012 through Summer Semester 2019, KSU assigned a grade of “S” for military experience/education credit. To conform to PLA grading standards, a grade of “K” is assigned for military experience/education credit, starting Fall 2019. Information on the guidelines and requesting an evaluation of military experience/education can found at Military Transfer Credit.

    Additional PLA Guidelines

    Additional PLA guidelines include, but are not limited to, the following.

    • No duplicate credit will be awarded
    • If a student earns credit for the same course from different exams, credit will be awarded from the exam that would provide the most credit
    • When an exam score corresponds to the same credit as a completed course, the course credit will be applied, if the course grade is “C” or higher
    • Course equivalencies are included in degree audit and/or transcript
    • A grade of “K” is assigned when credit is awarded via PLA

  • KSU allows transfer of credit from institutions outside the United States with specific conditions. A foreign credential evaluation is required through an accredited agency from the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). A student may acquire a foreign credential evaluation through Lisano International, the Association of International Credential Evaluators (AICE) or a foreign credential evaluating service approved by a U.S. Federal Agency through prior confirmation from the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. The foreign credential evaluation must include a verified copy of the original transcript, if it was not included in the initial submission of documents to KSU. The international coursework must come from an institution with accreditation equivalent to U.S. regional accreditation.

    To determine applicability to degree requirements, a student may need to provide information on the content of each completed course. This course content may require translation from a certified translator, if not in English.

    In coordination with your academic advisor, TESS may make recommendations on potential courses to register. Depending on when you are accepted to KSU, the evaluation might not be completed by the time of your registration. We highly recommend that you do not register four courses that you may deem similar to ones taken through your home institution. 

    Pre-approved Education Abroad coursework is governed by practices and guidelines established in coordination with the Office of Global Affairs and Office of the Registrar.

    International End-of-High-School Credit-By-Exam

    Kennesaw State will consider awarding college credit for subject examinations taken at the end of the high school in countries other than the U.S. To be eligible for consideration, the examinations must be given nationally and must report scores by subject (not merely a total score). Students who wish for the University to consider awarding college for subject examinations should contact the Office of Undergraduate Admission for more information. There is no guarantee that a foreign examination will be accepted for college credit.

  • Transfer credits are re-evaluated in accordance with the new requirements and policies 
    in effect for the year/term the student is readmitted to KSU. A readmitted degree- 
    seeking student may have differing requirements from their initial year/term of entry.

 

If you hold one of the following degrees, there are additional applicability criteria that will impact the review of your credits.

International Transfer Credit

In addition to the foreign credential evaluation submitted as part of your application, once you are accepted to Kennesaw State University, you will also need to submit information on each of the courses taken, in order for us to apply them to our degree requirements. 

The course content information should include, but is not limited to, the topics covered, methods of assessment, and bibliography. This information, if not in English, must be translated by a certified translator or translating agency. If you are in the U.S., you may choose a translator certified in the language of origin from the American Translators Association. You are welcomed to submit these materials to Transfer Evaluation & Student Services (TESS) via email link below or provide the materials in person to the Office of the Registrar in Kennesaw Hall.

AMERICAN TRANSLATORS ASSOCIATION EMAIL TRANSFER EVALUATION & STUDENT SERVICES

 

In coordination with your academic advisor, TESS may make recommendations on potential courses to register. Depending on when you are accepted to KSU, the evaluation might not be completed by the time of your registration. We highly recommend that you do not register for courses that you may deem similar to ones taken through your home institution.

Degrees

    • Students with an Associates degree from a USG institution should refer to the USG Core Curriculum Transfer Agreement for transfer resources.
    • Associates in Arts and Associate in Science degrees from a non-USG institution will be reviewed on course-by-course basis according to KSU transfer evaluation policies.
    • Applied Associate degrees credits are generally not transferable and/or applicable to KSU. Eligibility may be determined through a Prior Learning Assessment, Departmental approvals and/or articulation agreements.
    • Any other Associates degrees not mentioned will be covered under the same process and policy as Applied Associate degrees.
    • U.S. regionally accredited Applied Bachelor’s degree credits are generally not transferable and/or applicable to KSU. Eligibility may be determined through a Prior Learning Assessment, Departmental approvals, and/or articulation agreements.
    • Anyone with any other U.S. regional accredited bachelor's degree or its foreign equivalent will be reviewed on a course-by-course basis. This will not waive any general education and/or prerequisite courses that are still needed according to your major or the State of Georgia Legislative Requirements.

  • Certificate or Occupational Degree

    • KSU does not accept courses which directly apply to a certificate or occupational degree.
    • If you would like to seek credit for your experiential learning, please see Prior Learning Assessment.