2.34.04 Transfer Students
| 2.34.04.010 | Preamble |
| The tradition of independence and autonomy in Michigan's higher education community has created a diversity of strong two- and four-year colleges and universities. Michigan's independent colleges and universities have various, recognized educational and economic missions, but taken together, they nevertheless constitute a comprehensive system of higher education within the State. This system is reflected not only in the complex teaching, research and service relations that exist among our colleges and universities, but also by the constant flow of transfer students among these institutions. | |
| 2.34.04.020 | |
| The transfer of students between Michigan's institutions of higher education is essential for the fulfillment of the total educational mission of the State, promoting access by students to institutions each with a different educational mission. The people of the State have created and continue to support an array of public two- and four-year colleges and universities. A choice among different institutions of higher learning is fundamental to fulfill the educational mission of the State and of Michigan's student population. Students should be able to exercise the opportunity to transfer between institutions without prejudice or penalty. Wayne State commits to participate in statewide initiatives consistent with our policies to ensure equal treatment for transfer students. | |
| 2.34.04.030 | |
| Transfer between two- and four-year colleges is also essential to the economic well-being of the State, and to the future growth of this entire region. Michigan's economy will increasingly require the basic, technical and professional skills provided by education at the associate, baccalaureate and graduate degree levels. It is recognized that the institutions providing these levels of education have their own strengths, roles, and responsibilities: The two-year colleges have vigorous programs in technical, vocational, and applied areas that train students and upgrade their skills for immediate employment opportunities, as well as offering introductory programs of a more traditional academic nature that serve general educational purposes and prepare students for further career development; the four-year colleges provide academic programs with greater in-depth range of development and broader educational base; the universities involve education at the undergraduate and graduate levels that benefit from the scholarship and research commitments of these institutions. The whole range of educational institutions mentioned above serve directly the society of which they are a part, and meet this obligation in various ways. Though distinct in character, these educational institutions do have a number of overlapping functions, and there is mobility of students among institutions. Freedom of movement between institutions offering various degrees is essential if Michigan's citizens are to obtain new knowledge that will be vital to future economic growth and the quality of life. Senior institutions in the State have a responsibility to cooperate among themselves, and with the junior and community colleges, to ensure that students are able to pursue advanced degrees in a coherent and timely fashion which minimizes redundancy and delay, and to preserve the quality of the students' education. | |
| 2.34.04.040 | |
| Wayne State University accepts responsibility for cooperation with other collegiate institutions, and has therefore designed a transfer policy which promotes broad access to higher education for all students who have initiated studies at other colleges and universities. Basic provisions of the policy statement set forward below should be interpreted in the light of this overriding objective. | |
| 2.34.04.050 | Introduction |
| Transfer of credit from one institution to another involves at least three considerations: | |
| 2.34.04.060 | |
| a) the educational quality of the institution from which the student transfers; | |
| 2.34.04.070 | |
| b) the comparability of the nature, content, and level of credit earned to that offered by the receiving institution; and | |
| 2.34.04.080 | |
| c) the appropriateness and applicability of the credit earned to the programs offered by the receiving institution, in light of the student's educational goals. | |
| 2.34.04.090 | |
| Accreditation speaks primarily to the first of these considerations, serving as the basic indicator that an institution meets certain minimum standards. The Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) has a formal process of recognition which requires that any accrediting body so recognized must meet the same standards. Wayne State University accepts the definition of an accredited institution as one which has been granted full recognition by a regional accrediting group (such as the Higher Learning Commission) which has received a positive evaluation from CHEA. | |
| 2.34.04.100 | |
| Comparability of the nature, content, and level of transfer credit and the appropriateness and applicability of the credit earned to programs offered by the receiving institution are as important in the evaluation process as the accreditation status of the institution at which the transfer credit was awarded. Since accreditation does not address these questions, this information must be obtained from catalogues and other materials and from direct contact between knowledgeable and experienced faculty and staff at both the receiving and sending institutions. When such considerations as comparability and appropriateness of credit are satisfied, transfer credit will be awarded. While the course may be awarded undergraduate credit, the corresponding degree-granting school or college will determine its final applicability to specific degree requirements. | |
| 2.34.04.110 | Equal Opportunity for Native and Transfer Students |
| Wayne State University will establish academic policies and standards, including satisfaction of proficiency requirements, which apply equally to all students. Within the guidelines established by academic policy, admission to major and professional programs and satisfaction of proficiency and graduation requirements will be applied without discrimination between native students and transfer students from all accredited two- and four-year colleges and universities. | |
| 2.34.04.120 | Transfer Credit Policy |
| Wayne State University policy governing transfer of credit from all accredited institutions of higher education will be applied equally to students transferring from community colleges and from baccalaureate colleges and universities. | |
| 2.34.04.130 | |
| General Rules Concerning Transfer of Credit. Wayne State University will accept all academic credit from regionally accredited baccalaureate-granting institutions, and of acdemic credits from regionally accredited non-baccalaureate degree-granting institutions. Credits accepted for transfer are for courses for which a course equivalence exists or which have been determined to be of a traditional academic nature, and 4) meet the transfer grade policy outlined in 2.34.04.150. | |
| 2.34.04.135 | |
| Transfer of Credit from Institutions not Accredited by a Regional Accrediting Agency. Wayne State University may accept for transfer those credits from those institutions with candidacy status from a regional accrediting agency; or from other accredited institutions provided that the institution 1) grants a baccalaureate or associate degree, 2) is fully accredited by an agency recognized by CHEA, 3) the courses presented for transfer are shown to have equivalency or are determined to be of traditional academic nature. | |
| 2.34.04.140 | |
| Technical, Vocational and Applied Credit. To facilitate transfer of students, Wayne State University will accept credit earned in technical, vocational and applied (TVA) courses at two- and four-year colleges if such courses are determined to be cognate or related to a student's intended program. The applicability of these technical, vocational, and applied transfer credits toward fulfillment of major program requirements shall be established through existing curricular procedures. | |
| 2.34.04.150 | |
| Grades Below "C". WSU will accept individual courses for transfer where the grade of "C" or above is earned, provided the cumulative grade point average earned by the transfer student meets admission standards. The grades will not contribute to the Wayne State University grade point average. A transfer student shall have the same opportunity as a native student to repeat a transfer course for replacement credit by substituting an equivalent Wayne State course, with the earlier credit replaced by the Wayne State course. | |
| 2.34.04.160 | |
| Transfer of Remedial or Development Coursework. Credit earned in courses designated remedial or developmental will not transfer. | |
| 2.34.04.170 | |
| 2.34.04.170 Transfer of Redundant or Duplicative Coursework. Transfer credit will not be awarded for redundant coursework (i.e., courses with substantially duplicative content). Credit will be awarded for only one course in any set of redundant courses. | |
| 2.34.04.180 | |
| Residency and Upper Division Requirements. Transfer students will be required to meet the University and College residency requirement, and to obtain the same number of upper division credits in fulfillment of the baccalaureate degree as are required of native students in specific major programs. | |
| 2.34.04.190 | |
| Junior Standing. Wayne State University will award junior standing to all transfer students for whom sixty or more semester hours of credits have been accumulated, whether they are transferred credits or credits earned at Wayne State University. The University, acting through established procedures of governance, will retain the right to establish curricular pre-requisites in particular program areas. Junior standing will not guarantee automatic entry to professional programs in the Schools and Colleges. Transcripts will be individually evaluated to determine whether all prerequisites for professional standing have been met by native and transfer students. | |
| 2.34.04.200 | |
| General Distribution Requirements. Acting through established governance procedures, collegial units will establish general distribution requirements for the baccalaureate degree in major program areas which will apply equally to native and transfer students. Transfer credits for courses which have a course-equivalence relationship to courses at Wayne State University that have been certified to meet native general distribution requirements will likewise contribute to satisfaction of general distribution requirements for nonnative students. Courses of l academic nature that lack equivalency may also contribute to satisfaction of general distribution requirements if they have been determined to have comparable subject matter equivalency to courses taken by native students. | |
| 2.34.04.220 | Extension Offerings in Community College Districts |
| Wayne State University will continue to offer a wide range of credit courses, undergraduate through graduate, in estension locations where there is sufficient student demand. At the lower division level, enrollment in University course offerings will be analyzed each year to ensure that the prevailing pattern is for enrolled students to be matriculates of the University. | |
| 2.34.04.230 | Collaboration and Sharing of Resources |
| Wayne State University will encourage and facilitate collaborative efforts between the University and community colleges in teaching, research and community service. The University will also promote the reciprocal use of resources such as computers, libraries and technological aids by students and staff of the University and state community colleges. | |
| 2.34.04.240 | |
| Faculty-to-Faculty Interaction. Collegial units will establish ways and means of strengthening and encouraging interaction between University faculty and their community college counterparts. The Wayne State University advisory staff will continue to cooperate with their counterparts to ensure that prospective students understand the academic requirements in this institution. | |
| 2.34.04.260 | |
| The University will continue its commitment to the Michigan Transfer Network to collaborate with other two- and four-year colleges in the development of a master equivalency file and pathways between the State's public colleges and universities. | |
| 2.34.04.270 | Standard Transfer Procedures |
| Standard Procedure for Determining Equivalency. Collegial units will determine course-to-course equivalency for new transfer credits in their program areas. Major collegial units will develop, publish and implement standard procedures for determining equivalency of content and level of transfer credit and work collaboratively with other institutions on equivalency evaluation as necessary. Other course work evaluated and deemed acceptable will be awarded university transfer credit consistent with rules and policies governing transfer credit. | |
| 2.34.04.280 | |
| Master Course Equivalency Tables. The Master Course Equivalency Tables will continue to be produced and used for the purpose of determining course-to-course equivalency. Positive course equivalency determinations now embodied in the Master Course Equivalency Tables will be changed if course content at either the receiving or the transfer institution undergoes substantial modification. Course-to-course equivalency may be used to determine those transfer credits that fulfill specific major program requirements (e.g., curricular prerequisites, core or cognate courses for a disciplinary major). Academic units will retain the right to accept comparable subject matter equivalency as a standard in determining fulfillment of prerequisite, core or cognate requirements in their major program area. The Master Course Equivalency Tables will also serve as the basis for determining redundancy in transfer coursework. | |
| 2.34.04.300 | |
| As part of the University's ongoing efforts to improve student outcomes, transfer students will be included in all relevant university level student success analysis and reporting. | |
| 2.34.04.310 | Definitions |
| Junior Standing. Junior standing is the tuition level designation applied to students who have completed sixty (60) semester hours of credit of college level work. The Junior standing designation is separate and distinct from the "Upper Division" designation which is assigned to students by individual collegial units according to criteria established by those units. | |
| 2.34.04.320 | |
| Comparable Subject Matter Equivalency. General distribution requirements may be fulfilled by transfer credits earned in courses that display comparable subject matter equivalency with courses offered at Wayne State University. A college-level transfer course will have comparable subject equivalency if it falls within a specified disciplinary area (e.g., science, social science, humanities, etc.), has equivalent theoretical and/or mathematical content, and contains other, specific curricular components which are deemed necessary to satisfy baccalaureate distribution requirements (e.g., laboratory experience). | |
| 2.34.04.330 | |
| Native Students are those who have been admitted and enrolled at Wayne State University before attending any collegiate institution (First Time In Any College (FTIAC) designation). |
Legislative History
Adopted 8-0; Official Proceedings 27:3826 (15 July 1983) Amended(1) 8-0; Official Proceedings 28:3941 (13 June 1984) Amended(2) 5-0; Official Proceedings 40:5321 (20 September 1996); Revised (04 December 2015); Revised (29 April 2022)