This policy applies to all coursework considered for transfer to Bellarmine University.
Bellarmine University awards transfer credit for grades “D” or higher in undergraduate coursework or B- in graduate coursework that is considered college-level and is from regionally accredited institutions when similar in scope, content, and standards to courses offered at Bellarmine. Remedial, technical, vocational, internship, externship, and courses not consistent with the liberal arts tradition are not transferable.
Students who have completed military training courses through the armed forces may be eligible to receive elective credit. Official military transcripts must be provided. The ACE National Guide, published by the American Council on Education, is used to assist in determining what credit might be granted. Military work is evaluated using the same considerations as transfer coursework.
Students must provide official transcripts sent directly from the other institution(s) to be reviewed for transfer of credit eligibility. Transfer of credit evaluations (TCE’s) are made on a course-by course basis by the Registrar’s Office in consultation with appropriate academic department chairs when necessary. Credits, transferred in semester hour equivalents, may be articulated as directly equivalent to a Bellarmine course or as elective credit. Students may provide the Registrar’s Office with additional descriptive material if further review is desired. Transfer work becomes a part of the official Bellarmine record after a student has been fully accepted and enrolled in the university. Transcripts and other documents submitted from other institutions and agencies are the property of Bellarmine University and will not be reissued to applicants, students, alumni, or other parties.
Credits and grades are recorded on the official Bellarmine transcript; however, transfer grades do not affect the student’s grade point average. The minimum institutional credit requirement of the university must be satisfied regardless of the number of credits transferred.
Once a student has matriculated at Bellarmine, he or she may not take a course at another institution and transfer it back to repeat a course previously taken at Bellarmine (transfer credits do not include GPA, therefore the original grade earned cannot be replaced).
If a student who entered Bellarmine as a transfer student repeats a course at Bellarmine that was taken at a previous school, and that repeat is in accordance with Bellarmine’s Repeat Policy, the student will be awarded the Bellarmine credit in the class. The credit for the original class will be eliminated from the overall credit totals of the student.
Current Bellarmine students who wish to take courses at another accredited institution and transfer the credit to Bellarmine University must obtain permission from their academic advisor and Registrar’s Office. Only students in academic good standing – those possessing a cumulative grade-point average of 2.00 or higher – are eligible. Students not in good standing are not permitted to take courses at other institutions for transfer back to Bellarmine. Courses taken at another college or university will not be accepted toward a degree unless a student has obtained approvals. Bellarmine reserves the right to determine the acceptability for credit of courses taken at another institution.
Students who wish to transfer to another institution from Bellarmine University should request information from that institution concerning its specific credit transfer policies. Bellarmine University is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and a member of the National Council for State Authorization Reciprocity Agreements (NC-SARA).