Transfer Credit

Acceptance of Credit from Other Institutions 

Students may use coursework completed at other institutions to fulfill program, general education, and/or elective unit requirements for the Associate Degree or certificate programs at Hartnell College.

Colleges and Universities must ensure the quality of their programs by adhering to specific evaluation criteria established and evaluated by private educational associations called accrediting agencies.  Hartnell College accepts courses from institutions accredited by the following regional agencies:

MSA Middle States Association (of Colleges and Schools)

HLC Higher Learning Commission

NEASC-CIHE New England Association of Schools and Colleges –Commission on Institutions of Higher Education

NWCCU Northwest Commission of Colleges and Universities (formerly NASC Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges)

SACS Southern Association of Colleges and Schools

WASC-ACCJC Western Association of Schools and Colleges- Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges

WASC-ACACS Western Association of Schools and Colleges- Accrediting Commission for Senior Colleges and Universities

Hartnell College recognizes those institutions that are either fully accredited or are listed as a candidate for accreditation as published in the Database of Accredited Postsecondary Institutions and Programs maintained by the U.S, Department of Education.
https://ope.ed.gov/dapip/#/home.

The elective unit requirement may be met with courses from regionally accredited colleges and universities without further evaluation.  Program and general education requirements may be met with courses from regionally accredited colleges and universities only after being evaluated through the course equivalency or course substitution process.

Course equivalency may be determined by any of the following methods:

1. Direct articulation between Hartnell and the sending institution 

2. Indirect articulation between Hartnell and other California Community Colleges based on approval of courses for the California Identification Number System (C-ID) 

3. Indirect articulation between Hartnell and a sending institution is determined by cross-referencing additional public colleges and universities included in the California statewide articulation repository (ASSIST.org). For example, if a course under review is not approved for C-ID and Hartnell does not have direct articulation with the California Community College a CSU that maintains articulation with both Hartnell and the other California Community College could be used to establish indirect articulation.

4. A critical evaluation of the course to verify core elements of the course including topics, course objectives, lecture and/or lab hours, and pre-co-requisites are sufficiently aligned with Hartnell courses. This review will be conducted by the counseling and/or evaluations staff.  Some courses will also require review by the college Articulation Officer, appropriate faculty content experts, and the appropriate dean.

Course substitutions may be approved by any of the following methods:

1. Courses completed at another California Community College that are approved for an associate degree general education category as outlined in Title 5 will be applied to the same associate degree general education category at Hartnell regardless of whether or not Hartnell has an equivalent course.

2. Courses completed at another California Community College or at a California State University that are approved for a CSU general education category as outlined in CSU E.O. 1065 will be applied to the parallel associate degree general education category at Hartnell.

3. Courses completed at private colleges and universities that are approved for a CSU general education category as outlined in CSU E.O. 1065 will be applied to the parallel associate degree general education category at Hartnell.

4. Courses completed at another California Community College that are approved for the Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) as outlined in the Standards, Policies & Procedures for IGETC) will be applied to the parallel associate degree general education category at Hartnell.

Upper Division Units

Hartnell College will accept coursework completed at the upper division level at a regionally accredited college or university under the following conditions:

1. The course must be deemed comparable to a Hartnell College’ course by the appropriate instructor, discipline area’s dean, and a “Course Substitution” form with the appropriate signatures will be submitted to Admissions and Records.

2. Courses may be used to meet a program requirement, an associate degree general education requirement, or a prerequisite

3. Courses will be accepted for subject credit only; units will not be awarded.

4. Maximum subject credit for 12 upper division units will be allowed

5. Courses will not be used to certify CSU GE or IGETC requirements

6. The upper-division course work and units will not be included on the student’s transcript

Note: Hartnell currently accepts upper division units; and, Title 5 does not limit the acceptance of upper division units. The Chancellor’s Office clearly supports the practice and many CCC now accept upper division units to fulfill program, and GE subject requirements.  The relevant Title 5 section is Section 55063.

Foreign Coursework

Foreign coursework must first be evaluated by an accredited and approved evaluation service, and then reviewed by Hartnell’s evaluators.   Some courses may also require approval by the appropriate discipline area dean and faculty.  Courses may be used to fulfill Hartnell College prerequisite, program, general education and elective unit requirements, after the foreign transcript evaluated in English is submitted for evaluation. Hartnell College will not determine course transferability to other colleges and universities. Courses will not be used to certify CSU GE or IGETC requirements

To have foreign coursework evaluated, students need to contact one of the approved evaluation agencies listed below and request a detailed comprehensive equivalency report that includes –for each course—a course name in English, whether it is an upper or lower division course, its U.S. semester equivalency, and the grade the student earned. Actual determination of Hartnell College credit for classes taken in another country will begin during an individual appointment with a Hartnell College counselor after you arrive on the Hartnell College campus and present your transcripts together with a valid outside foreign transcripts evaluated copy.

There may be other foreign evaluation services available; Hartnell College will accept evaluations from agencies holding current membership in the Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).  For a listing of members, please go to: https://www.naces.org/members

Military Service Credit through Credit for Prior Learning

Four semester units of elective credit will be granted to any actively enrolled student with an approved DD214 that shows completion of basic training in the Armed Services of the United States and any discharge other than dishonorable.  An approved DD214 may also be used to fulfill the California State University 3 unit Area E General Education Breadth requirement.

In addition, elective credit may be granted to actively enrolled students submitting a military transcript for lower division/baccalaureate level courses completed at schools in the Armed Services of the United States and in accordance with recommendations by the American Council on Education (ACE).  The number of units awarded is those recommended by the Council in the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services.

Please note the Community College of the Air Force is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and credit will be granted accordingly. Additional credits for prior learning may be awarded based on specific types of military service. See Administrative Procedure 4235 for requirements and procedures.

Transfer General Education Pass along Certification

CSU GE Certification:

“Certification” means that Hartnell College has verified that a student has completed the lower division general education requirements for the California State University. Certification is important because without it students will be held to the general education requirements specific to the CSU campus to which the student transfers. Courses from other colleges and universities may be considered for certification by petition through a process called “pass along certification”. Courses taken at CSU campuses, participating private colleges and universities*, and other California Community Colleges will be certified in the subject areas (CSUGE AREA A - F) approved by the institution where the courses were taken. Courses taken at other regionally accredited colleges and universities will be certified only if the course is determined to be equivalent to a course in a California Community College Certification Pattern. Courses deemed equivalent would be certified in the areas (CSUGE AREA A - F) in which the equivalent courses have been approved.

*Participating private colleges and universities include: Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, Humphreys College, Marymount College, and San Joaquin Valley College.

IGETC Certification:

“Certification” means that Hartnell College has verified that a student has completed the lower division general education requirements for the University of California and/or the California State University. Certification is important because without it students will be held to the general education requirements specific to the UC campus to which the student transfers.  Courses from other colleges and universities may be considered for certification through a process called “pass-along certification”. Courses taken at other California Community Colleges will be certified in the subject areas (AREA 1 – 7) approved by the institution where the courses were taken. Courses taken at other regionally accredited colleges and universities will be certified only if the course is determined to be equivalent to a course on a California Community College IGETC Certification Pattern. Courses deemed equivalent would be certified in the subject areas in which the equivalent CCC courses have been approved.