Transfer of Credit

Students may not pick and choose the credit that they wish to transfer. Coursework transferred or accepted for credit toward an undergraduate degree must represent collegiate coursework relevant to the degree, with course content and level of instruction resulting in student competencies at least equivalent to those enrolled in the institution's own undergraduate degree programs. Transfer students whose transcripts show satisfactory completion of the General Education program prescribed by the Tennessee Board of Regents' Policy on Degree Requirements shall be exempted from taking additional courses that normally are a part of the general education requirements of the University, except where teacher certification regulations, major field requirements, or professional accreditation agencies require the inclusion of such courses in the program of studies.

Transfer Credit - Advanced Placement. Advanced placement credit awarded by an institution that has requirements different from those at TTU will be accepted if the student has completed the next successive course in the sequence with at least a grade of "C."

Articulation Agreements With Community Colleges. Tennessee Tech has entered into articulation agreements with the following community colleges: Chattanooga State, Cleveland State, Columbia State, Motlow State, Northeast State, Pellissippi State, Roane State, Volunteer State and Walters State. These transfer programs lead to admission with junior standing at Tennessee Tech after receiving the associate degree by the specified community college. For further information, contact the Director of Academic Services.

Advanced Standing. Students who have attended another collegiate institution may not enter as beginning freshmen. Transcripts of all work attempted at other institutions must be sent by those institutions prior to admission and will be evaluated to determine the student's standing at Tennessee Technological University. Failure to submit any transcript of previous work will be considered as falsification of the record. The acceptance of transfer credit by the University confers advanced standing upon the transfer student.

The student transferring from another institution or requesting advanced standing for educational experiences in the Armed Forces must meet the requirements of this institution for graduation regardless of the number of credits submitted for advanced standing. In instances where there is insufficient information available to evaluate course content and level of instruction for work completed at another institution prior to enrollment, the applicant will be given a tentative evaluation and the work from such institutions will not be entered on the records until the student's transfer credits have been validated.

Advanced standing will not be granted for credit from an institution which is not a recognized college or university. An alternate plan for transfer students in this category permits the establishment of 14 hours of credit by special examination as provided below. See also, Advanced Placement with Credit.

Community College Credits. A student transferring credit from a two-year institution must complete a minimum of 50 semester hours at a senior institution. Residency and other degree requirements of Tennessee Tech must be met.

Credit in Religious Studies. Tennessee Tech reserve the right to limit transfer credit in religious studies to a maximum of 12 semester hours.

DANTES Examinations - Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support. Students may earn college credit for DANTES examinations administered by the Educational Testing Service and evaluated using ACE Guidelines. Credit through DANTES examinations may not be earned for courses in which previously or currently  enrolled, including courses failed in residence, for courses in which credit already has been earned in coursework at a higher level, or for both the DANTES examination and its equivalent course. Students wishing specific information on transferability regarding certain DANTES exams must check with the academic unit pertaining to the subject of the exam. DANTES examination scores must be sent to the Office of Admissions on an official transcript form sent directly from the Educational Testing Service (ETS). See the Transfer Coordinator for further information on DANTES tests.

Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces. In evaluating armed services credit, Tennessee Technological University follows the recommendations of the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experience in the Armed Services, published by the American Council on Education, if there is equivalent course content at Tennessee Tech. Servicemembers should be prepared upon entrance to present to the University their discharge or service records (Form DD-214), or a transcript of credits earned while in the armed services, for evaluation. Students who have had 4 or more months of active service in the U.S. armed forces may be given credit not to exceed the 8 hours for the military science course. A student requesting credit for prior ROTC training or active Military Service must obtain certificate from the Department of Military Science. When appropriate, the allowable credit may be given in freshman and sophomore physical education. Tennessee Technological University is a member of Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges and participates in the Concurrent Admissions Program (ConAP).

International Transfer Credit.

Any undergraduate student (international, domestic, or  permanent resident)  with transfer course work from an institution abroad, must follow the following steps to receive transfer work: The student's college or university must be reviewed by the Office of International Education to substantiate that the university is listed via the World Higher Education Database (WHED) at  https://www.whed.net/.

In the event the institution of higher education is not listed in WHED, the students will be required to apply for a professional evaluation to receive credit. The student will be required to have coursework evaluated by a member of National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). The department chair of the course's discipline will review to determine if the course is equivalent. Tennessee Tech will not award credit from any unlisted WHED institution without the evaluation from a NACES member. To appeal credit for a specific course offered by TTU, the course description must be supplied in English to the Office of Admissions or International Education.

Tennessee Tech students who participate in Tennessee Tech's Study Abroad program are exempt from the NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services) evaluation. A list of accredited providers can be found here.

Tennessee Tech will accept and award credit for the AS and A-Level certificates.  A student may earn credit for satisfactory scores which are equivalent to a US grade of C or better on examinations offered by Cambridge, Edexcel, IGCSE, and its equivalent in many other nations: Abitur, CXC, WASC, NECO, Matura, Diplome de Baccalaureate, VG, MVG, SPM, STPM, V1, V2, V3, Baccalaureate, Matriculation Exam, and AICE diplomas.

Credit will be awarded for courses taken at universities which have a Memorandum of Understanding with Tennessee Tech, provided the course is listed in the official articulation table.  This official articulation table is developed with all course work evaluated by the university faculty and is part of the articulation agreement between the two institutions.

Credit Established by Professional Certificate or Non-Credit Courses. Academic credit may be awarded on occasion for professional certification or non-credit courses. Requests for the award of such credit must be submitted to the departmental chairperson of the department in which credit is being sought. As the executor of departmental policy, he or she will evaluate the requests and submit a recommendation to accept or reject them to the college dean and Office of Records for final approval.

Establishment of Credit by Special Examination. A student who has had sufficient training or experience in a subject to merit the establishment of credit by comprehensive examination but who has not enrolled in the same, comparable, or higher level course at the college level may request the privilege of taking a special examination prepared by the department involved. The request for special examination is secured from the Office of Records and Registration, and the required signatures of approval are obtained, after which the student pays the special examination fee of $20.00 per semester hour to the Business Office. The results of such an examination will be recorded on the student's permanent record. Not more than 14 semester hours may be established by special examination. To establish credit in this manner, a student must be enrolled in the University. Only grades of A, B, C, D and F will be assigned.

Correspondence, Extension Work and Study at Other Institutions. A student who wishes to enroll for correspondence courses, extension work, or residence study at another institution with the intention of transferring this credit to Tennessee Technological University should have prior written approval from the Dean of the school or college in which the student proposes to graduate. The appropriate request form is obtained from the Office of Records and Registration. Work taken without such approval may be presented for evaluation but will be subject to approval or disapproval. Official transcripts should be furnished immediately upon the completion of such work. Correspondence credit in Freshman English and courses which include laboratory work will not be accepted.

A student in residence at Tennessee Technological University who wishes to take correspondence work from another institution while enrolled at the University will be permitted to do so only if he or she is unable to arrange a schedule for the course on campus. The student needs to file with the Office of Records and Registration a Request for In-Residence Study at Another Institution approved by the advisor and the chairperson of the department in which the work is offered on campus before enrolling for the work. Such courses taken off campus are counted as part of the student's load and are subject to the regulations concerning load.

Not more than 60 semester hours of earned towards a baccalaureate degree by Prior Learning Assessment (PLA), including, but not limited to, Advanced Placement (AP), CLEP, International Baccalaureate (IB), special examination, correspondence, portfolio credit or any combination of these. Credit granted in the formal AP program may be more extensive. Not more than 4 semester hours of correspondence and extension credit in professional education courses may be counted toward graduation or teacher certification.