Academic Policies and Transfer Information

Policies

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During the two weeks prior to registration (late October for Spring registration and late March/early April for Fall registration), you must meet with your academic advisor to discuss your upcoming semester schedule. Students register according to the number of credits earned.

Registration times and Web Reg Access Codes (PINs) may only be obtained from your advisor.

If you do not know who your academic advisor is, follow these instructions to find out.

  1. Log on to your myPlymouth account;
  2. Under tools, click on Student Services;
  3. Click on Self-Service PSU;
  4. Under Student Records, click on Student Academic Record/Registration;
  5. Your advisor is listed in the middle section of your profile.
  • At your designated registration date and time, you may go on-line to register for your classes. Do not skip a class to register for your classes! Registration is open until the end of the add/drop period. What this means is that even after you have registered, should you wish to change your schedule, providing the course is still open, you may go back into your registration and do so at any point during this time period.
  • If a course is closed when you register for your classes, and you really need to take the course, you may contact the instructor and ask if you can add the course. If the instructor agrees, you must provide your name, student ID and CRN and the instructor will do an online override for you. You then go into Web Registration and add the course.
  • Advisor Changes — students may request to change their academic advisor through the Academic & Career Advising Center or the Registrar’s Office; must have acknowledgement from new advisor (forwarding the email with the acknowledgement is best).
  • The Academic & Career Advising Center is another resource if you need assistance with course selection.

Credit-by-examination is a way that students may earn a maximum of 30 credits. The examinations may be nationally standardized examinations or ones composed by Plymouth State University faculty. When students earn credit-by-examination, the credits are noted on their transcripts.

Institutional Credit by Exam (ICBE)

See the Undergraduate Academic Policies section of academic catalog, and expand the Earning Credits section, for complete details.

Nationally Standardized Examinations

National standardized exams recognized by PSU are Advanced Placement (AP), International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), and DSST.

AP exams are typically taken by juniors and seniors in high school. CLEP and DSST exams can be taken at official testing sites. If Plymouth State University is specified as a school to receive an official grade report, no further action is required of the student. In the case of AP exams, the appropriate academic department(s), acting in conjunction with the Admissions office, will determine whether credit and/or placement in advanced courses is to be granted. Scores on CLEP and DSST exams will be assessed to see whether the standards for the conferring of credit have been met. If they have, credit will be given for courses in which students have not already received university credit.

The University also recognizes credit earned through the International Baccalaureate (IB). Exams are evaluated by admissions.

See the Undergraduate Academic Policies section of academic catalog, and expand the Transferring Credits to Plymouth State University section, for complete details.

Students sitting at computers

“Federal regulation defines a credit hour as an amount of work represented in intended learning outcomes and verified by evidence of student achievement that is an institutional established equivalence that reasonably approximates not less than – (1) One hour of classroom or direct faculty instruction and a minimum of two hours of out of class student work each week for approximately fifteen weeks for one semester or trimester hour of credit, or ten to twelve weeks for one quarter hour of credit, or the equivalent amount of work over a different amount of time; or (2) At least an equivalent amount of work as required in paragraph (1) of this definition for other academic activities as established by the institution including laboratory work, internships, practica, studio work, and other academic work leading to the award of credit hours.”

Example:

Regular credit courses require 12.5 clock hours of meeting time per credit.

12.5 clock hours for 1 credit,

25 clock hours for 2 credits and

37.5 clock hours for 3 credits.

Students may request permission for a wide variety of “exceptions”. To request an exception, submit a completed and fully signed Undergraduate Student Request form or Graduate Student Request form to the Registrar’s Office for any of the following type of requests:

  • Course credit issues
  • Course substitutions
  • Grade changes
  • Graduate course enrollment for Undergraduate student. Use the Undergraduate Student Request form to request permission to take up to 6 credits (max) at the graduate level and to be allowed to count those credits for both undergraduate and graduate credit.
    (Requires senior status and a cum GPA of 3.00 or better)
  • Transfer course/credit issues
  • Waive course requirements
  • Miscellaneous requests

NOTE: Completed forms may be submitted to the Registrar’s Office using any of the following methods: delivered in person, faxed, mailed, or e-mailed to psu-registrar@plymouth.edu as a PDF attachment.

Transfer Information

Undergraduate Students

Undergraduate students who have not yet started their first semester at PSU should email the Admissions Office at psu-transcript-evaluation@plymouth.edu. The Admissions Office processes their transfer credits during the Admissions process.

All other established students seeking to take a course and transfer in credits during their tenure at PSU should adhere to the below process. The student should initiate this process at least 2 weeks before enrolling in the course to verify if their request is accepted.

Undergraduate Student Transfer Credit Request Process

  1. Student submits an Undergraduate Transfer Credit Request form(s) well in advance of the course(s) they wish to transfer. A separate form is required for each requested course.
  2. Registrar’s Office evaluates, approves or denies the request. This may take several weeks depending on the evaluation complexity. The Registrar’s Office emails a copy of the Approved (or Denied) Request to the student and their advisor.
  3. Student reviews the Approved (or Denied) request with their advisor to determine if the transfer course equivalency (which is documented on the bottom of the form) will satisfy their plan.
  4. Student takes the course at the other institution.
  5. Student orders an official transcript from the other institution once the final grade for the course has been posted. Transcripts should be sent directly to the PSU Registrar’s Office (electronic delivery preferred) or delivered in the original unopened envelope, if sent via U.S. Mail.
  6. Registrar’s Office receives transcript and processes eligible transfer credits.
  7.  Student receives a confirmation email once eligible credits are applied to their PSU record.
  8. Student confirms the transferred credits by checking their DegreeWorks.

For the complete Undergraduate Transfer Policy, please click on the following link to the academic catalog, Undergraduate Academic Policies, and expand the subheading “Transferring Credits to Plymouth State University.”

The policy outlines in detail the following topics:

  • Minimum Grade Requirements for Undergraduate Transfer Credit
  • Eligible Courses and Credits
  • Impact of Transfer Credits on GPA
  • Transfer Credit Limits and Restrictions

The Plymouth State University Transfer Credit Database is a resource that can be used by anyone looking to see if a course from another institution has a potential equivalency at PSU.

Transfer Credit Database

Graduate Students

Graduate Student Transfer Credit Request Process

Graduate students work with their advisor to complete and submit a Graduate Transfer Credit Request form to the Registrar’s Office.

An official transcript from the other institution is required. If the transcript is not on file at PSU, please order the official transcript to be sent (preferably electronically) to PSU Register’s Office psu-registrar@plymouth.edu.  Forwarded electronic transcripts are not accepted.

For the complete Graduate Transfer Policy, please click on the following link to the academic catalog, Graduate Academic Policies, and expand the subheading “Transfer Credits.”

The policy outlines in detail the following topics:

  • Minimum Grade Requirements for Graduate Transfer Credit
  • Non-eligible Courses and Credits
  • Transfer Credit Limits and Restrictions