Credit Transfer
CTC Courses to Other Colleges and Universities
Central Texas College is accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges to award associate degrees and certificates of completion. Credits earned at CTC are transferable to other institutions in accordance with policies of the receiving institutions. Students who enroll in CTC courses for transfer to another college or university should consult with their advisor at the receiving institution to ensure coursework will be accepted in their program of study. Although CTC academic advisors can assist with general academic advising, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure CTC courses will meet degree requirements at the student’s college or university. As a general rule four-year colleges and universities will accept a maximum of 66 semester credit hours of academic (not workforce education) lower-division coursework in transfer toward a bachelor’s degree.
All successfully completed lower-division academic courses identified by the Texas Common Course Numbering System (TCCNS) and listed in the Lower-Division Academic Course Guide Manual (AGCM) are fully transferable among Texas public colleges and universities. Except in the case of courses belonging to a Coordinating Board-approved Field of Study Curriculum (FOSC), applicability of transferred courses to requirements for specific degree programs is determined by the receiving institution. Texas public colleges and universities may deny the transfer of credit in courses with a grade of “D” in the student’s core curriculum courses, field of study curriculum courses, or major.
Transfer Dispute for Academic Courses
If a Texas public college or university (institution of higher education) does not accept academic lower-division course credit earned by another Texas institution of higher education, the receiving institution must give written notice to the student and the sending institution that transfer of course credit is denied and the reasons for denying the credit. The written notice must include an attachment that outlines the procedures for resolution of transfer disputes for academic lower-division credit, accompanied by instructions outlining the procedure for appealing the decision with the Texas Commissioner of Higher Education (Commissioner). The receiving and sending institutions and student must attempt to resolve the transfer of course credit in accordance with Board rules and guidelines. If the transfer dispute is not resolved to the satisfaction of the student or the sending institution within 45 days after the student received the written notice of denial, the sending institution may notify the Commissioner in writing of the request for transfer dispute resolution, and the institution that denies the course credit for transfer shall notify the Commissioner in writing of its denial and the reasons for denial. The Commissioner or Commissioner’s designee shall make the final determination about a dispute concerning the transfer of course credit and provide written notice of the determination to the student and two institutions. The Commissioner or Commissioner’s designee collects data on the types of transfer disputes that are reported and the disposition of each case considered. If the receiving institution does not believe a course presented for transfer from another institution is not of an acceptable level of quality, the receiving institution must first contact the sending institution and attempt to resolve the problem. If the two institutions are unable to come to a satisfactory resolution, the receiving institution may notify the Commissioner who may investigate further.
Transfer Credits to CTC
Official transcripts from all regionally accredited colleges and universities previously attended are required if the student is seeking a degree or certificate from CTC, intends to use financial aid or Veterans Education Benefits at CTC, requests an official evaluation of prior learning experiences, or to determine the student’s Texas Success Initiative (TSI) status. Transfer students who plan to use financial aid with CTC must have transcripts on file prior to determining financial aid eligibility. Official transcripts must be mailed from each college or university to CTC Student Services-Incoming Transcripts in Killeen, Texas. Hand-carried transcripts will be accepted only if received in a sealed envelope marked “official”.
Transfer of credit from regionally accredited colleges and universities may be accepted when the grade earned was “C” or better, course is lower-division, and the course applies to the student’s CTC program of study. Passing grades lower than “C” may be considered for transfer in accordance with current institutional procedures and departmental requirements. It is CTC’s policy to automatically articulate all lower-division transferable courses with a C or better grade to the student’s CTC record. However, courses earned at other colleges/universities with “D” grades are not automatically articulated. If the student believes the “D” grade in a course should be considered, the student must consult with an academic advisor.
Transfer credits are evaluated based on the principles outlined in the Joint Statement on the Transfer and Award of Credit. Students who earned transfer credits from national accrediting bodies and professional organizations recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may submit official transcripts, for which credits will be reviewed based on CTC guidelines. If a course from a non-regionally accredited institution has not been evaluated previously by the applicable CTC instructional department chair, the student will be required to submit a syllabus for each course he or she wishes to be considered in transfer. The syllabus will be forwarded to the appropriate CTC Department Chair who will determine if the course is equivalent to a CTC course and can be accepted in transfer. Courses from non-regionally accredited institutions with grades below C will not be forwarded to the department.
Due to the rapid changes occurring in the career and technical fields, the courses taken in a major field of study or career-technical courses directly related to the major field have a limited shelf-life. Depending on the career fields, transfer courses taken two to five years ago may no longer be accepted in transfer. Transfer students should consult with an advisor to determine the expiration dates of courses by program of study. This also applies to returning CTC students who completed career and technical courses at Central Texas College.
Acceptance of Grades in Student’s Program of Study
The following is provided as a guideline for determining grades that can be accepted in a student’s degree program of study. Students should consult with the designated CTC advisor to determine official acceptance of a grade. Although a grade of “D” in a course may be accepted on a case-by-case basis, D grades will not be used when the course:
- is a prerequisite to a required course,
- is a designated course that qualifies a student for a TSI exemption or completion,
- is a major or major-related elective in a program of study, and/or
- lowers the student’s CTC grade point average (GPA) and/or overall GPA below 2.0.
Although a “D” grade may be accepted in some programs such as the AA Interdisciplinary Studies and AA General Studies, if a student changes his or her program of study, a “D” grade in a course will not be accepted if the course is a major or major-related course in the new program. A “D” grade may be accepted in general education and core curriculum courses if the student’s CTC grade point average (GPA) and overall GPA are at least 2.0. Specific degree and certificate information is provided below.Certificates of Completion: A grade of “C” or better is required in all courses with the exception of certificates that include non-major courses and non-major related courses such as English, mathematics, and speech. A “D” grade may be accepted in non-major and non-major related courses as long as student’s CTC GPA and overall GPA is at 2.0 or better and course is not a prerequisite.
- Associate of Applied Science: A grade of ‘C” or better is required in all major and major-related courses. A “D” grade may be accepted in general education courses if the student’s CTC GPA and overall GPA are at least 2.0 or better and course is not a prerequisite.
- Associate of Arts in Interdisciplinary Studies: A grade of “D” or better may be accepted in any course (core and 18 semester hours of specialization) as long as the student’s CTC GPA and overall GPA are at least 2.0 or higher and the course is not a prerequisite.
- Associate of Arts with a designated major such as an AA in Social Science: A “C” or better grade is required in major and major-related courses. A “D” grade may be accepted in a core curriculum course as long as the total CTC GPA and overall GPA are at least 2.0 and the course is not a prerequisite.
- Associate of Science: A “C” or better grade is required in major and major-related courses. A “D” grade may be accepted in a core curriculum course as long as the total CTC GPA and overall GPA are at least 2.0 and the course is not a prerequisite.
- Associate of Arts in General Studies: A grade of “D” or better in a course may be accepted in the general education and elective courses as long as the CTC GPA and overall GPA is 2.0 or better and the course is not a prerequisite.
