Credit for Prior Learning
Students may seek credit for prior learning through (A) course work taken at regionally accredited and other approved colleges and universities; (B) non-collegiate training and experiences such as military service, participation in business/industry training programs, and earned professional certifications and licensures; (C) taking and achieving acceptable scores on standardized tests and examinations; and (D) taking and achieving acceptable scores on faculty-prepared examinations.
To be eligible to apply for advanced credit, students must be admitted to the College, curricular-placed and currently enrolled. Students will earn advanced credit only when it applies to their curriculum.
Requests for the evaluation of credit for education and prior learning shall be made to the Registrar along with all official and supporting documentation at:
Eastern Shore Community College
Attention: Registrar
29316 Lankford Highway
Melfa, VA 23410
(Official documents delivered electronically shall be directed to registrar@es.vccs.edu.)
There is no limit on the number of credits that may be awarded, but credit awarded for prior learning may not be used to fulfill the residency requirement for graduation. A minimum of 25 percent of the credits required for a degree or certificate must be earned at ESCC.
All credits awarded will be acknowledged and recorded on the student’s permanent record, with the transferring agency or source of the credit identified. No grades, scores, or grade points will be recorded on the student’s permanent record for credits earned through prior learning assessment. Results will be posted to the eligible student’s MyESCC account within 30 working days of receipt of the request and required documentation.
College Transfer Credit
Official transcripts are required for evaluation, except for any coursework taken at a Virginia Community College System (VCCS) college. An official transcript is one that has the seal of the institution and the signature of an official at that institution. An official transcript must be received from the sending institution electronically and/or with no overt sign of having been opened or otherwise disturbed. Official transcripts that are mailed should be directed from the transferring institution to the Registrar at the address above, or electronically to registrar@es.vccs.edu.
In collaboration with faculty and/or the Chief Academic Officer, as needed, the Registrar will perform an initial evaluation of all official transcripts. Final determination of any disputed credit awarded resides with the Chief Academic Officer. The evaluation may take up to 10 business days.
Credit is transferable from colleges and universities that are accredited by the Commission on Colleges or the Commission on Higher Education of the regional accrediting associations. Credit also may be awarded for courses taken at institutions accredited by agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Post-secondary Education (OPE) Department of Education if the credit is deemed to be college-level by faculty in the discipline and the Chief Academic Officer. Students requesting transfer credit from non-regionally accredited institutions must submit course syllabi and course descriptions for review by the Chief Academic Officer and faculty in the discipline. Upon approval of the Chief Academic Officer, transfer credit will be awarded consistent with ESCC policies addressing the acceptance of transfer credit from regionally accredited institutions.
Transfer credit may be awarded for course work completed at international colleges and universities that are accredited or approved by the appropriate Ministry of Education or other governmental agency. Transcript(s) must be evaluated by a professional organization or agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluators or is approved by the Virginia Department of Education. The fee for this evaluation and the time required for completion is the responsibility of the student.
Course Specific Credit: All courses that are applicable in the student’s curriculum will be transferred as closely to the VCCS course equivalents as possible. If this is not possible, elective credit may be awarded if appropriate for the student’s curriculum. Transfer credits awarded may affect financial aid eligibility.
Required Grades: Only courses with grades of “C” or higher will be accepted for transfer credit. Courses with grades of “P” (for a pass/fail course) or the designation “Cr” (for credit) will be accepted for transfer if the transcript indicates the equivalent of a “C” grade or higher as required to assign a “P” or “Cr” grade.
Sequence Quarter Courses: Sequential quarter courses (two or three quarters) in which one or more grades of “D” were earned may be transferred as a sequence at full credit if the grades for the sequence average at least a grade of “C”. Failing grades will not be accepted for averaging. Grade averaging will be weighted by the credit hour value of the courses.
Natural Science Courses with Separate Labs: For courses with separate lecture and laboratory grades, a “C” average or higher must be earned for credit to be awarded. Failing grades are not accepted for averaging. If a student receives a grade of “F” in either the lecture or the laboratory, the course will not be accepted. Grade averaging will be weighted by the credit hour value of the courses.
SDV 100-College Success Skills: Credit for College Success Skills (SDV 100 ) will be granted to transfer students who have completed associate or bachelor’s degrees. Students awarded 24 or more transfer semester credits may appeal to the Chief Academic Officer for SDV 100 credit. ESCC offers a challenge exam for students to take to earn the 1 credit requirement. Please see your advisor regarding the exam.
Physical Education: Up to two (2) credits of physical education/health credits may be awarded for basic military training.
Standardized Examinations
Students may be awarded credit through achieving the college’s minimum scoring requirements on the following standardized examinations: Advanced Placement Examination Program (AP); College-Level Examination Program (CLEP); Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES); and higher-level International Baccalaureate courses (IB). Minimum score requirements and their ESCC equivalent are posted on the college’s website and accessible from https://es.vccs.edu/admissions-aid/credits/request-credit-for-prior-learning/.
The awarding of credit through standardized examinations shall be given, to the extent possible, to courses listed in the current ESCC Catalog. In certain instances, credit may be awarded for courses listed in the Virginia Community College System Master Course File (MCF). The college reserves the right to decline the acceptance of courses that do not match the curriculum requirements of the student’s program of study and/or cannot be used as an elective.
Students seeking an evaluation of standardized examinations should submit the Student Request for Evaluation form to the Registrar. Students must also request that the testing agency submit official test results to ESCC’s Registrar.
Non-Collegiate Training and Experiences
The college awards credit for armed service school experiences, non-collegiate institutions, and earned professional certifications/licensures. Where applicable, credit is awarded in accordance with The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT), the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services as reflected on the official Joint Services Transcript (JST), or the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), or another college-approved organization.
Students seeking an evaluation of their non-collegiate training and experiences should submit the Student Request for Evaluation form and all relevant documentation to the College’s Registrar.
Faculty-Prepared Examinations
Students may request faculty-prepared examinations from a faculty member qualified in the subject area sought, in instances where there is no CLEP examination available. Students may not challenge courses through faculty-prepared examinations for courses in which they have been previously enrolled. At the discretion of the faculty member and with approval from the Chief Academic Officer, a local examination may be prepared, scheduled, and administered, with the minimum score requirement communicated to the student prior to administration of the examination. Students who meet the minimum score requirement will have credit for the course transcribed to their permanent record by the College’s Registrar.
Prior Learning Assessment Appeals Procedure
The Registrar notifies students via their VCCS student email accounts when the evaluation of prior learning is completed. Students may appeal decisions regarding the transferability of prior learning. To initiate appeals, students should direct a letter along with supporting documentation to the Chief Academic Officer within 15 business days of official notification of the evaluation results.
For additional information regarding credit for education and prior learning, contact the Registrar at registrar@es.vccs.edu, or see the college’s Awarding Credit for Prior Learning Policy at https://es.vccs.edu/.
Substitution or Waiver of Curriculum Requirements
Students may seek a course substitution for previously completed collegiate-level credit courses, or a waiver for documented knowledge and skills required in their curricula. Substituted courses must cover the same content or otherwise meet the spirit of the courses being replaced. Course substitutions granted are curriculum-specific and may not apply to other curricula. Waivers, also curriculum-specific, do not result in the awarding of credit, and students may be required to take additional credits to make up the credits.
Students may initiate the substitution or waiver process by completing Course/Waiver Substitution Request forms, gathering documented evidence or justification in support of the requests, and consulting advisors. Students seeking financial assistance for an ESCC course substitution must have the substitution approved and processed prior to registering for the substitute course. Students seeking a course substitution or waiver due to documented disabilities must first contact the Chief Student Affairs Officer to determine if additional documentation is necessary. Requests for students planning to graduate during the semester the substitution or waiver request is made shall be submitted at least 30 days prior to the last day of classes for that semester.
Substitution or waiver requests will be reviewed by qualified faculty, who will determine if the requested substitution or waiver is appropriate given the student’s program plan, catalog year, and future educational or career goals. Course learning outcomes for each requested course waiver will be compared with the documented knowledge and skills attained by the student. A course successfully completed at ESCC or another college or university, and petitioned for substitution, will be reviewed for alignment with the content and/or spirit of the required course in the student’s program plan.
Petitions for substitutions by individuals who, by reason of a disability, are unable to complete a requirement of the program pursued by the student, with or without reasonable accommodations, must be reviewed by the qualified faculty member in consultation with the Chief Student Affairs Officer. Pursuant to VCCS Policy 5.6.5.0.1, the Americans with Disabilities Act of 1990 (ADA), and the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 (section 504 as amended), the student’s learning history, recent documentation of a disability that impairs performance in the course petitioned, and the nature and severity of the documented disability shall also be considered when rendering a decision. If the petitioned course is deemed essential to the student’s program plan, future educational or career goals, or related to licensing requirements, under no circumstances will the petition be approved. Further, a substitution is permissible only if the student is unable to complete the course with all applicable accommodation. When deemed that a substitution is a reasonable accommodation, the course to be substituted may only be approved by the Chief Academic Officer, in consultation with qualified teaching faculty, for the original requirement.
As applicable, health or physical education requirements for degrees and certificates are waived for veterans with documentation of military experience. Student development courses (SDV 100 or SDV 101 ) are waived for students who hold an associate degree or bachelor’s degree from a regionally accredited institution.
Approved request will be recorded on the student’s record in the Student Information System by the College Registrar Office. The student will receive notification once the substitution/waiver is complete (approved or unapproved).
Students seeking to appeal a substitution or waiver request must file an appeal to the Chief Academic Officer within five working days of notification from the College Registrar. The student shall submit the initial request along with supporting documentation and rationale explaining the appeal request and provide any additional information that may be helpful in rendering a decision. The Chief Academic Officer shall render a decision and notify the student in writing within five working days of receiving the student’s appeal. The Chief Academic Officer’s decision is final.
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