Transfer Credit Policy

This policy identifies the guidelines for and circumstances under which the Admissions, Registration and Records office may award course credit to admitted, degree-seeking students who have received credit for courses at other institutions of higher learning, military credit, training or examinations programs.

Kalamazoo Valley Community College recognizes that students may have received credit for academic courses at other institutions of higher education or may qualify for equivalent college credit based on military, job or life experience, or through examination programs. In situations where equivalency has been established to a Kalamazoo Valley course by the academic department in which the course resides or a course elective has been identified, the College will award transfer credit that can be applied toward a degree. If a determination cannot be made based on information provided, the student may be asked to obtain additional documentation to establish equivalency, such as a copy of the course syllabus from the transferring institution.

A maximum of 47 credits toward an associate degree can be acquired through transfer, training or examination programs. Within those 47 transfer credits, a maximum of 31 elective credit hours will be awarded. Transfer credits will be posted to a student’s Kalamazoo Valley transcript by the Degree Auditor. Only credits will become part of the official transcript. Grades and scores from other institutions are used in the evaluation process but do not become part of the Kalamazoo Valley record and are not reflected in the student’s grade point average.

Only official documents that have appropriate signatures and seals and that have not been handled by the student will be evaluated. Acceptable forms of delivery include electronic submission or postal mail direct to Kalamazoo Valley. Hand carried documents will only be considered if they remain unopened from the issuing institution. Unless otherwise noted within this policy, all official transcripts, scores or other documentation should be sent to:

Mail Delivery:
Kalamazoo Valley Community College
Admissions, Registration, and Records
PO Box 4070
Kalamazoo, MI 49003-4070

Electronic Delivery:

Once transfer credits have been posted to a transcript, a student will be notified via their Kalamazoo Valley e-mail account. The transfer detail will be viewable on the student’s online transcript accessed through MyValley. All students are strongly encouraged to meet with a Kalamazoo Valley counselor to discuss the next steps toward program completion prior to registering for classes at the college.

The following policy guidelines will be followed when evaluating documents for transfer credit:

Credits from other U.S. Institutions

Kalamazoo Valley Community College awards course credit from any regionally accredited institution in the United States when:

  • a grade of 2.0 (C) or higher was earned in the course
  • for courses that are graded pass/fail or credit/no credit from another institution, “pass” or “credit” will be considered by Kalamazoo Valley as equivalent to a grade of 2.0 (C)
  • the level of the course being transferred in is 100-400
  • equivalent or duplicate credit has not already been awarded or earned at Kalamazoo Valley

When credit is being awarded from an institution that operates on a quarter or trimester schedule, the standard formula for conversion to semester hours will be used.

All general education requirements may be waived for students with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from a regionally accredited U.S. institution completing an associate degree at Kalamazoo Valley. Students must complete the total amount of credits hours required in their program and are required to meet with an Academic Counselor for approval. For more information, please contact the Student Development Center at (269) 488-4100 to make an appointment with a counselor.

Foreign Transcript Evaluation

Individuals who wish to transfer credit from colleges and universities outside of the United States should contact a NACES approved credit evaluator:

A course-by-course evaluation should be sent to Kalamazoo Valley. A course-by-course evaluation converts grades, educational experience, and levels of study into U.S. equivalents. There is a fee for this service.

When Kalamazoo Valley receives an approved evaluation report, a credit evaluation will be completed within two weeks to determine which course equivalencies or electives should be awarded following the same guidelines outlined above for U.S. institutions.

*The attended institution in which a student wishes to receive transfer credit from must be recognized by the country's Ministry of Higher Education or equivalent government agency.

Military Credit

Kalamazoo Valley Community College awards admitted, degree-seeking veterans credit based on their military occupational experience and training. Before training can be considered for credit, the following documents are required for evaluation:

Of note, not all eligible credits on the JST or equivalent may apply to a veteran’s program of study.

All veterans will be awarded, at a minimum, four (4) credits in Wellness and Physical Education.

  • ECR 999, 2 credits, WPE Elective
  • WPE 112, 2 credits, Safety and First Aid

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

College Level Examination Program (CLEP) is a national standardized test in selected areas and is accepted for college credit. The minimum credit awarding score is fifty (50) unless otherwise noted. If you receive a score below fifty (50), you will not be able to retake the same exam for three (3) months.

The test is computer-based. CLEP is given on a walk-in basis at the Kalamazoo Valley Testing Center. Following are the procedures and costs for taking this test.

  • Students must register prior to testing at www.collegeboard.org, where they will pay the $93 examination fee by credit or debit card only.
  • Kalamazoo Valley requires a $20 administration fee to be paid before taking each CLEP test. This can be paid at the Pay Station by cash, check, credit or debit card; or online at www.kvcc.edu/services/testing/ with a credit or debit card. Please bring the receipt from this transaction to the Testing Center on the day of testing.
  • It is advisable to call the Testing Center at 269-488-4460 to let them know you are coming. No CLEP tests are given less than two hours prior to closing.
  • When registering online, you must indicate Kalamazoo Valley Community College as the testing location and, if applicable, the college where you want your scores sent.

A study guide is available for use in the Testing Center. For more information on the CLEP test, please visit www.collegeboard.org/clep.

CLEP Transfer Equivalency

DSST (formally DANTES Subject Standardized Tests)

DSST is a national standardized test in selected areas and is accepted for college credit. You must earn the minimum credit granting score of 400 in order to be awarded credit. If you do not earn the minimum credit granting score, you must wait six (6) months before repeating the same exam.

The test is computer-based. DSST is given on a walk-in basis at the Kalamazoo Valley Testing Center. Following are the procedures and costs for taking this test.

  • Students must register and pay an $100 test fee (payable by credit or debit card only) at the time of the test session.
  • Kalamazoo Valley requires a $20 administration fee which must be paid before taking each DSST test. This can be paid at the Pay Station by cash, check, credit or debit card; or online at www.kvcc.edu/services/testing/ with a credit or debit card. Please bring the receipt from this transaction to the Testing Center on the day of testing.
  • It is advisable to call the Testing Center at 269-488-4460 to let them know you are coming. No DSST tests are given less than two hours prior to closing.
  • When registering, you must indicate Kalamazoo Valley Community College as the testing location and, if applicable, as the score recipient (school code: 8665).

Note: The Kalamazoo Valley Testing Center does not administer the "Principles of Public Speaking" DSST exam.

For more information on the DSST exam, please visit getcollegecredit.com.

DSST Transfer Equivalency

College Board Advanced Placement Exams

Credit may be granted to students who have successfully achieved a score of 3 or higher on one or more of the College Board Advanced Placement exams. These exams are available to high school students in select schools. A student should indicate on the test form that the results should be sent to Kalamazoo Valley Community College. For a list of exams that are accepted by KVCC, please contact the Counseling office at (269) 488-4123. For more information about AP or ordering an official transcript, please visit apstudent.collegeboard.org.

Advanced Placement Transfer Equivalency

International Baccalaureate

Credit may be granted to students who have successfully completed one or more International Baccalaureate Diploma Program assessments. This program is offered at select schools around the world. The International Baccalaureate transcript request must be submitted directly to the program coordinator at the school where the program was completed or ordered through the International Baccalaureate website (https://rrs.ibo.org/replacement_orders/index.cfm). There is a fee for this service.

International Baccalaureate Transfer Equivalency

Credit for Prior Learning

Credit for Prior Learning will be coordinated through the Prior Learning Assessment office. For more information, please contact 269-488-4873.

Transfer Credit Appeal Process

Students may request to have a transferred course reevaluated if they feel that the course was evaluated incorrectly. Students must complete the Transfer Credit Appeal Form and supply all necessary paperwork before submitting the form.

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