• ACE Approved Credit
• Credit by Examination
• Experiential Learning Portfolio Credit
• Law Enforcement and Fire Science Credit
• Military Credit
   

Transfer Credit

If you are a transfer student, you may expect to receive full credit for college-level courses completed at other collegiate institutions accredited by any of the following regional accrediting associations:

• Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
• New England Association of Schools and Colleges
• Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
• Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
• Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
• Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Upper Iowa University will also consider acceptance of course work in transfer from:

• Institutions with specialty accreditation as reviewed and approved by Upper Iowa University
• International institutions that are approved/registered by their country's Ministry of Education or other national educational governing body as reviewed and approved by Upper Iowa University
• International institutions where transcripts for individual learners are reviewed and evaluated by an approved foreign credential evaluators service and approved by Upper Iowa University

Course work completed at all other institutions will not be accepted in transfer to Upper Iowa University.

Course work completed with formal Upper Iowa University Articulation Partnership Advantage institutions will be transferred following articulation guidelines. Course work from other accredited institutions will be transferred to meet particular degree requirements based on full-time faculty recommendations.

Grades earned in courses accepted for transfer will appear on your Upper Iowa University transcript, and the credits earned will count toward your total number required for graduation. However, grade points earned at another institution are not transferred and are not figured into your cumulative grade point average (GPA) maintained at Upper Iowa University, but are included in calculating the major/endorsement GPA.

Upper Iowa University may transfer up to 78 lower division college semester credits from accredited institutions.

These 78 semester credits may include:

1. No more than nine semester credits from Health, Physical Education and Recreation (HPER) activity courses, including transcripted intercollegiate athletics.
2. No credits from courses identified by Upper Iowa University as at the remedial or developmental level (except for articulated ESL credits from partner institutions).
3. No more than 30 semester credits from one year occupational diploma programs.

Upper Iowa University may transfer an additional 12 semester credits, identified by the transfer institution as upper division credit, to a transfer maximum of 90 semester credits.

Up to 78 lower division semester credits and 12 upper division semester credits evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) and semester credits earned through CLEP, DSST, Excelsior College and ACT-PEP examinations will transfer to Upper Iowa University.

You may choose to transfer all your passing grades earned at other institutions or you may choose to transfer only those courses graded "C" or above. This choice must be made before you enroll in your first course at Upper Iowa University. Courses graded below "C" will not affect your overall grade point average (GPA). However, if they are courses in your major, they will affect the GPA in your major.

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Experiential Learning Credit

Upper Iowa University recognizes that learners in higher education come with many experiences and from varied backgrounds. Learning experiences gained through training programs and academies may be reviewed and evaluated for academic credit.

ACE Approved Credit

Many training programs have been approved for credit by the American Council on Education (ACE). Check with your academic advisor to see if completed training has been evaluated by ACE. There is no charge for transcripting ACE recommended credit. Credits earned through ACE do not reduce the minimum required 30 semester credits of course work through Upper Iowa University for graduation. Credits earned through ACE do not apply to the 60 graded credits needed to graduate with Magna or Summa Cum Laude honors.

Credit by Examination

Learners may earn credit through CLEP/DSST/Excelsior College and/or ACT-PEP examinations. There is a minimal testing fee. Credit by examination is transcripted without charge when the learner's score is at the level recommended by ACE for credit. These exams are accepted to fulfill requirements in very specific ways. See your academic advisor before taking any credit-bearing exams to ascertain the appropriate exam for your degree plan.

Credits earned by examination do not reduce the minimum required 30 semester credits of course work through Upper Iowa University for graduation. Credits earned by examination do not apply to the 60 graded credits needed to graduate with Magna or Summa Cum Laude honors.

Experiential Learning Portfolio Credit

A portfolio process has been developed to determine learners' achievements and demonstrated learning outcomes. Learners can earn up to 30 semester credits for prior learning experience. Contact your academic advisor for information on the guidelines and procedures.

Experiential learning credit granted by another institution is accepted only if it is a part of a degree earned and transferred to UIU. Similarly, credit granted by UIU for experiential learning may not transfer to other institutions.

Because the documentation process required of you is extensive, and since the evaluation of this documentation by UIU staff demands considerable time, you must be accepted for admission and registered for at least one course through Upper Iowa University before you may apply for experiential learning credit.

Experiential learning portfolio credits do not reduce the minimum required 30 semester credits of course work through Upper Iowa University for a bachelor's degree. Experiential learning credits do not apply to the 60 graded credits needed to graduate with Magna or Summa Cum Laude honors. Experiential learning credit, awarded as upper division credit, may be used to satisfy the upper division credit requirement for graduation. Education course credits may not be earned through Experiential Learning.

Fees for experiential learning credit granted are assessed at $60 per semester credit. See your academic advisor for more information. All fees are due within 90 days of assessment, and before credit will be recorded on your transcript. An official transcript will be issued only after you complete a course with Upper Iowa University.

Law Enforcement and Fire Science Credit

Learners who have successfully completed law enforcement or fire science training may submit documentation to Upper Iowa University for evaluation. There is a one time evaluation fee of $200 paid at the time of submission. The documentation will be evaluated for credit and applied to the UIU transcript. Consult your academic advisor for further information. A maximum of 30 semester credits can be earned through a combination of portfolio and law enforcement/fire science credits.

Credits earned for law enforcement and/or fire science training do not reduce the minimum required 30 semester credits of course work through Upper Iowa University for graduation. Credits earned through law enforcement or fire science do not apply to the 60 graded credits needed to graduate with Magna or Summa Cum Laude honors.

Military Credit

Credit for military and other formal training with recommendations by the ACE guidelines will be transcripted at no charge. Training completed may be verified by an official AARTS, CCAF, or SMART transcript, DD214, DD295, or copies of certificates; a portfolio is not required. Up to 78 lower division semester credits and an additional 12 upper division semester ACE evaluated military credits may be transferred for a maximum of 90 semester credits toward the 120 semester credits required for graduation. ACE-recommended military credits do not reduce the minimum required 30 semester credits of course work through Upper Iowa University for a bachelor’s degree. Credits earned through military training do not apply to the 60 graded credits needed to graduate with Magna or Summa Cum Laude honors. Because of Upper Iowa University’s support for military students, it was named an honoree of Military Advanced Education’s Top Military-Friendly Colleges and Universities for 2008-09.

Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC): Upper Iowa University is a member of the Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC) Consortium and the SOC Degree Network System.

SOC Consortium
Servicemembers Opportunity Colleges (SOC), established in 1972, is a consortium of national higher education associations and more than 1,700 institutional members. SOC Consortium institutional members subscribe to principles and criteria to ensure that quality academic programs are available to military students, their family members, civilian employees of the Department of Defense (DoD) and Coast Guard, and veterans. A list of current SOC Consortium member institutions can be found on the SOC Web site at .

SOC Degree Network System
The SOC Degree Network System (DNS) consists of a subset of SOC Consortium member institutions selected by the military Services to deliver specific Associate and Bachelor’s degree programs to servicemembers and their families. Institutional members of the SOC DNS agree to special requirements and obligations that provide military students, their spouses and college-age children with opportunities to complete college degrees without suffering loss of academic credit due to changes of duty station.

SOC operates the 2- and 4-year Degree Network System for the Army (SOCAD), Navy (SOCNAV), Marine Corps (SOCMAR), and Coast Guard (SOCCOAST). Refer to the SOC Degree Network System-2 and -4 Handbooks to view Associate and Bachelor’s degree programs, location offerings, and college information. An electronic version of the Handbook is posted on the SOC Web site, , on the SOCAD, SOCNAV, SOCMAR, and SOCCOAST home pages.

Army: Upper Iowa University is an Letter of Instruction (LOI) Member Institution in GoArmyEd. GoArmyEd is the virtual gateway for active duty and USAR soldiers to request Tuition Assistance (TA) online anytime for classroom and distance learning college courses. As a member institution, there are no up-front, out-of-pocket expenses for the soldier when enrolling in Upper Iowa University classes as long as his/her TA allowance has not been exceeded.

Navy: Upper Iowa University is a partner institution in the Navy College Program Distance Learning Partnership (NCPDLP). The Navy College Program (NCP) has developed partnerships with colleges and universities to offer rating relevant degrees via distance learning to sailors everywhere. Upper Iowa University provides associates and bachelors degree programs relevant to each rating, and makes maximum use of military professional training and experience based on the SMART transcript to fulfill degree requirements. The program provides opportunities to take courses through distance learning so that sailors anywhere will be able to pursue a degree.

Coast Guard: Upper Iowa University is partner university with the Coast Guard Institute. The staff at the Institute will evaluate your Coast Guard transcript and build a personalized college degree plan by consolidating your earned credit from your military training, college level testing programs, independent study courses and other college courses. Once your assessment is complete, your credit will be merged into college degree plans that are tailored to meet your educational goals. All Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Science majors offered through UIU are part of the degree plan assessments available at the institute. You can view the rating roadmaps on the website at http://www.uscg.mil/hq/CGI/ve/roadmaps/roadmaps.asp.

Army National Guard: Upper Iowa University is a partner university of the Army National Guard Education Support Center. The staff at the ESC will evaluate your AARTS transcript and build a personalized college degree plan by consolidating your earned credit from your military training, college level testing programs, independent study courses and other college courses. Once your assessment is complete, your credit will be merged into college degree plans that are tailored to meet your educational goals. All Associate of Arts and Bachelor of Science majors offered through UIU are part of the degree plan assessments available at the support center.

Air Force: Upper Iowa University recognizes the work you have completed in the Community College of the Air Force and currently has an articulation based on those courses. As a registered institution in the AU-ABC (Air University Associate-To-Baccalaureate Cooperative), we treat your CCAF transcript just as we would any community college transcript and will apply all appropriate coursework towards your Bachelors Degree. The AU-ABC is an initiative between the Air Force and civilian higher education institutions to offer baccalaureate degree opportunities to every Air Force enlisted member. The program directs Airmen with associate in applied science degrees to a collection of accredited “military friendly” colleges and universities to consider when completing a four-year degree. Airmen enroll in classes and request tuition assistance in the Air Force’s Virtual Education Center.

Marine Corps: As with the other services, Upper Iowa University will evaluate your military training as is posted on the SMART transcript and build a personalized college degree plan by consolidating your earned credit from your military training, college level testing programs, independent study courses and other college courses.

Military Spouse Program: With Congressional authorization in Public Law 110-417, the Department of Defense is implementing the Military Spouse Career Advancement Account Program, providing resources and assistance to spouses of active duty services members, Guard and Reserve with a spouse on orders for one year, supporting their pursuit of a successful, long-term, portable career. This centralized, virtual program, accessed through Military OneSource, will provide counseling and funding, up to $6,000, to assist with licensure, certification or education opportunities leading to portable employment opportunities. UIU also offers Military Spouse Scholarships through an annual award process.

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