Transferring to Caldwell University

Transfer credit may be granted for coursework at other institutions.

The following criteria are used to determine when awarding credit is appropriate:

• The institution must be accredited by the U.S. Department of Education.
• Foreign institutions must be officially recognized by the appropriate government agency/ ministry of education.
• Only courses in which grades of C or better are earned are eligible for transfer.
• Maximum of 90 semester credits may be transferred.
• Final 30 credits and at least one-half of the major requirements (each major for double majors) must be completed at Caldwell University.
• Credit may only be awarded for course(s) that are equivalent to Caldwell University course(s) and are a part of the program curriculum.
• Transfer credit awarded may not exceed the maximum credits offered for an equivalent course in the Caldwell University curriculum.
• Students who have received an Associate of Arts (A.A.) degree from a New Jersey community county college will have satisfied, as a block, the Caldwell University core requirements, except for 3 credits in theology, 3 credits in philosophy and 3 credits in the Catholic and Dominican tradition and any course or courses in which a C or better was not achieved.
• Note: we will no longer accept transfer credits from Straighterline Online courses.

For the full Transfer Credit Policy, please see the Undergraduate Catalog.

If so, contact the college or university at which you earned credit to obtain official transcript(s).

Transcripts should be sent to the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. Credit will be evaluated during your acceptance stage and awarded if applicable. Be sure to mention this to your admissions counselor to ensure you do not repeat a course in your first term that you may have been eligible to receive transfer credit! Send your transcript for College Credit to:

Caldwell University Admissions
Attn: Transfer Counselor
120 Bloomfield Avenue
Caldwell, NJ 07006

For e-transcripts, email admissions@caldwell.edu

For the most current tuition and fees information visit our Tuition and Fees page.

Caldwell University will accept the transfer of graduate work, including online courses, from another regionally accredited institution, usually up to six credits (depending on the program), provided the credits were completed within five years of the student’s registration with Caldwell University and those credits have not been applied to an earned degree. Official transcripts of previous graduate work as well as the description of each course must be submitted for review at the time of application. Approval of transfer credit is based on course content and grade earned in the course. No transfer credit will be awarded for courses that have earned a grade lower than a “B”. Each transfer request will be reviewed by the Program Coordinator.

For more information on AP and CLEP see Standardized Examination.

AP: Caldwell University offers advanced placement and/or credits to students who qualify by earning scores of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement (AP) tests administered by the College Board. Have Official College Board transcripts sent to Admissions & notify your Admissions Counselor if you have completed AP coursework to ensure you do not repeat a course that you may be eligible to receive transfer credit.

CLEP: The University recognizes CLEP credit for both general and subject tests which evaluate achievement at the college level in areas of the liberal arts education. Caldwell University also accepts selected other standardized examination scores, which can be reviewed here. CLEP credits are not accepted for duplicated course work.

PLA: Prior Learning Assessment is a method whereby learning gained through an individual’s life experience is considered as credit toward a university degree program. This learning can come from a variety of sources, including military service, family responsibilities, work experience, etc. Individuals can apply for PLA credit through the PLA Advisor, located in CARES who directs the student’s request to the appropriate academic department. Caldwell University academic departments have created a number of different methods for evaluating student learning to demonstrate that their life experiences are similar to the learning gained through formal college level education. Caldwell University follows the Council for Adult and Experiential Learning (CAEL) guidelines in the award of credit.

An eligible candidate for the PLA program is a student whose life experiences have resulted in knowledge-based college learning. To begin the process, the student will:

1)    Search the catalog for a Course Description that corresponds to your prior learning experience & write a narrative as to why you feel your experience qualifies you for PLA Credit

2)    *Meet with the PLA Advisor, located in the Academic Advising Department to begin the process of determining feasibility.  The PLA Advisor will assist you in connecting with the proper academic department and subject matter specialist to review your narrative. The narrative will determine whether you are eligible to move forward with the Assessment and Analysis. If the narrative is approved, then you will be referred to the academic department to review the method by which your experience will be evaluated in detail, using criteria established by the academic department. These methods may include a challenge test, portfolio review, content analysis, etc.

3)    Once your assessment is completed an analysis will take place and the PLA credit will either be accepted or rejected based on the findings.
*If approved by the Chair & content Specialist, a PLA Approval of Award of Credit will be submitted to the Office of the Registrar for processing.

*Fees are applicable during application & award of credit phase, check the Catalog for the most current fees.

PLA credit can be awarded for course work required to earn an academic degree. No more than 60 credits can be awarded through PLA credit. Up to 50% of a student’s major may be awarded by PLA credit. At least 50% of a student’s major must be completed at Caldwell University, therefore transfer and PLA credit awarded cannot exceed the 50% threshold. The last 30 credits of a student’s degree must be completed at Caldwell University and excludes PLA credit. The recommendation to award PLA credits must be received by the Registrar prior to the beginning of the last semester before a student’s anticipated graduation.

For applicants who have earned college credits from foreign educational institutions, a World Education Services (www.wes.org) course by course evaluation is required as part of the application process.

*Note, for review of College Credit: ONLY a WES is currently accepted.

International students with HIGH SCHOOL credit that is eligible for College Transfer may use any NACES accredited agency. (https://www.naces.org/members).