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The
Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACS) does not prohibit contractual
arrangements for accepting transfer credit from
non-regionally accredited entities, typically consortia, but
does place some burdens on the institution:
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“The
accreditation standards of this Commission require
member institutions to analyze credit accepted for
transfer in terms of level, content, quality,
comparability, and degree program relevance.” [Transfer
of Academic Credit – A Position Statement, June 2003]
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“That courses offered and the value and level of their
credit are determined in accordance with established
institutional procedures and are under the usual
mechanisms of review.” [Contractual Relationships with
Non-Regionally Accredited Entities – Guidelines,
February 2004]
The
second statement is not fully relevant for transfer credit,
but is included to emphasize again the need to have regular
procedures in place.
The
following policy focuses on both the program and the
courses.
The Program of a
Non-Regionally Accredited Entity
For courses to be accepted for transfer credit the program
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must
be endorsed by the appropriate University of Richmond
body (International Education Committee in the case of
international programs or the appropriate school
Academic Council in the case of a domestic program)
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must
have an accredited institution of record as an
alternative way of providing transcripts
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must
be able to provide grade reports directly to the student
if requested
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must
use faculty whose credentials are comparable to those of
faculty teaching under SACS regulations
If some
of these criteria cannot be met, but the program is endorsed
by the appropriate body in #1, then the Provost will be
required to sign off on the approval.
Courses for Transfer
Credit
Individual courses are accepted for transfer credit from an
approved program as described above provided they are
approved through the same process used in accepting transfer
credit from accredited entities, i.e. the department chair
or program coordinator approves the course for transfer
credit after an appropriate review of its content, quality,
and level.
The usual
transcription procedures will be used by the Registrar’s
Office and the GPA will not be affected by transfer work.
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