Credit for Prior Education (Transfer Credit)

All applicants to Mount Carmel College of Nursing are eligible to apply for credit granting. Perspective students wishing to have their prior education assessed for credit granting must provide documents of their prior education, training, and not limited to military training. Upon receipt of official transcripts, credit will be granted, as appropriate.

For veterans and military students, evaluations will occur in accordance with 38 CFR 21.4253(d) (3). Veterans seeking to use the GI Bill® (GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans10/2/2023 Page 144 of 209 Affairs (VA)) can obtain more information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government website at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill ).

Prospective students who request credit granting from previously attended institutions should submit official transcripts to the Records and Registration Office via electronic submission (registrar@mccn.edu), or sealed official transcripts to the campus designee, one week prior to their anticipated start date. To be considered official, transcripts must be sent from the originating institution to the Registrar or campus-based designee. 

Prospective students must submit official or unofficial transcripts 14 calendar days before their anticipated start date. Official transcripts must be provided according to the above outlined policy no later 7 calendar days prior to their anticipated start date. Students failing to submit official transcripts 7 calendar days prior to their anticipated start date may be denied transfer and/or admission to their chosen program. Transfer of credit will not be reviewed on or past the students anticipated start date.

In addition to official transcripts, copies of course descriptions, school catalogs, and course syllabi may be requested for evaluation purposes. Please note that course schedules which are based on an unofficial transcript are subject to change if information contained in the official transcript differs from the unofficial transcript. The college does not evaluate credit based on prior learning experience including, but not limited to, life or work experience.

As a rule, the following guidelines are followed when considering transfer credit at MCCN:

1. Transfer of credit is required to come from a post-secondary institution accredited by one of the seven regional accrediting commissions.

   • https://www.chea.org/regional-accrediting-organizations#western-junior

   • Higher Learning Commission (HLC)

   • Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE)

   • New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE)

   • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU)

   • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC)

   • WASC Senior College and University Commission (WSCUC)

2. Undergraduate college level courses with grades of “C” or higher are eligible for consideration of transfer credit (grades of “C-” or lower are not acceptable for transfer). MCCN refrains from the transcription of credit from other institutions that it does not apply to its own programs.

3. Graduate level courses with grades of “B” or higher are eligible for consideration of transfer credit (grades of “B-” or lower are not acceptable for transfer). MCCN refrains from the transcription of credit from other institutions that it does not apply to its own programs.

4. Courses reviewed for transfer of credit must have a minimum of 80% content match with Mount Carmel’s Course(s).

5. Courses with clinical hours must match with 80% of the prospective Mount Carmel’s Course(s) clinical hours.

   • Clinical and pharmacology courses must have been taken within the last five (5) years to be eligible to receive credit.

   • The age of courses to be transferred is based on the start date of program enrollment. Courses over the assigned thresholds may be reviewed by academic stakeholders to override this academic standard otherwise courses in excess of this timeframe are not eligible for transfer of credit.

6. MCCN reserves the right to accept or reject all transfer credits in terms of their own institutional standards and requirements. Courses considered for transfer must be equivalent to those required in the current MCCN curriculum or meet established requirements.

7. Transfer credit grades are not included in the cumulative grade point average at MCCN.

8. Transfer credit is included in total credits earned. All courses accepted for transfer will be noted on the student’s MCCN transcript as “K.” Potential transfer of credit may be posted on a student’s transcript as “PK” (Potential Credit).

9. Prospective students currently attending another institution may at times have an active course applicable to their prospective program. 

   • In these situations, potential transfer of credit may be posted in a student’s plan of study as “PK.” Official transcript(s) providing the course(s) final grade must be submitted 7 calendar days before the start of the program. 

   • In the event the student is unable to provide by day one of the student's program, their “PK” grade will not be converted to official transfer of credit “K.” The course will be removed from the plan of study and the students schedule will be adjusted accordingly. 

   • Students not meeting admissions requirements due to uncompleted “PK” grade conversion to official transfer of credit, “K,” may be canceled and/or deferred to the next available start date of their chosen program. 

10. Except for courses articulated through transfer policies or institutional agreements, the institution makes no promises to prospective students regarding the acceptability and applicability of credit awarded by examination or credit for transfer until an evaluation has been conducted by the Mount Carmel College Transfer Credit Evaluation Officer or designee.

11. The stakeholders for the program and/or transfer of credit designee, is responsible for the determination of the transferability of nursing courses for pre-licensure nursing students (see “Nursing Transfer Credit” below).

12. If a student should waive the credit for a transfer course, the student is held accountable for completing the course at MCCN. If a failure results in that course, it must be repeated per MCCN policy.

13. Credit earned at institutions outside the United States must first be evaluated by a MCCN approved credential evaluation service. Evaluators include:

• International Transcript Evaluation Services
  Members of NACES (National Association of Credential Evaluation Services)
  World Education Services, Inc
  P.O. Box 745 Old Chelsea Station
  New York, NY 10113-0745
  (212) 966-6311
  http://www.wes.org

• Educational Credential Evaluators, Inc.
  P.O. Box 514070
  Milwaukee, WI 53203-3470
  (414) 289-3400
  http://www.ece.org

Transient Credit Policy

Transient students are students currently enrolled at Mount Carmel College of Nursing (MCCN) who are taking non-nursing coursework at another institution to fulfill degree requirements.

Once enrolled at Mount Carmel College of Nursing (MCCN), degree candidates are required to complete all degree course work at MCCN. 

For Traditional Undergraduate students, General Education and Science courses may be transferred to MCCN from other institutions provided that:

• The institution is ACE accredited.

• The institution assigns letter grades to completed coursework, rather than pass/fail.

• The course is not offered at MCCN or a partner institution during the same term.

• The student submits the Transient Student Form on CarmeLink and receives approval to take the course from Enrollment & Student Services and the Faculty Program Lead.

• The student completes the Consortium Agreement and submits the form to Enrollment & Student Services prior to enrolling in the course.

• The course is an 80% content match with the equivalent course in the MCCN curriculum.

• The student earns a grade of C or better in the course. C- is not accepted.

• The official transcript from the institution where the course is taken is sent to MCCN at least two weeks prior to the start of the following term.

Undergraduate Coursework

New pre-licensure nursing students with transfer nursing credit from other institutions and former MCCN nursing students being readmitted to the College must undergo evaluation of academic nursing credit after admission is offered and confirmed.

1. In order to assure student success in the MCCN program the academic stakeholders for the program and/or transfer of credit designee, the Transfer Credit Evaluator will evaluate previous nursing credit and determine, prior to registration for any MCCN nursing course, the need for prerequisite review. Examples of what may be required include: demonstration of nursing skill levels review and/or auditing courses applicable to program core.

2. Senior level nursing courses (400 level) are not eligible for transfer of credit.

Graduate Coursework

1. 1. A maximum of 12 credit hours of equivalent course work, with a grade of “B,” may be transferred from another graduate program or proficiency examination into the Master’s Program. Once enrolled at Mount Carmel College of Nursing, degree candidates are required to complete all degree coursework offered through Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

   2. Degree Candidates may not transfer credit toward core degree courses. 

   3. Degree candidates must complete a Mount Carmel College of Nursing Petition for Transfer Credit – Graduate Program and include any associated course syllabi from the courses that the degree candidate is wishing to transfer. This form should be returned to the Director of the Graduate of the Programs. Transfer reviews may take up to 1-2 weeks to complete. Once completed, students will receive a copy and proposed plan of study.

   4. Applicable to Nurse Practitioner - AGACNP -   For those students who already hold a national nurse practitioner certification and seek a second nurse practitioner area of focus, their transcripts will be evaluated for clinical practicum hours and courses. Our Master’s nurse practitioner programs require the attainment of 650 clinical practicum hours. It is possible that a certified nurse practitioner will be given transfer credit for 150 hours of our 650 clinical practicum hour requirement, because national AG-ACNP and FNP certification exams require a minimum of 500 clinical practicum hours. We want to acknowledge the clinical expertise already demonstrated by the certificate student. Furthermore, it is possible that an Advanced Practice Registered Nurse with a valid license seeking a second nurse practitioner certification, will be given transfer credit for NURS 525: Role Transition – APRN.

   5. National AG-ACNP, FNP, and PMHNP certification exams require a minimum of 500 clinical practicum hours. Additionally, Advanced Practice

Doctoral Coursework

1. 1. A maximum of 6 credit hours of equivalent coursework, with a grade of “B,” may be transferred from another doctoral program or proficiency examination into the Doctoral Program. Once enrolled at Mount Carmel College of Nursing, degree candidates are required to complete all degree coursework offered through Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

   2. Work presented for transfer credit must be from an accredited college and is subject to evaluation in light of the degree requirements of the university.

   3. To have a course considered for transfer credit, applicants must make the request at least six (6) weeks before the course begins and submit this petition to the Director of Graduate Programs or Faculty Mentor with the course syllabus enclosed.

   4. The Transfer Credit Evaluator, in consultation with the Faculty Program Leader, approves transfer credit for all DNP courses. If transfer credit is approved, it will appear on the student’s official transcript and the hours earned will count toward the DNP.

Advanced Placement Credit

Mount Carmel College of Nursing recognizes the Advanced Placement (AP) Examination Program of The College Board as an excellent way to earn college credit toward the baccalaureate degree. Evaluation of AP credit is handled by the Mount Carmel College of Nursing Transfer Credit Evaluator. Official confirmation of AP scores must come directly from The College Board to the Mount Carmel College of Nursing Admissions Office. Notation of AP work on a high school transcript will not suffice. All AP credits accepted will be noted on the student’s transcript as “EM.”

Mount Carmel College of Nursing will award equivalent course credit for the following AP examinations with a score of ‘3’ or higher:

Contact the Mount Carmel College of Nursing Transfer Credit Evaluator for specific AP examinations covered under this policy.

A student requesting evaluation of AP credit must contact the automated service (click here) and request the score report be sent directly to the Admissions Office at Mount Carmel College of Nursing. The College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) code for MCCN is 1502.
AP Services
P.O. Box 6671
Princeton, NJ 08541-6671
Fax:  610-290-8979

CLEP Credit

Mount Carmel College of Nursing recognizes the College Level Examination Program (CLEP) of The College Board as an excellent way to earn college credit toward the baccalaureate degree. Evaluation of CLEP credit is handled by the MCCN Transfer Credit Evaluator. Official confirmation of CLEP scores must come directly from The College Board to the MCCN Admissions Office. Notation of CLEP work on a high school transcript will not suffice. All CLEP credit accepted will be noted on the student’s MCCN transcript as “EM.”

MCCN will award equivalent course credit for the following CLEP examinations with a score of ‘50’ or higher. In addition, MCCN will award equivalent course credit up to a maximum of 3 courses (9 semester hours) with a score of ‘50’ or higher on CLEP examinations in the subject areas of humanities or social sciences. Contact the MCCN Transfer Credit Evaluator for specific CLEP examinations covered under this policy.

A student requesting evaluation of CLEP credit must submit a transcript request from the College Board by completing the Transcript Request Form. Transcripts must be sent directly to the Admissions Office at Mount Carmel College of Nursing, 127 S. Davis Ave., Columbus, OH 43222. The College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB) code for MCCN is 1502.

International Baccalaureate Credit

Mount Carmel College of Nursing recognizes the International Baccalaureate (IB) Diploma Program as an excellent way to earn college credit toward the baccalaureate degree. Evaluation of IB credit is handled by the MCCN Transfer Credit Evaluator. Official confirmation of IB scores must come directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization to the MCCN Admissions Office. Notation of IB work on a high school transcript will not suffice. All IB credits accepted will be noted on the student’s MCCN transcript as “EM.”

MCCN will award equivalent course credit for the following IB coursework examinations with a score of “4” or higher.

In addition, MCCN will award equivalent course credit up to a maximum of 4 courses (11 semester hours, with 5 semester hours of electives maximum) with a score of “4” or higher on IB examinations in the subject areas of humanities or social sciences. This credit will be applied toward the humanities/social science elective credit at MCCN. Contact the MCCN Transfer Credit Evaluator for specific IB examinations covered under this policy.

A student requesting evaluation of IB credit must go through IBO’s website and fill out the Online Request Results Service Form and request the score report be sent directly to the Admissions Office at Mount Carmel College of Nursing.

Closed School Transfer Credit-Extraordinary Circumstance

In the unfortunate result of a school closure, MCCN, with approval of the campus leadership can allow for variances of the school’s policies to assist these students to continue their academic journey.

1. Students will need to apply through standard practices to MCCN and their academic progression standards will be reviewed according to MCCN transfer of credit policies and programmatic standards.

2. These students will be allowed some leniency during the review progress regarding:

   • Students under these extraordinary circumstances may be asked to provide copies of course syllabi as applicable for evaluation.

   • Residency requirements for closed school students are lowered to 1/6 of the length of the MCCN program requirements. Example: 1/6 of 120 credits is 20 credits needed.

   • Students may have senior level course work applied to their program except for courses deemed not transferable by academic leadership.

   • Courses reviewed for transfer of credit must have a minimum of 50% content match with Mount Carmel’s Course(s).

3. Courses with clinical hours must match with 50% of the respective Mount Carmel’s Course(s) clinical hours.

4. Courses may be subject to secondary review by programmatic leadership to review against a student's overall academic prowess to determine if they do not meet the content match course to course.

5. In non-standard fashion, MCCN may combine content to convert to equivalent of a course.

6. MCCN reserves the right to accept or reject all transfer credits in terms of their own institutional standards and requirements. Courses considered for transfer must be equivalent to those required in the current MCCN curriculum or meet established requirements.

7. Unlike standard transfer of credit, students under these exceptional circumstances cannot challenge special circumstance credits as they have already been reviewed by academic leadership.

Transfer of Credit Appeals

Students that are not satisfied with the transfer appeal decision have the right to appeal the review within 30 days of their initial transfer of credit evaluation. Students will need to complete a transfer of credit appeal form that they may access from CARMELink. Students must submit the transfer credit appeal form electronically to their Academic Advisor. The form must be complete including supporting documentation (course syllabi) from their prior institutions to support rationale.

The Credit Evaluation Staff will consult with subject matter experts and other college personnel to determine the outcome of the appeal. The Mount Carmel College will respond via email to the appeal within 10 business days.  Once the evaluation is complete, students may not ask for the courses to be evaluated again as the appeal decision is final.