Transfer credit. "...Like the regional accrediting agencies, the DETC Accrediting Commission is reviewed periodically by the U.S. Department of Education to make certain it meets the criteria for federal recognition as published in Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These recognition criteria are the same for national as for regional accrediting agencies...."

Don’t Take “No” for an Answer When Trying to Transfer Your Credits or Degree
November 2008 1
Don’t Take “No” for an Answer
When Trying to Transfer Your Credits or Degree
If you are trying to transfer your academic credits or degree to another college or university, and they
refuse to accept them, don’t take “no” for an answer. Knowing how to state your case and presenting
the right information may help you get positive results.
Acceptance of degrees or credits from DETC-accredited institutions is largely determined by the
policy of the “receiving organization,” e.g., an employer, a college registrar, etc. Each institution has
its own unique set of requirements. Accreditation is important, but no school can guarantee their
credits will transfer to another institution on the basis of the accreditation they hold. You should
always check with the college or university you wish to transfer your credits or degree to before you
invest time and money completing a course/degree program. And, it’s always a good idea to get the
transfer approval in writing from the receiving institution before you enroll.
There are several reasons a college or university may refuse to accept your transfer credits. None of
these have anything to do with accreditation:
• Course content doesn’t fit into the curriculum;
• Poor grades (grades of “D” or “F” don’t transfer);
• You already filled all of your elective credits; and
• You already reached the limit of transfer credits allowed by the college.
Institutions should analyze credit accepted for transfer in terms of level, content, quality,
comparability, and degree program relevance. They should not, however, reject credits or refuse to
evaluate a transcript based solely on the source of accreditation of the sending institution.
How to Transfer Credits
You’ve completed several courses at a DETC-accredited institution and now you want to transfer the
credits to another college or university to complete your degree. You’ve checked to see what the
transfer policies are and you’ve gotten a copy of your official transcript and looked it over to make
certain all the grades are accurate and up-to-date. Here are your next steps:
1. Follow the correct transfer procedures. Fill out the correct college application. Be specific
where the transcript needs to go when providing the receiving institution’s address.
2. Know the requirements. You should know: 1) what the core or general requirements are; 2)
what the major departmental requirements are; and 3) if there are any residency requirements.
3. Complete the application on time. Neatness of any application does count. Double check
deadlines, especially departmental deadlines.
4. Get in touch with the Registrar directly. Ask for a personal interview if possible. There may
also be a transfer counselor you can contact.

Don’t Take “No” for an Answer When Trying to Transfer Your Credits or Degree
November 2008 2
5. Follow-up with the admissions office. You should not be shy about appealing a credit
evaluation if credits are rejected. You might have to negotiate credit for each course you have
taken. Get the e-mail address of the appropriate people and state your case forcefully.
Information Packet
In addition, sending an Information Packet with your application is very helpful. The Information
Packet should include the following:
1. A cover letter explaining what you are sending (see example 1).
2. The “course syllabi” from the courses you have completed. If you don’t have copies, contact
the institution where you completed the courses and they may be able to send them to you.
3. A copy of the school’s catalog with the courses you have taken clearly marked. Normally you
can print this from the school’s web site.
4. Course Equivalency Chart (see example 2).
5. A “Projected Academic Program” chart. Compile this to demonstrate you are familiar with the
receiving institution’s educational system (see example 3).
6. A recommendation letter from a former professor and/or instructor (see example 4)
7. A letter from the accrediting agency (DETC) (see example 5).
Degree Transferability
You’ve worked hard and earned a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration from a DETC-
accredited university. You’re ready to earn an advanced degree and have applied for admission into a
Masters of Business Administration (MBA) program with a regionally-accredited university. The
registrar at the university denies your application because you didn’t earn your degree from a
regionally-accredited university. Now what do you do?
Usually you have several options:
1. Ask the admitting university if they have an appeal process and how to submit a formal appeal.
2. Ask the registrar for admission on provisional or probationary status. Often if you earn a certain
GPA in the admitting university’s courses, you may be accepted into the program.
3. Contact the Department Dean to ask for an interview and be prepared to submit a portfolio of
your work before a final decision is made.
4. If an institution gives credit for unaccredited course work, such as life or work experience, ask
for the same review process for your accredited course work.
Explain to the registrar that the institution you received your degree from is accredited by the Distance
Education and Training Council (DETC). See the information below concerning DETC’s recognition.

Don’t Take “No” for an Answer When Trying to Transfer Your Credits or Degree
November 2008 3
Many times, registrars are not aware that DETC and regional accrediting agencies both meet the same
standards required by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for Higher Education
Accreditation
Other Facts
There may be times when the receiving institution is hesitant to accept your credits strictly because the
credits are not from a “regionally” accredited institution. Here are some facts you need to make them
aware of:
DETC’s National Recognitions: The DETC Accrediting Commission is listed (and has been since
1959) by the U.S. Department of Education as a “nationally recognized accrediting agency.” It is also a
recognized member of the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). There are six regional
accrediting agencies that are also recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and the Council for
Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA). Along with the DETC, these agencies are “institutional
accreditors,” which accredit degree-granting institutions through distance education.
Like the regional accrediting agencies, the DETC Accrediting Commission is reviewed periodically by
the U.S. Department of Education to make certain it meets the criteria for federal recognition as
published in Title 34 of the Code of Federal Regulations. These recognition criteria are the same for
national as for regional accrediting agencies.
DETC and its accredited institutions are listed in the U.S. Department of Education’s database:
The U.S. Department of Education also maintains a database that lists recognized accrediting agencies
and the institutions they accredit. For the database of accrediting agencies and institutions, visit
http://ope.ed.gov/accreditation/.
DETC and its accredited institutions are listed in CHEA’s Database: You may want to check
CHEA’s Web site at www.chea.org to see which accrediting agencies CHEA recognizes and the
institutions they accredit.
Higher Education Transfer Alliance (HETA): CHEA also maintains the Higher Education Transfer
Alliance (HETA), a voluntary group of more than 400 accredited institutions concerned with the
importance of student mobility, enhancing success in transfer of credit, and affirming the responsibility
and prerogative of individual institutions with respect to acceptance of transfer credits. HETA is a
Web-based directory of colleges and universities open to all institutions accredited by an organization
recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) or the United States
Department of Education (USDE). Membership in HETA is entirely voluntary. HETA is not intended
to, and will not constrain, institutional freedom or prerogatives with respect to acceptance of transfer
credit. You may access the HETA directory at http://www.chea.org/heta/default.asp.

Don’t Take “No” for an Answer When Trying to Transfer Your Credits or Degree
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If All Else Fails
Should all of your efforts fail to transfer your credits or get your degree accepted at the institution of
your choice, you have other options:
• Select another academic institution that will meet your needs and goals and apply to them.
Going to an institution that participates in the Higher Education Transfer Alliance sponsored by
CHEA increases the chances of credit acceptance.
• Apply to another DETC-accredited distance institution that offers programs which meet your
needs. You will have your credits or degree accepted at any of them.
• Apply to another institution recognized by a “national” institutional accredited association.
Visit www.crnaa.org for a listing of the six “national” accrediting groups. Institutions
accredited by any of these six associations are committed to the principle that they will not
reject credits or degrees based solely on the source of accreditation of the sending institution.
Most graduates of DETC-accredited institutions who attempt to transfer their credits or get their
degrees accepted at another educational institution are successful. At least seven out of ten are
reporting success in their quest for credit transfer.
The most common reason DETC credit is not accepted is the credit that is being transferred does not
meet the prerequisites for the receiving institution’s program, i.e., the courses completed are not in the
required fields of study or are not at the desired level of senior division study, etc.
You should always let someone at the granting institution know if you are having problems
transferring your credits or degree. DETC and its institutions are more than happy to help you solve
this problem.
In today’s world, distance learning institutions—like those accredited by DETC—are able to follow
their students wherever they go in the world, so when a student relocates to another city or country, the
DETC institution follows them. This takes one common reason for needing to transfer off the table.
And in recent years, many DETC institutions have been offering advanced degrees at the Masters, First
Professional and Professional Doctoral degree levels. If earning an advanced degree is your goal, you
have dozens of accredited DETC institutions from which to choose, and your degree and credits will
be accepted without question at any of them!