Transfer Credit and Students
TRANSFER CREDIT, UNDERGRADUATE PROGRAM
Transfer credit (definition): Undergraduate credits earned at another accredited institution may be accepted in transfer, in accordance with the curricular requirements of the degree program. Transfer credits are added to the student’s transcript, and the student will graduate with the minimum number of credits required for program completion.
Overview
In general, credit is granted for courses taken at accredited colleges and institutions if they are 100-level (freshman level) or higher and a minimum grade of C has been earned. Transfer credits will be reviewed for equivalency to Rutgers University or a School of Nursing courses.
Students in the RN to BS, Second Degree, Blackwood 2+2, and School Nurse Certificate Programs: Students who transfer from other institutions or who, while matriculated at the School of Nursing, receive approval to take courses at other institutions (refer to the School of Nursing Student Forms) may receive degree credit for academic courses with a grade of C or better.
Students in the RN to BS, Second Degree, Blackwood 2+2, and School Nurse Certificate Programs: Transfer or matriculated students at the School of Nursing who are approved to take the nursing major courses (Nutrition, Life Span, and Developmental Psychology) at another academic institution will only receive credit with a grade of C+ or better.
United States colleges must be accredited by one of the major regional accrediting authorities recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (chea.org) for coursework to transfer to Rutgers. They are Middle States (MSCHE), New England (NEASC-CIHE), North Central (NCA-HLC), Southern (SACS), and Western (ACCJW-WASC).
The School of Nursing does not transfer credit for courses passed by examination at other institutions.
Courses that were not offered in a traditional classroom format (for example, independent studies, internships, fieldwork, etc.) are typically not awarded transfer credit.
Extension, professional, military, and technical training and continuing education courses typically have informal or no prerequisites and are designed to provide discrete, targeted knowledge rather than being a part of a broader liberal arts curriculum. As such, many of these courses are not awarded credit in the School of Nursing unless they are clearly equivalent to courses offered by the School of Nursing.
Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs), including those taught through Coursera, are not transferable to the School of Nursing.
Transfer credits and grades from institutions other than Rutgers University are not included in the cumulative grade-point average.
College Level Examination Program
Rutgers School of Nursing participates in the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), which is administered by the College Entrance Examination Board. Students in RN to BS, Second Degree, and School Nurse Certificate Programs may transfer in CLEP credits. CLEP credits for students in the Traditional Program are assessed on a case-by-case basis.
Students may earn a maximum of 12 credits for the General Examination, provided they score at or above the 50th percentile. Candidates for admission will be granted degree credit for CLEP Subject Examinations approved by the school, provided they achieve a score at or above the 50th percentile. For further information, contact the College Entrance Examination Board, Princeton, NJ 08541 (609-921-9000). Students considering CLEP exams for any undergraduate program should consult the program director for further guidance.
Program-specific policies follow.
Traditional 4-Year
Nursing prerequisites and nursing courses must be taken at the Rutgers School of Nursing. Once students begin matriculation at the Rutgers School of Nursing, they are expected to complete the remainder of their work at Rutgers University. There are, however, several other ways that students may earn non-nursing course credit toward the degree requirements. Students may be awarded credits through Advanced Placement examinations, International Baccalaureate, College Level Examination, and (in select cases) proficiency examinations. Credit may also be earned through transfer. Credits earned through these methods are not computed in the cumulative grade-point average.
Advanced Placement
High school seniors who have taken advanced courses may take the College Board Advanced Placement Examinations administered by the College Board. Advanced placement and/or degree credit is awarded for scores of 4 or 5. Students who earn the required Advanced Placement scores will be awarded the appropriate college credits regardless of placement test score.
Blackwood 2+2
Students may transfer in up to 60 undergraduate prerequisite and general education credits. Students may also transfer in an additional six credits towards their Anthropology and World Literature requirements.
A detailed description of the program's admission criteria/requirements is listed on the School of Nursing website.
RN to BS
The Rutgers School of Nursing RN to BS in nursing program is for registered nurses with a diploma or associate degree in nursing. This program requires 121 credits to graduate. However, students can transfer up to 33 credits of general education (English, humanities, social sciences), 18 credits of sciences, and 40 credits for nursing courses (including 34 credits transferred in for NCLEX pass and six credits of lower division nursing courses).
Students are required to complete 30 credits at Rutgers University to meet the residency requirement. Please note that transfer credits will not be accepted for the RN to BS core nursing (705) courses.
Registered Nurses (RNs) who hold a baccalaureate degree in a non-nursing field may receive credit for general education courses without the need for direct course equivalencies, with the exception of required prerequisites such as Introduction to Psychology, English Composition I, and English Composition II.
Proficiency examinations are available for select nursing courses. Each proficiency exam may only be attempted once. If a student does not pass the exam, they are required to enroll in and complete the corresponding course. Successful completion of proficiency examinations is determined according to the Rutgers School of Nursing’s grading policy and standardized testing benchmarks. Please note that an administrative fee is assessed for each proficiency exam.
Second Degree in Nursing
Students who have earned a baccalaureate degree from an accredited institution of higher education are granted credit for general education courses (direct course equivalencies are not required). A detailed description of the program's admission criteria/requirements is listed on the School of Nursing website. Students will receive transfer credits for prerequisite requirements.
School Nurse Certificate
The Rutgers School of Nursing accepts transfer credit and College Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit to meet the Introduction to Educational Psychology program requirement. The school also accepts transfer credit for Community Health Nursing and Health Assessment, if not completed prior to admission. See the School Nurse Certificate Program for more information.
TRANSFER CREDIT, ADVANCED NURSING PRACTICE PROGRAM
Transfer credit (definition): Graduate credits earned at another accredited institution may be accepted in transfer, in accordance with the curricular requirements of the degree program. Transfer credits are added to the student’s transcript, and the student will graduate with the minimum number of credits required for program completion.
The School will consider applications for transfer credit for matriculated students based on the following criteria:
a. Course documents support comparable graduate coursework at an accredited college or university.
b. The student earned a B or better in the course(s) being transferred.
c. The course(s) was/were not taken more than 7 years before the transfer request. Please note, advanced pathophysiology, advanced pharmacology, and advanced health assessment must have been completed less than 5 years before admission.
d. The maximum number of credits that can be transferred is 12 credits.
e. Credits transferred for a course will not exceed the number of credits for the course offered at Rutgers School of Nursing.
f. Credits transferred for the course will not exceed the number of credits granted by the outside school.
g. Clinical theory and practicum courses are not transferrable.
The Request for Transfer Credit form, official transcript(s) with final grade posted, and supporting documents (syllabus including course description/objectives and content outline) must be submitted to the student's Specialty/Program Director for review before admission. Once a student has matriculated into the program, courses cannot be taken at an outside school/university and transferred in.