Credit Evaluation Problems

[videogamesrock]

I'm dealing with someone who is evaluating my transfer credits and is giving me a hard time. I have taken a few courses where I tested out and the courses were posted on my college transcript with a grade of Pass.


The evaluator will not give credit for the courses, unless they are on an ACE transcript because it was credit by exam. She explained to me that she needed to see if the course/test is at a collegiate level. I tried to explain that because the college issued the credit on their transcript, and they are accredited, there is no need for ACE to determine if the course is at a collegiate level.


I also explained that if she were to look at my ACE transcript, she will see credits issued by companies and not universities, which is why ACE is needed to see if they are collegiate in nature. Since the credits were issued by a college for course credit, it is irrelevant if I passed taking a comprehensive final or taken the 16-week format. She insists it needs to be ACE approved.


Any suggestions on how to deal with this person? I tend to lose my patience really quickly when dealing with these folks. Should I request to speak with a different evaluator?

[jsd]

What school are you trying to transfer to?

Not all schools will accept other school's challenge exams. Some transcripts you can't tell the difference between a challenge exam and a pass/fail course, but it sounds like you can on this transcript. It's still up to the receiving institution.

[cookderosa]

I'm dealing with someone who is evaluating my transfer credits and is giving me a hard time. I have taken a few courses where I tested out and the courses were posted on my college transcript with a grade of Pass.


The evaluator will not give credit for the courses, unless they are on an ACE transcript because it was credit by exam. She explained to me that she needed to see if the course/test is at a collegiate level. I tried to explain that because the college issued the credit on their transcript, and they are accredited, there is no need for ACE to determine if the course is at a collegiate level.


I also explained that if she were to look at my ACE transcript, she will see credits issued by companies and not universities, which is why ACE is needed to see if they are collegiate in nature. Since the credits were issued by a college for course credit, it is irrelevant if I passed taking a comprehensive final or taken the 16-week format. She insists it needs to be ACE approved.


Any suggestions on how to deal with this person? I tend to lose my patience really quickly when dealing with these folks. Should I request to speak with a different evaluator?

Unfortunately, I think you'll encounter this in most cases. Having a course on a transcript does not launder it from its original source. It's typical that colleges want original transcripts for courses inside a transcript that doesn't result in a degree. Less typical when the degree is complete, but not unheard of. For example, if you had completed the degree and were applying to grad school when you asked this question, you'd see a mix of yes/no fellow members that had to provide the transcripts within their transcript (eg. CLEP, ACE, other colleges, etc.). I wrote about this last month on my LinkedIn page.

https://www.linkedin.com/pulse/credit-la...eader-card

[jsd]

It doesn't sound like he's trying to credit launder. It sounds like he took challenge exams at one school (School A), and wants to transfer those to another (School B). School B doesn't want to accept the challenge exams. Credit laundering would have an intermediary trying to hide School A from School B, and that of course never works. But in this case, he's going directly from A to B.

Sounds similar to how Excelsior didn't want to accept CSU Global CBEs a while back (until sanantone convinced them).

[davewill]

There is likely some appeal process. Go ahead and make use of it. At least then if they say, "No," it will be official.

[dfrecore]

I agree - this is not credit laundering. Every school I've ever gone to has offered the option of a challenge exam for many courses. You work directly with the dean of the department, and they have you work with an instructor who normally teaches that course. Not every course will offer this (usually anything that requires a paper like English Comp will not have this option). But it's very common, especially at CC's. I've found it to be the case for bilingual students who want to show that they are fluent in speaking as well as reading/writing. They can go to the foreign language department and the instructor will evaluate them and give them credit for courses up to the level they are at.

There is no ACE-approval for things like this. This is done through the school directly.

I would just ask to speak to someone else.

[sanantone]

It doesn't sound like he's trying to credit launder. It sounds like he took challenge exams at one school (School A), and wants to transfer those to another (School B). School B doesn't want to accept the challenge exams. Credit laundering would have an intermediary trying to hide School A from School B, and that of course never works. But in this case, he's going directly from A to B.

Sounds similar to how Excelsior didn't want to accept CSU Global CBEs a while back (until sanantone convinced them).

That was COSC. They have no problems with challenge exams. They accept TECEPs. They had a problem with CSU Global's CBEs not being residency credits.

If the issue was accepting pass/fail credits, then there wouldn't be anything you could argue. Since the question is whether or not the test is at the collegiate level, the school's argument is just plain stupid. An accredited college can't get away with awarding credits for tests or courses that have not gone through an evaluation process to determine worthiness for college credits. Logically, a challenge exam from an accredited college should receive less resistance than an ACE evaluation of a non-college course. ACE is not an accreditor.

[videogamesrock]

Thanks for everyones feedback. I will go ahead and appeal the evaluation and take it from there.

There is no laundering, I simply challenged the course at school A which I passed and wanted to transfer to school B.

[videogamesrock]

That was COSC. They have no problems with challenge exams. They accept TECEPs. They had a problem with CSU Global's CBEs not being residency credits.

If the issue was accepting pass/fail credits, then there wouldn't be anything you could argue. Since the question is whether or not the test is at the collegiate level, the school's argument is just plain stupid. An accredited college can't get away with awarding credits for tests or courses that have not gone through an evaluation process to determine worthiness for college credits. Logically, a challenge exam from an accredited college should receive less resistance than an ACE evaluation of a non-college course. ACE is not an accreditor.

Sanatone,

I agree with you 100%, it doesn't get more collegiate than an exam from a college. ACE would be a stop down from that. I think the evaluator is thoroughly confused. Thanks for your help.

[cookderosa]

Thanks for everyones feedback. I will go ahead and appeal the evaluation and take it from there.

There is no laundering, I simply challenged the course at school A which I passed and wanted to transfer to school B.

My apologies- I didn't realize these were challenge exams. In that case, you may be successful requesting a statement to that effect from your first college. There is something on there that's creating an issue, and I have no idea what that is. Typically challenge exams represent the same course name / title/ etc. and are simply pass fail (which many colleges offer as an option anyway, even when you TAKE the CLASS) so something's not right. If they were departmental challenge exams, your school can tell them that. It doesn't mean they have to accept the credit, but it will redirect them to the correct location (which is not ACE)