Students generally receive full credit for satisfactory work completed at other regionally accredited colleges and universities in courses judged to be equivalent to those offered at Lewis & Clark. Coursework is evaluated for transferability only on a course-by-course basis. No “block” credit will be granted for associate or transfer degrees. Transfer credit is not granted for coursework with a grade below C (2.000), College-Level Examination Program (CLEP), life experience, or credit by examination. Credit may not be granted for college coursework completed more than 20 years ago.

In order to be awarded a Lewis & Clark degree, students must fulfill the institution’s academic residency requirement by completing at least 60 semester credits at Lewis & Clark out of the 128 semester credits required for the degree. Only four credits* of transfer coursework that is earned after the student reaches senior status (93 credits) may be applied to the degree. Thus, a maximum of 68 semester transfer credits may be applied to the degree, and in the senior year, a maximum of 4 credits may be transferred from other institutions.

A maximum of 4 semester credits of physical education/activity may be transferred.

One quarter credit equals .67 semester credits.

Credit earned on an academic system that is not a standard quarter or semester system will be evaluated according to equivalents stated by that institution, accepted industry practice, and/or American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) recommendations.

Transfer credit is generally awarded for coursework completed at other colleges or universities regionally accredited in the United States, provided the coursework:

• Is college-level and not remedial in nature.
• Is judged to be consistent with the Lewis & Clark curriculum.
• Is awarded a letter grade of C or better**.
• Does not duplicate credit already granted for completed coursework.
• Does not exceed the residency requirement, which states that only four credits of transfer coursework that is earned after the student reaches senior status (93 credits) may be applied to the degree.

Current students are encouraged to contact the Office of the Registrar to have courses prescreened for transfer eligibility. Credit earned at another institution that has not been preapproved may not be eligible for transfer to Lewis & Clark.

Lewis & Clark cannot give prior approval of transfer credit for independent study, internships, or practica coursework being completed at another school. In order to evaluate such coursework for transfer, the registrar must receive a detailed description of the project and list of required readings and assignments, along with a written narrative from the instructor or on-site supervisor about the method of evaluation, the academic component of the project, and, after the project has been completed, the student’s performance in the course. In some instances, a student’s final project must be evaluated at Lewis & Clark.

Grades earned for transfer credit are not used to calculate your Lewis & Clark grade point average and do not appear on the Lewis & Clark transcript. Transfer credit is summarized on the student’s transcript, listing only the name of the institution where the credit was completed and the total amount of transfer credit awarded. Individual course titles and credit amounts are not listed on the Lewis & Clark transcript. A transcript of that coursework can only be obtained from the institution where the work was completed.

General Education Requirements

The Office of the Registrar evaluates transcripts of all previous college work to determine credit that is transferable toward Lewis & Clark’s General Education requirements. The course content must be judged to satisfy the spirit of the requirement at Lewis & Clark and must carry credit equal to a minimum of 75 percent of the normal L&C credit requirement. That judgment is made by the registrar, in consultation with appropriate faculty if necessary. Courses other than physical education/athletics activity courses must be taken for a letter grade.

Major/Minor Requirements

Transfer credit may be used to meet major or minor requirements at the discretion of the chair or program director of the major or minor. Students should first verify with the registrar’s office that the proposed course is transferable in general, then consult the department chair or program director with regard to major or minor requirements. A Course Substitution form is available in the Office of the Registrar.

Overseas Study

Students planning to earn credit at a non-U.S. institution or to study abroad through another U.S. college or university program should obtain preapproval from the Overseas and Off-Campus Programs director or designee. The Non-L&C Study Abroad Transfer Application is available in the Office of the Registrar. Transfer credit is not granted for “standalone” travel/study programs (i.e., programs where credit is not granted by an accredited U.S. college or university). Credit is not transferred from language schools or institutes in other countries.

Credit issued directly by a non-U.S. university or college must be evaluated by an outside agency prior to being considered for transfer by Lewis & Clark. Students may have their courses prescreened by the Office of the Registrar, but no official determination will be made regarding transfer eligibility or total credit awarded until the course has been completed and the evaluation agency has rendered its report. The agency will evaluate the institution to verify that it is equivalent to a regionally accredited U.S. institution, and will evaluate the course(s) to determine the converted U.S. equivalent credit and letter grade. Upon receipt of this evaluation, Lewis & Clark will evaluate the credit for transfer. The cost for evaluation is borne by the student.

For information on approved credit-evaluation agencies, please contact the Office of the Registrar.

In keeping with the standard applied to Lewis & Clark overseas study programs, we recommend taking no more than 16 semester credits on a study-abroad program. The maximum transferable for a single semester is 19 credits. Partial credit for courses will not be transferred.

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*The registrar’s office may approve the transfer of up to 6 semester credits during the senior year under the following conditions:

• After reaching senior status, the student proposes to transfer a single course (and any required corequisite component) that exceeds the 4-credit maximum.
• After reaching senior status, the student proposes to transfer two courses from an institution that operates on the quarter system, the total of which exceeds the 4-credit maximum.

**Courses taken for P/NP or CR/NC will not be accepted for transfer unless the awarding institution’s documented policy states that passing grades are considered to be C or better. Courses taken for P/NP or CR/NC are not eligible to fulfill General Education requirements (except for physical education courses). Coursework intended to fulfill General Education requirements must be taken for a letter grade (except for physical education courses) and the student must earn a grade of C or better.