Academic Credits & Policies of Transfer

General Residency Hours

Residency credits are those offered and earned directly through West Virginia State University as the granter of credit.

Graduation requirements stipulate all West Virginia State University students in a degree seeking program must earn a minimum of 30 credit hours in residence in order to be awarded a West Virginia State University Degree.

Degree Separation Hours
Additional hour requirements are applied to students seeking multiple degrees:
All students must obtain 30 hours of separation between degrees,
* Separation hours includes all WVSU credits taken

• after the last earned degree for post graduates 
• OR in excess (beyond General Education and Major requirements) for dual Degree candidates graduating with two simultaneous degrees. Not applicable to dual concentration candidates. 

Both requirements, 30 hours of separation and 30 hours of residence are stacked and earned simultaneously. 

Students with at least 30 hours of transferred credit upon admission will be waived the general education requirement for “First Year Experience.”

Students that have completed and been awarded at least one previous bachelor’s degree will have all General Education requirements waived.

• All students seeking multiple degrees must obtain a minimum of 30 credit hours of separation beyond the last degree earned.
  • Even if a previous degree was earned at WVSU, there still must be a minimum of 30 hours of separation between awarded degrees.  

Consistent with the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission,
 “Title 133 Procedural Rule Series 17: Transferability of Credits and Grades At WV Colleges & Universities;”
West Virginia State University accepts credits from institutions accredited by a U.S. Department of Education recognized accreditation body including generally transferable credits from any public or private postsecondary institution in the State of West Virginia. 

Highlighted Transfer Guidelines of Series 17 Section 3.
Click title link above for details

“3.1. It is the policy of the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (Commission) and the
West Virginia Council for Community and Technical College Education (Council) that the transfer of credits among public institutions of higher education and with West Virginia private institutions will be completed consistent with appropriate and legitimate academic program integrity. Institutional practice is to ensure that students may transfer and apply toward the requirements for a degree the maximum number of credits earned at an institution that is accredited by a regional, national, programmatic or other accredited body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education with no additional requirements or as few requirements to repeat courses or to take additional courses above those required by a native student to complete the degree, as is consistent with sound academic policy.”

• Sections 3.2.b-thru-3.2.e outlines the process and determination of a course’s equivalency from one institution to another.   
• 3.2.f. Limitation of not more than 72 credit hours may be accepted and applied toward graduation from any combination of community and junior college credit hours.

By West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission policy: Credits taken in general education for an associate degree will count toward the general education requirements at the bachelor’s degree institution. An exception may exist if the general education courses are substantially different.

The CCTA- General Studies & Course Equivalency Transfer Agreement  authorized by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission has specific information about the transferability of general education courses among West Virginia institutions of higher education. 

Students with University credits earned in a Foreign country through a Foreign Institution 
West Virginia State University will accept transfer credits from Foreign Institutions that have first been evaluated through a credential evaluation service or agency.

Credit from Institutions outside the United States requires an official course-by-course credential evaluation from a NACES Member such as WES, (World Education Service).

• You can find a list of accepted evaluation companies here: www.naces.org/members. 

Please request the evaluation be sent directly to the West Virginia State University Office of Admissions.

Students may apply for a maximum of six graduate credits to be transferred and used toward the requirements of the degree*.

• Ordinarily, these transfer credits will satisfy elective requirements only.
• Transfer credit must be based on graduate work completed within the five-year period immediately preceding matriculation.

A Petition for Transfer Credit Form should be filled out by the student and deposited with a transcript at the graduate program coordinator’s office. Prospective graduate transfer students should meet with the graduate program coordinator or faculty adviser at the point of matriculation in their West Virginia State University graduate program to determine how credits previously earned might transfer into that program.

If you have not received credit for your transfer work, please follow the steps below as a first attempt at resolution.

Review your MyDegree (found under Student tab or Unofficial Transcripts under Student Records) to determine if previous transferred credits in question have been added to the system.

• Review all box sections to include “Fall Through”- these are where elective credits that only count toward minimum 120 credits for graduation. 

If the courses are not listed anywhere . . .

1. Contact Office of Admissions to verify receipt & processing of transcripts 
2. Contact the Office of the Registrar to confirm transcripts have been received for system entry and record keeping.

If the courses are listed but not in what is believed to be the correct location . . .  

• Contact your department adviser for transcript evaluation and articulation of credits toward the major program and degree you are seeking. 
• For general education inquires students may contact the Office of the Registrar. 

If you were denied credit that is not developmental, not a repeated course, or have complaints regarding transferability of courses and credits

• Step 1: Please Contact the University Registrar, Roy Simmons for questions and information relating to appeals
• Step 2: Students unable to resolve matters at the campus level may request an outside review coordinated by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission (WVHEPC):
  The Commission adopted revisions to Series 17, Transferability of Credits and Grades at West Virginia Public Colleges and Universities, at its November 2014 meeting. These revisions included the establishment of an appeals process for the denial of transfer credit. Beginning July 1, 2015, each public institution in West Virginia is to have a clear, concise policy regarding a student’s process for appeal. At the second-to-last stage of the campus appeals process, the student may request an outside review, which would be coordinated by the Commission.