Transfer Credits

Receive Credit for What You Have Done -
Credit Transfer and Credit-by-Examination

Transfer previous college credit
Earn CLEP examination credit
Turn work and life experience into credit

Transfer previous college credit

University College allows you to apply credits earned from previous college courses towards your Fairfield University degree. The credits are officially posted to your Fairfield University transcript upon declaration of your major (matriculation). For program and course planning, we recommend that you have an advisor evaluate your previous college transcript before declaring your major. To have a formal review of your transcript, please send the official college transcript(s) to:

Fairfield University
University College - Academic Advising
1073 N. Benson Road
Fairfield, CT 06824

Transfer CLEP examination credit

University College accepts CLEP (College-Level Entrance Program) credits as part of your total number of transfer credits when you enter into a degree program. We recommend that you consult with an advisor prior to taking the exam to ensure that University College will accept credit for the CLEP tested subject. Students who take the CLEP exam must send an official results transcript to the University College Advising Department. Your academic advisor will evaluate the transcript and grant credit based upon a satisfactory score.

For more information about qualifications for receiving credit through CLEP, contact a University College academic advisor at (203) 254-4100 or e-mail ucadvise@fairfield.edu. Information about CLEP can also be found at www.collegeboard.com/student/testing/clep/about.html.

Turning Work and Life Experience into Credit: Portfolio Assessment

Because University College recognizes that learning can also take place outside of a classroom setting, we offer degree matriculating students the opportunity to receive credit for:

• Knowledge acquired through direct work and life experience
• Training courses offered by employers or other organizations
• In-depth study of a particular work-related subject

The portfolio process provides a means of assessing learning that cannot be evaluated through the use of standardized tests, such as CLEP examinations. Portfolios allow students to present acquired experience and receive credit for college-level learning.

Eligibility

Adults enrolled and matriculated in a degree program through University College at Fairfield University are eligible for the portfolio assessment process. This credit will be evaluated as transfer credit and may not exceed 30 credits. Students must present portfolio requests to University College at least 6 months prior to anticipated graduation date to allow sufficient time for review.

Process

To receive portfolio credit, a student needs to:

1. Meet with a University College academic advisor to discuss his/her academic program and vocational experience. This is an exploratory session in which the student and advisor review the degree plan and assess if the portfolio process is viable. To contact a University College academic advisor, call (203) 254-4110 or e-mail ucadvise@fairfield.edu.
2. Review the Fairfield University catalog for course titles that relate to work experience. This will enable the student and advisor to identify appropriate course work for evaluation. If the student's work experience does not match existing courses, but falls within a subject area in which courses are taught at the University, the experience as it relates to the area of knowledge must be described clearly.
3. Prepare one or more proposals requesting evaluation of work experience through the portfolio process. The proposal should include the following:
   1. The course description for which equivalent knowledge is being
      presented in the request for credit.
   2. The source or conditions under which learning took place, e.g., job, position, or approximate time frame in which learning was acquired.
   3. The content/topics of learning. Address how your work experience matches the material covered in the course with particular attention to theoretical knowledge and broad-based applications. This should consist of a written narrative explaining the relationship. This narrative, including items (b) and (c), will be approximately 10 to 15 pages in length.
   4. Activities that relate to the learning. This may include some or all of the following:
      • Job tasks you perform(ed) that required the learning or understanding listed in course content
      • Duties and responsibilities of your position
      • Identification of roles you performed in your work environment
      • Description of colleagues/supervisors with whom you interacted, method and frequency of communication
      • Supervisory tasks performed
      • Agencies, publications, Websites, or organizations with whom you consulted on a regular basis
      • Training programs or other non-college-based courses attended
   5. Documentation: Identify by number the attached documents that demonstrate learning that is claimed, such as:
      • Samples of work (presentations, published articles, etc.)
      • Resume
      • Letters from colleagues/supervisors that attest to your knowledge of the subject
      • Performance appraisal record
      • Awards or membership in professional/honorary organizations
      • Syllabus for training courses taken
      • Job description
4. Meet with the faculty member who will be evaluating the portfolio to discuss content.
5. Submit a proposal to the Associate Dean of University College who will act as a liaison with the appropriate academic department and forward the proposal to a faculty member. A $200 non-refundable evaluation fee per course for which credit is requested must accompany the proposal.
   • Once the proposal is sent to a faculty member, the student will be contacted if additional documentation regarding the learning experience is necessary.
   • The faculty member will approve or reject the work experience credit and notify the Associate Dean.
   • The credit by portfolio is recorded on the student's transcript as a transfer
     credit. (No grade is awarded.)

Note: Copies of portfolio materials become the property of University College if
credit is awarded. Materials are retained in the college's files to document the credit award.