Transfer Credit

UNDERGRADUATE TRANSFER CREDIT POLICY

Hawai‘i Pacific University reserves the right to accept or reject transfer credits earned at any other institution of higher education. In general, Hawai‘i Pacific University accepts credits earned at institutions fully accredited by the U.S. regional accrediting associations or an institution recognized by the Office of Admission, provided such credits are substantially equivalent to courses at HPU and have been completed with a grade of C- or better. An official evaluation of transfer credits will be completed only after a student has been admitted to HPU. Grades and grade point averages earned at other institutions are not factored into the HPU GPA and will not be listed on the HPU transcript.

Transfer credits are accepted as one of three categories of credits: Elective, General Education, or Program Field of Study credits.

• Elective: These are courses that are not part of the program/major or General Education requirements, but may still count toward the baccalaureate degree. Some majors limit the amount of elective credit.
• General Education: These courses are similar at most colleges with a liberal arts foundation, and often include courses in English, history, math, science, and other subjects.
• Program Field of Study: These courses are primarily requirements for the chosen major/degree program. Prerequisites to courses in the major field of study usually can be transferred.

Transfer Credit Restrictions
Transfer credit is accepted for regular undergraduate degree-seeking students. Only course credits are accepted in and transfer to HPU. Grades and grade points from other institutions are not listed on the HPU transcript.

Timeline
Courses considered for transfer will be evaluated by a transcript evaluator and will be accepted based on equivalency for program requirements. Certain colleges, departments, or programs (e.g., Nursing) may have specific expiration dates for transfer credits which will be applied during the transcript evaluation. Students should make every effort to reconcile all transfer credits during their first term of enrollment at HPU.

Maximum Transfer Credit
The maximum amount of total undergraduate transfer credit from all transcripts and test scores is 90 credit hours. Credit hours awarded cannot exceed 90 total credits and are restricted by the sources below:

• Maximum of 90 credits from a regionally accredited four-year college or university
• Maximum of 60 credits from a community college or from American Council on Education (ACE) evaluation
• Maximum of 45 credits toward an associate’s degree
• Maximum of 36 credits may be earned in passing courses by examination
• Maximum of 30 credits may be awarded for dual credit, or combined AP and IB
• Maximum of 15 credits of extension or continuing education
• Maximum of 4 credits in physical education/activity
• Only academic courses that carry a grade of C- or better will be accepted for transfer credit
• Repeated courses will only transfer credit once; the most recent attempt will be used for credit

Courses Receiving No Credit
HPU does not accept the following types of courses for transfer credit:

• Courses from unaccredited institutions: Coursework taken at any institution not fully accredited by a regional U.S. accrediting association or not recognized by the Office of Admissions is not transferable
• Courses below college level: At HPU, courses include those numbered below 1000
• Developmental or remedial courses are not transferable
• Life experience, internship or practicum credit are not transferable* (*unless denoted as part of an articulation agreement)

Courses with Non-traditional Grades
Courses completed with non-traditional grades such as CR (credit), P (pass), o r S (satisfactory) may be transferrable only if the grade represents a C- or higher. Courses with non-traditional grades are generally only accepted as elective credit and do not fulfill university, college, school, or departmental requirements.

Current Student Transfer Credit
All transfer credit taken at another institution while concurrently enrolled as an HPU student are subject to approval by the university before transfer credit will be accepted. It is recommended to see an academic advisor to complete the process for credit approval.

General Education transfer credit

Students who transfer to an HPU Baccalaureate program may satisfy all General Education (GE) areas (except for Hawaii and the Pacific) by completing one of the following prior to matriculation:

• The full California State GE Breadth certification (CSU Cert) or University of California Intersegmental General Education TRansfer Curriculum (UC/IGETC) certification
• An Associate of Arts degree with embedded CSU Cert or UC/IGETC certification
• Equivalent GE transfer degree or certification from an out-of-state community college
• An Associate of Arts degree from a regionally accredited college or university
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university

All other transfer credit is evaluated on a course-by-course basis, and may require the submission of course syllabi or catalog descriptions.

HPU maintains several program to program articulation agreements with other institutions ,as follows:

• The full California State GE Breadth certification (CSU Cert) or University of California Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (UC/IGETC) certification
• An Associate of Arts degree with embedded CSU Cert or UC/IGETC certification
• Equivalent GE transfer degree or certification from an out-of-state community college
• A baccalaureate degree from an accredited college or university.

CREDIT BY EXAMINATION

HPU recognizes and accepts the use of national standardized and recognized testing instruments to measure knowledge acquired outside the classroom. Credit may be granted only for exams that meet HPU standards. Regarding AP, IB, CLEP, and DSST examinations and acceptable minimum scores for approved exams, score requirements, and credit granted, see the HPU website under “Transfer Credits.”

College-Level Examination Program and DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST)
The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) enables students to earn college credit by examination in areas approved by the disciplines. Classified students may take CLEP tests to demonstrate college level competency no matter when, where, or how this knowledge has been acquired: through formal study, private reading, employment experiences, non-credit courses, military/industrial/business training, or advanced work in regular high school courses. This program gives individuals the opportunity to validate and receive credit for college-level knowledge they already possess.

HPU credit is awarded to students whose score meets the established minimum for approved CLEP and DANTES Subject Standardized Test (DSST) and may apply toward General Education requirements. Students seeking to fulfill major requirements must have preapproval from the department chair. Only elective credit will be awarded for CLEP general exams.

The university accepts no more than 36 credit hours earned through any type of credit by examination process.

Advanced Placement (AP)
Credit is awarded for approved AP exams that meet the minimum score requirements. Students must submit an official AP score report to HPU for credit consideration.

International Baccalaureate (IB)
Credit is awarded for approved IB exams that meet the minimum score and diploma requirements. Students must submit an official IB score report or diploma transcript to HPU for credit consideration.

Challenge Exams
These are comprehensive exams that are created and administered within the university and test a student’s level of mastery for a given university course. Only students with grade point averages of 3.0 or above who have completed at least 15 credits at the university are eligible to petition. A student may consult an academic advisor to submit a petition for permission to take a Challenge Exam. If the reviewing dean approves the petition, the student pays an examination fee, and the dean selects an appropriate instructor to design and administer the examination. If the student successfully passes the challenge exam, credits are awarded without a standard grade.

INTERNATIONAL TRANSFER CREDIT

HPU accepts academic credit earned at international institutions that are fully accredited by their country’s Ministry of Education, but only if the courses meet general transfer credit policies. Evaluation of credit is completed upon admission and upon receipt of 1) an official transcript, 2) an official English-translated transcript completed by an accredited translation service (if the official transcript is not in English), and 3) course descriptions completed by an accredited translation service.

Courses taken through Online Learning platforms (for example, Sophia, Straighterline, Coursera; where the coursework is video-based, self-paced, remote learning, etc.) may be considered for transfer credit provided that the specific course is recommended by the American Council on Education (ACE) or a regional accrediting body.  Students are encouraged to request an official syllabus of the course(s) taken and send it to HPU for review, along with the official transcript or badge of course completion. 

Military Service or Schooling

Coursework taken through military schools may be considered for credit on the basis of recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE). The student’s DD-214 or DD- 295 form should be submitted along with either the Army/American Council on Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS), Sailor-Marine American Council on Education Registry Transcript (SMART), Joint Services Transcript (JST), or Community College of the Air Force (CCF).