Academic Catalog

Credit Transfer

Transfer of Credit

To receive an undergraduate degree from Keene State, students must attain matriculated status before starting their final thirty (30) credit hours of work toward a degree. The Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs is responsible for determining the acceptability of all transfer credits. 

Shortly after admission to the College, transfer students will receive an official transfer credit evaluation from Academic Advising if they don’t yet have an active KSC account. Current students can access their transfer credit evaluation through the student information system. Students should bring this evaluation to any orientation program or when meeting with an academic advisor. Credits accepted in transfer may be allocated to the General Education requirements or electives. The faculty of each discipline will determine through course substitution which of the transferred courses will fulfill major or minor requirements. Please refer to the degree requirement section of the Catalog for major-specific information. Developmental or remedial coursework is not transferable. Please note:  grades do not transfer in, therefore will not impact your cumulative GPA. 

Non-KSC credits applied toward degree requirements and not earned directly from a recognized accredited institution of higher learning cannot exceed a total of 30 credits. This would include but may not be limited by AP credit, CLEP, DANTE, CTE, ACE-approved (includes online course providers), IB, and Cambridge courses. Military credits are exempt from this cap. See the Graduation Requirements policy regarding required KSC credits for graduation. 

Students should direct requests for the transfer of credits through Academic Advising in the following categories: 

  • Credits received at a recognized accredited institution of higher education, if completed with a grade of C- or higher. 

  • Credits received at degree-granting institutions accredited by an association listed in the Directory of the Council of Post-secondary Accreditation, if completed with a grade of C- or higher and if documented by the catalog and course descriptions. 

  • Credits received at international institutions through Keene State’s Global Education Office (GEO) Study Away program, with the equivalent of a grade of D or higher will transfer as credits to KSC. The list of approved exchange program institutions is available on through the Global Education Office. Students must be registered during their time away from Keene State College in KSC-280 Study Away. KSC-280 Study Away is a placeholder course that will be removed from the student’s record once Study Away courses transfer in on an official transcript. 

  • Credits received at international institutions NOT through the Study Away program through Keene State’s Global Education Office (GEO) will transfer as credits if completed with the equivalent of a grade of C- or higher. At their expense, they must provide a credential evaluation through a service such as the World Education Service in English. 

  • Credits recommended at the upper and lower division by the American Council on Education (ACE) for an educational experience. Up to 9 credit hours for ACE approved courses or 15 credit hours earned through approved DANTES Subject Standardized Tests (DSSTs) or certain other correspondence study courses may be accepted. Guidelines for the evaluation of military credit are available from the Registrar’s Office. 

  • Credits earned at the above institutions in courses graded by Pass/Fail or Credit/Non-Credit, if evidence is presented showing that the courses were completed with the appropriate level of academic achievement. 

  • Students who wish to transfer credits into a teacher certification option must apply through the chair of the Department of Education. Ordinarily, no more than four credits from another institution may be applied to satisfy program requirements due to the uniqueness of Education courses. 

Courses numbered at the offering institution at the lower-level can be considered for transfer equivalency at the upper-level following review by the appropriate department. When an equivalency is established, it will be entered into the College’s course equivalency database eliminating the need for on-going review. 

Policy Regarding Credit for Prior Learning for GI Bill® Recipients (38 CFR 21.4253 (d)(3) Keene State College maintains a written record of the previous education and training of GI Bill®  recipients and grants credit appropriately, with the training period (e.g., time to degree) shortened proportionately. All prior credit must be submitted to the College by the end of the second semester of enrollment, or certification of VA benefits will not be continued. 

GI Bill® is a registered trademark of the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). More information about education benefits offered by VA is available at the official U.S. government Web site at https://www.benefits.va.gov/gibill. 

International Baccalaureate (IB) and Cambridge International AS & A Level and Cambridge AICE Credits and Diplomas

Keene State College will award 8 semester-credits for each Higher Level International Baccalaureate (IB) Examination passed with a score of 5, 6, or 7 or each A Level Cambridge AS & A Level AICE Examination with a result of C- or higher, and limits the total number of credits awarded for IB and AICE Exams to 24. 

Credits used to fulfill either General Education or core degree requirements are at the discretion of the College and individual departments.

Degree Transfer

Second Degree. A student who has completed one undergraduate baccalaureate degree from any accredited institution may earn an additional undergraduate degree by completing all major requirements for the second degree.  In all instances, completion of a consecutive second degree requires a minimum of 144 credits, including all transferred credits. However, the student is not required to complete the General Education Explorations (GEE) requirements or the required 40 credits at the upper-level. The second degree must follow the catalog year of KSC admission. 

Associate Degree. All current articulation agreements notwithstanding, students who have completed an associate degree will be credited with 30 credits toward the General Education Explorations program. They need only complete the following to get credit for the entire GEE program: 

Either of the following two options:

The two courses required for the Values and Connections requirements in the GEE program and a separate upper-level course in any GEE requirement (three courses total)   

Or 

The two courses required for the Values and Connections requirements in the GEE program, in which one of those Values and Connections courses is at the upper level (two courses total).

Credits used to fulfill either the General Education Explorations program or core degree requirements are at the discretion of the College and individual departments.

Credit Transfer

Owner: Registrar's Office, KSCregistrar@keene.edu

Last Modified: 5/1/2026, kgagne@keene.edu

For questions regarding this policy, please contact the owner.