Alternate Ways to Earn Credit

Students are able to earn credit for prior experience including transfer credits, portfolio assessment and credit by exam.

Transfer Credit
Students may transfer credits earned at other accredited colleges to WCCC prior to the beginning of the program, providing that the credits applied for have been earned within the past 10 years. WCCC is the final judge regarding acceptance of transfer credits. Appropriate forms may be obtained from either the Admissions Office or Registrar’s Office. The responsibility rests with students to furnish the Registrar’s Office with (1) an official copy of each college transcript and (2) a copy of the catalog from each college at which courses were taken if the college is not located in Maine. Every effort will be made to issue transfer credit prior to the beginning of classes. Courses with grades of “C” or better that are judged by WCCC to be equivalent in nature and content to the college’s course offerings will be transferred. However, examinations may be required to show competency of subject material.

Transferred course grades will appear on the WCCC transcript but will not be used in computing students’ WCCC grade point averages. A student must earn a minimum of 35% of his/her certificate, diploma, or degree credits in residence and these credits must be earned within 5 years of the date of application for graduation. When a decision regarding transferability of credits is unacceptable, the student may appeal, in writing, to the Vice President/Academic Dean. Students desiring to transfer credits earned at WCCC to another post secondary institution can expect to be evaluated on an individual basis by that institution. Approval for the transfer of credits from WCCC to another college rests with the receiving institution.

Portfolio Assessment
Credit for portfolio assessment offers enrolled students the opportunity to demonstrate learning gained through relevant life experiences and apply this learning toward a Degree. In this procedure, students develop an extensive portfolio that is assessed under the direction of the Vice President/Academic Dean’s Office, appropriate faculty members and, in some cases, outside resource persons from business and industry. Applicable credits will be assigned to the student’s degree program. The Portfolio includes four major sections:

An amplified resume,

A narrative summary of relevant work and learning experiences,

A listing of the skills, knowledge and competencies for which WCCC credit is desired, and

All appropriate and official documentation that is available.

If a student wishes to pursue the portfolio Assessment procedures, he/she should meet with her/his Academic Advisor. Once the Portfolio has been produced, a meeting with an appropriate evaluation team will be arranged to review the portfolio and how it reflects the outcomes of a catalog course.

The final step involves a review of the Evaluation Team’s recommendations by the Vice President/Academic Dean. If credit for the Portfolio is granted, the College courses that correspond to this credit will be waived. The transcript will note a “P” and the credit will be posted on the student’s transcript. Please see page 14, recording fee for portfolio assessment for associated charges.

Directed/Independent Study Policy
Directed/Independent Study-the taking of a catalog course under the supervision of an instructor outside of a regularly scheduled class-is available to students at WCCC under certain circumstances. A student within 15 semester hours of graduation in a one-year program or within 30 semester hours of graduation in a two-year program, with an accumulative G.P.A. of 2.0 or more may be eligible for a maximum of 6 semester hours in an approved directed study or studies.

A directed study may be approved for a matriculated student when it is evident that the courses(s) will not be offered as part of the regular semester schedule, resulting in a postponement of completion of the student’s program, which would ordinarily be completed in that term. A directed study may also be approved if the directed study conflicts with the schedule in another program requirement. In rare circumstances, students who do not meet these eligibility requirements may apply in writing for a directed study to the Academic Dean. In addition, applicants for a directed study must either meet the prerequisite(s) of the course for which they apply or obtain the instructor’s permission to take a Directed Study.

A directed study form and contract must be completed and approved prior to registration for the directed study; copies of all written materials used for evaluation purposes must be submitted with a final grade report to the Registrar. Permission for directed study is granted at the discretion of the instructor and the Academic Dean. A 50% surcharge will be assessed per credit hour for directed study courses.

Credit by Exam
Selected courses may be challenged by students with permission of the instructor. Students who want to “test out” of a course must be formally registered for the course. The examination required shall be comparable to the final examination that is used to test all students. The minimum level of competency that is acceptable to successfully challenge a content area or an academic discipline is determined by the Academic Dean in cooperation with the instructor. Credit for College Level Examination Program (CLEP) General Examination may be granted. Decisions regarding the granting of credit will be based on minimum acceptance scores in each area and the applicability of the areas to program requirements.

Students who successfully complete the requirements to challenge a course will be given a passing “P” grade for the course, which will be posted on the transcript. The credit will not be computed in the grade point average. Students who do not meet the challenge standards will be required to complete the full course of instruction. Challenge exams must be taken prior to the end of the add/drop period at the beginning of the course. Final determinations concerning approval of credit by examination will be made by the Academic Dean. Students who desire credit by examination should contact the Vice President/Academic Dean’s office. Please refer to page 11, Credit by Examination Fee for associated charges.

Auditing a Course
An auditor is a student who meets course prerequisites and attends a class to acquire knowledge, but not to earn credits or a grade. Audited courses do not count toward completing degree, diploma or certificate requirements. An auditor may not change his/her status after the second class meeting. Auditors must attend classes regularly, do assigned reading and participate in discussions, but they are excused from examinations. Auditors are admitted to a course on a space available basis, contingent upon the approval of the Vice President/Academic Dean. Students who audit courses pay regular tuition and related fees.

Directed/Independent Study Policy
Directed/Independent Study-the taking of a catalog course under the supervision of an instructor outside of a regularly scheduled class-is available to students at WCCC under certain circumstances. A student within 15 semester hours of graduation in a one- year program or within 30 semester hours of graduation in a two-year program, with an accumulative G.P.A. of 2.0 or more may be eligible for a maximum of 6 semester hours in an approved directed study or studies.

A directed study may be approved for a matriculated student when it is evident that the courses(s) will not be offered as part of the regular semester schedule, resulting in a postponement of completion of the student’s program, which would ordinarily be completed in that term. A directed study may also be approved if the directed study conflicts in the schedule with another program requirement. In rare circumstances, students who do not meet these eligibility requirements may apply in writing for a directed study to the Academic Dean.

In addition, applicants for a directed study must either meet the prerequisite(s) of the course for which they apply or obtain the instructor’s permission to take a Directed Study. A directed study form and contract must be completed and approved prior to registration for the directed study; copies of all written materials used for evaluation purposes must be submitted with a final grade report to the Registrar. Permission for directed study is granted at the discretion of the instructor and the Academic Dean. A 50% surcharge will be assessed per credit hour for directed study courses.