COMPASS Placement Testing

Students who have not earned a college degree from a regionally accredited institution of higher education may be required to complete a number of COMPASS placement tests before starting classes at Mercy College. Such COMPASS placement tests are designed to provide information about student abilities in reading, writing and mathematics and to provide guidance for determining the course(s) students may need to enhance their success in college.

If a student has been admitted to either the Nursing or Radiologic Technology program and shows a need for additional coursework in reading, writing and/or mathematics as identified by COMPASS placement testing, the student will not be able to start the clinical portion of the program until the courses are successfully completed. All other students must complete additional coursework within the first two semesters at Mercy College or risk dismissal.

If a student does not successfully meet required reading and writing minimum scores after two attempts, the student will not be allowed to enroll at Mercy College.

A student who has never attended an institution of higher education or has been admitted provisionally is required to successfully complete GEN 101: Student Success Strategies, a two credit hour course, within his/her first two semesters of enrollment at Mercy College.

3. Orientation

Accepted students are required to attend an orientation program prior to the start of classes. Orientation allows new students to meet one another, as well as faculty and staff members. Information regarding College policies and procedures is also given during orientation.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

Mercy College welcomes transfer students who meet all admission criteria for degree or transient/special status admission and who supply official transcripts from all post-secondary institutions attended. A minimum of 30 (for Associate, Certificate and Bachelors Completion students and 36 (for Bachelors Pre-licensure students) credit hours including one religion course taught from the Catholic perspective must be taken from Mercy College to meet residency requirements.

Transfer of Credit

Transfer of credit is considered on an individual basis and may be granted for comparable science, general education and specific program courses completed at another regionally accredited post-secondary institution. Note: Transfer of credit of specific program courses is different for each program. Please refer to Program Handbooks for complete details. For transfer credit to be granted, a course must correspond to one offered through Mercy College or be evaluated as comparable by the appropriate faculty advisors.

Students seeking transfer credit are responsible for supplying a catalog containing the course description for those courses considered for transfer. To determine course equivalency, students may also be requested to supply course syllabi and/or other materials related to a specific course.

Any course with a grade of “C” or better and taken within the past seven years will be considered for transfer. Written requests to waive the time limits will be considered on an individual basis. Transfer credits are not calculated in the students’ grade point averages.

Students choosing to retake a course that has been transferred from another institution will forfeit the transferred course. The course taken at Mercy College will supersede the transfer course.

TRANSFER MODULE REQUIREMENTS Institutional Transfer

The Ohio Board of Regents, following the directive of the Ohio General Assembly, developed a statewide policy to facilitate students’ ability to transfer credits from one Ohio public college or university to another in order to avoid duplication of course requirements.

Since independent colleges and universities in Ohio may or may not be participating in the transfer policy, students interested in transferring to independent institutions are encouraged to check with the College or university of their choice regarding transfer agreements.

Transfer Module

The Ohio Board of Regents’ Transfer and Articulation Policy established the Transfer

Module, which is a subset or entire set of a college or university’s general education program.

The Transfer Module consists of 54 to 60 quarter hours (or 36 to 40 semester hours) of courses in the following areas: English, Mathematics, Arts and Humanities, Social and Behavioral Sciences, Natural and Physical Sciences and Interdisciplinary Study.

A Transfer Module completed at one college or university will automatically meet the requirements of the Transfer Module at another college or university once the student is admitted. Students may be required, however, to meet additional general education requirements at the institution to which they transfer. For example, a student who completes the Transfer Module at Institution S (sending institution) and then transfers to Institution R (receiving institution) is said to have completed the Transfer Module portion of Institution R’s general education program. Institution R, however, may require additional general education courses beyond the Transfer Module.

Since many degree programs require specific courses that may be taken as a part of the general education or Transfer Module program at an institution, students are encouraged to meet with an academic advisor at the institution to which they plan to transfer early in their academic career. For example, students who will be majoring in any of the majors in the College of Business and Administration at the receiving institution should take Economics 201, 202 and 203 (or equivalent course at another institution) rather than the Economics 200 course listed as a part of the Transfer Module. Because of specific major requirements such as these, early identification of a student’s intended major is encouraged. Advisors at the institution to which a student wishes to transfer should be consulted regarding the Transfer Module and general education courses and any specific program requirements that can be completed before transfer.

Conditions for Transfer Admission

1. The policy encourages receiving institutions to give preferential consideration for admission to students who complete the Associate of Arts or the Associate of Science degree with a cumulative grade point of 2.3 or better for all previous college level courses.

2. The policy encourages receiving institutions to give preferential treatment to

students who have not earned an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree but have earned 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours with a cumulative grade point of 2.0 or better for all previous college level courses.

3. The policy further encourages that students who have not earned an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree or who have not earned 60 semester hours or 90 quarter hours with a cumulative grade point of 2.0 or better for all previous college level courses are eligible for admission as transfer students on a competitive basis.

Acceptance of Transfer Credit by Mercy College

Students who have completed the Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree with a

cumulative grade point of 2.0 or better will receive transfer credit for all college level courses in which a grade of “C” or better has been earned.

Admission to a given institution, however, does not guarantee that a transfer student will be automatically admitted to all majors, minors, or fields of concentration at the institution.

Once admitted, transfer students shall be subject to the same regulations governing applicability of catalog requirements as all other students. Furthermore, transfer students shall be accorded the same class standing and other privileges as all other students on the basis of the number of credits earned. All residency requirements must be successfully completed at the receiving institution prior to the granting of a degree.

Responsibilities of Students

In order to facilitate transfer with maximum applicability of transfer credit, prospective transfer students should plan a course of study that will meet the requirements of a degree program at the receiving institution. Specifically, students should identify early in their collegiate studies an institution and major to which they desire to transfer. Furthermore, students should determine if there are language requirements or any special course requirements that can be met during the freshman or sophomore year. This will enable students to plan and pursue a course of study that will articulate with the receiving institution’s major. Students are encouraged to seek further information regarding transfer from both a Mercy College counselor and the college or university to which they plan to transfer.

Transfer Credit Appeals Process

A student disagreeing with the application of transfer credit by the receiving institution shall be informed of the right to appeal the decision and of the process for filing the appeal. Each institution shall make available to students the appeal process for that specific college or university.

If a newly admitted or currently enrolled student wishes to challenge his/her transfer credit evaluation, the student must appeal in writing to the Student Records Office within two weeks of receipt of the transfer evaluation. The appeal will then be forwarded to the appropriate Academic Associate Dean.

Upon receipt of the appeal of a transfer credit evaluation, research will be conducted under the auspices of the Associate Dean. The Associate Dean will notify the student in writing of the decision within 14 business days of receipt of the appeal. Please note that while the College will make every reasonable effort to adhere to the timelines listed in the appeals policy, circumstances such as access to information, availability of personnel and school breaks may justify an extension of time.

ADVANCED PLACEMENT

Students who have completed advanced placement courses while in high school may be eligible to receive college credit. The decision to grant credit, or to waive prerequisite coursework, is based on several factors including a review of records, scores on College Board Examinations or similar tests and official score reports from the College Board Advanced Placement Program. Final determination will be made by the Associate Dean of the appropriate College division in consultation with program faculty.