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Tidewater Community College shall award credit for prior learning for subject-matter competency based upon previous academic study or acquired through nontraditional means only when required by a matriculated student’s curriculum. This may include college credit and advancement based upon the administration and evaluation of the following:
- college-level coursework taken elsewhere;
- nationally recognized standardized examinations;
- non-collegiate education, training, and occupational experiences; and
- locally-developed examinations.
Credit for prior learning shall be awarded as determined by qualified faculty members at the college and according to procedures and standards approved by the college and reflected on the College Registrar’s website, ensuring assessment procedures are appropriate for the credit awarded regardless of format or mode of delivery. Credit for prior learning evaluations are curriculum-specific and a new evaluation is necessary if students change their program. At least 25 percent of the credit hours required for a student’s curriculum must be earned through instruction offered by TCC in order to receive a TCC certificate or degree.
When the college awards credit for prior learning, the TCC transcript will show the credit(s) awarded, TCC’s equivalent course title, and the prior learning source. No letter grade is assigned. Grade point average computations do not include hours earned from credit awareded for prior learning, and are not counted in academic load when reported to the Financial Aid office or to an external party. TCC assumes no responsibility regarding the acceptance of prior learning credits by other institutions to which students may transfer.
Students requesting a credit for prior learning evaluation must be admitted to TCC, be placed in an academic program, and enrolled in one or more courses at TCC. To initiate the evaluation process, students must complete the online Request for Transfer Evaluaton form.
For more information, contact the Office of the College Registrar or visit TCC’s website at www.tcc.edu, search keywords: Transfer credit.
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CREDIT FROM COLLEGE TRANSCRIPTS
Students requesting an evaluation of previous coursework from a postsecondary instituiton accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education must have official transcripts, with appropriate college seals and authentication, sent directly to TCC from the previous institution, or through a secure platform such as Parchment, Joint Services, and/or College Board. If a student’s previous institution is mailing an official transcript to TCC, please use the address listed below.
TCC Office of the College Registrar
P. O. Box 9000
Norfolk, VA 23509-9000
Students must earn a C or higher in courses for transfer credit consideration. Grades and grade point averages do not transfer to TCC. Credits earned at a postsecondary institution that is not not accredited by an agency recognized by the U.S. Department of Education will not be accepted for transfer to Tidewater Community College.
INTERNATIONAL TRANSCRIPTS
Students attending college outside the U.S. may be eligible to transfer credits to TCC. following the steps below. Students must have international transcripts evaluated by a professional organization or an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services. The fee for this evaluation and the time required for completion of the evaluation varies with each agency, and is the student’s responsibility. Students should request a course-by-course evaluation. Document-by-document evaluations will not be accepted by TCC for transfer credit. Students should instruct the evaluation agency to mail an official report directly to the Office of the College Registrar at the following address:
TCC Office of the College Registrar
P. O. Box 9000
Norfolk, VA 23509-9000
International transcripts that have not been evaluated by a professional organization or an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services will not be evaluated.
CREDIT FROM STANDARDIZED EXAMINATIONS
The college awards credit for acceptable scores through nationally recognized and college-approved external agencies. Standardized examinations include but may not be limited to the Advanced Placement (AP) program, the College Level Examination Program (CLEP), the International Baccalaureate (IB) program, the Cambridge Advanced (A.AS) Program, Excelsior Credit by Exam (ECE), the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Educational Support (DANTES DSST), the College Entrance Examination Board (CEEB), and the Defense Language Proficiency Test (DLPT). Upon receipt of official test scores, the college awards credit when applicable for a score of three (3) or higher for Advanced Placement (AP) courses, a score of four (4) or higher for higher level International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, a score of five (5) or higher for standard level International Baccalaureate (IB) courses, a score of fifty (50) or higher on CLEP courses, and scores of C or better for Cambridge Advanced (A/AS) examinations when the equivalent course is offered by the college.
Students may visit Virginia’s Transfer Portal or the Credits to Career Portal for information on transfer credit equivalencies.
Students initiate the evaluation of standardized examinations by requesting that examination agencies send official scores to the Office of the College Registrar at the following address:
TCC Office of the College Registrar
P. O. Box 9000
Norfolk, VA 23509-9000
NON-COLLEGIATE EDUCATION, TRAINING AND OCCUPATIONAL EXPERIENCES
The college awards credit as applicable for non-collegiate education, training, and occupational experiences, armed service school experiences, and earned professional certifications/licensures. Where applicable, credit shall be awarded in accordance with The American Council on Education’s College Credit Recommendation Service (CREDIT), the ACE Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services as reflected on the official Joint Services Transcript (JST), the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS), or another college-approved organization. Appropriate documentation verifying these experiences is required, which may include development and submission of a portfolio. Students may visit Virginia’s Transfer Portal or the Credits to Career Portal for information on transfer credit equivalencies.
Students initiate an evaluation of these experiences by requesting that the issuing agencies send official documentation to the Office of the College Registrar at the following address:
TCC Office of the College Registrar
P. O. Box 9000
Norfolk, VA 23509-9000
LOCAL EXAMINATIONS
Credit by local examinations is a means of achieving credit for prior learning by satisfactorily demonstrating subject-matter competency through an examination developed, administered, and evaluated by college faculty. Advanced standing credit shall not be awarded for a course previously enrolled in, and examinations can only be attempted once. Credit by local examinations is not an option for courses when a CLEP examination is available.
Students initiate credit by local examination by contacting the academic deans to ensure examinations will meet curriculum requirements and to ensure faculty members or program leads are able to develop and/or administer the examinations.
TRANSFER EVALUATION APPEAL
Students who wish to request reconsideration of their evaluation should direct an appeal in writing to the Office of the College Registrar within 10 business days of receiving notification of the evaluation results. Additional details about the appeal process are on TCC’s website at https://help.tcc.edu/s/article/Transfer-credits-to-TCC.
SUBSTITUTION OR WAIVER OF CURRICULUM REQUIREMENTS
Students who want to substitute previously completed credit courses or to use documented knowledge and skills to waive courses required in their curricula may initiate the process by completing Petition for Course Substitution or Waiver forms, gathering documented evidence or justification in support of the requests, and consulting with counselors or academic advisors. Students seeking financial assistance for a TCC course substitution must have the substitution approved and processed prior to registering for the substitute course.
Substituted courses must cover the same content or otherwise meet the spirit of the courses being replaced. Course substitutions granted are curriculum specific and may not apply to other curricula. Waivers do not result in the awarding of credit, and students may be required to take additional credits to make up the credits. For additional information, visit TCC’s website at www.tcc.edu, search keywords: course substitution.
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