Bridge To Success

Northern Kentucky University and Gateway Community and Technical College are working together to create a seamless transfer of course credit between institutions.

Course transferability depends upon several factors. In general, any course numbered 100 or above is a college-level course.

The basic principles used in determining the transferability of Gateway courses are:

1. Courses should be comparable to those offered at the lower division level at NKU.
2. Courses not equivalent to any offered at NKU must be appropriate for a NKU degree in terms of purpose, scope, and depth to be considered for transfer credit.
3. Courses that may not be accepted for transfer include such courses as vocational and technical courses, continuing personal-interest courses such as speed reading, bicycle repair, and pet grooming.
4. Effective fall 2004, all grades, including F's, will transfer to NKU. If a "D" grade was earned in a major, minor, general education, or area of concentration course, a student may be required by their academic department to repeat the course before taking subsequent courses. See individual program requirements for specific transfer credit.
5. Grades of "C" or higher may be required in all courses labeled as program core courses. See individual program requirements for specific course transfer credit.
6. There is no limit on the age of the courses a student submits for transfer credit evaluation. However, in order to expedite transcript evaluation for coursework over seven years old, it is recommended that students provide an institution catalog or list of course descriptions to the Office of Admissions when applying. Students should consult with Gateway advisors to see if any courses need to be updated to meet degree requirements.
7. Course credit acceptable for one degree program at NKU may not be acceptable toward another degree program. Check with your NKU advisor to determine course credit transferability for specific program prior to changing your major.
8. Courses listed as transferable are accepted at the point of admission for unit credit toward the total units required for the NKU baccalaureate degree.
9. Students must earn a minimum of 30 semester hours at NKU to satisfy NKU graduation requirements.
10. NKU will "recalulate" a students GPA from sending institution based on transferred courses and credit hours awarded. Some courses that would count toward graduation at sending institution, may not be counted in the NKU calculated GPA.

NKU may count transfer courses toward the free elective requirements or specific progress toward a designated degree program.

There are two types of course transfer between institutions, individual courses and block.

Individual Course Transfer — Coursework will be evaluated on a course-by-course basis to determine course transfer equivalency.

Block Transfer — Coursework will be evaluated as a block or group of courses which will satisfy one or multiple categories and may give the student credit for one or more courses at NKU.

Kentucky Transfer Framework

Each year, students transfer from various institutions to NKU. To make transferring easier for students who are planning to attend college and transfer from one Kentucky School to another, education professionals have developed a statewide transfer policy. The framework has two basic sections: the General Education Component (Kentucky General Education Transfer Policy) and the Field of Study Component. The General Education Component provides a broad background (general education and electives) and is 48 credits hours of the 60 total credits in the framework. The Field of Study Component provides the beginning courses in the major or field of study and represents the remaining 12 hours. Students who complete a framework may transfer the credit as a block to any participating university offering that major. The 60 hours will be accepted at the institution toward meeting degree requirements.

Check this web page for list of course equivalencies (should be available late in January).

General Education Component — Kentucky General Education Transfer Policy

For students who reside in Kentucky, there is a statewide General Education Transfer Policy. The policy lets colleges and universities accept each other's general education requirements for transfer students. Courses that meet General Education Transfer Policy requirements are identified by each institution.

To maky your transfer easier from one public institution to another, complete the Associate of Arts (AA) or Associate of Science (AS) degree at KCTCS.

How does the Kentucky Transfer Policy Work?
Students who complete lower division general education requirements at one public institution will have those courses accepted by other public institutions.

Remember this policy:

• Covers only transfer students not visiting students.
• Is limited to lower division requirements.
• Does not cover general education requirements for particular majors.

How will I get my transfer courses accepted?
The coursework from the sending institution must be certified. There are three types of certification:

1. Fully Certified — Students must:
   complete a general education program of 48 semester hours, including the 33-hour Core Transfer Component and 15 additional semester hours of general education courses; receive an approved AA, AS or AAS transfer degree or earn 60 hours of undergraduate credit; and hold a cumulative grade point average of 2.0 or higher. You will need to earn additional general education credits if the receiving institution's general education program requires more than 48 hours.
2. Core Component Certified — Students must:
   be in good academic standing, and complete the Core Transfer Component. You will need to fulfill the remaining general education requirements of the receiving institution if not satisfied through the 33-hour Core Transfer Component.
3. Category Certified — Students must:
   Complete one or more of the five categories in the 33-hour Core Transfer Component. You must fulfill all the remaining general education requirements of the receiving intuition.

What is the Core Transfer Component?
A total of 33 credit hours in five academic categories:

Communications — 9 hours, 6 in written communications and 3 in oral
Humanities — 6 hours (e.g., fine arts, philosophy, history, foreign language)
Behavioral/Social Sciences — 9 hours (e.g., psychology, sociology, economics)
Natural Sciences — 6 hours (e.g., biology, physics, geology)
Mathematics — 3 hours, which must include, at a minimum, college algebra

By taking the general education courses identified by Gateway, the courses will meet a general education requirement that is important in the major. Some majors have restricted or limited admissions.

Articulation Agreements

NKU Course Credit Transferability Policies

Kentucky General Education Transfer Policy

Planning to Transfer

Brochure(pdf format)

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