Transcript Evaluations and Transfer Credit

Transfer Students

The College’s transfer credit policy complies with COMAR 13B.02.02.16.

Credit may transfer if the institution is regionally accredited by a commission on higher education and institutions that are candidates for regional accreditation.   

Harford Community College recognizes the following regional accreditations:

Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
North Central Association of Colleges and Schools
New England Association of Schools and Colleges
Northwest Association of Schools and Colleges
Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Course work completed at degree-granting and non-degree granting higher education institutions that are not regionally accredited but hold national or specialized accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and/or the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) may be considered for transfer credit on a case-by-case basis. 

To have a transfer evaluation completed, a student must:

·         Apply to HCC

·         Declare a Program of Study

·         Submit official transcripts from all previously attended undergraduate institutions.  Student may request official transcripts be sent by mail/electronically directly to Registration & Records from issuing institutions or provide official, unopened transcripts in person to Registration & Records.  Transcripts will not be accepted as official if the date on the transcript is older than one year.

Transfer of credit will be evaluated based only on the student’s declared program of study.  A student is required to complete at least fifteen (15) credit hours in residency at HCC in order to graduate with an associate degree.  A certificate seeking student is required to complete twenty-five (25) percent of the certificate in residency at HCC.  For additional information on HCC’s policies for traditional and non-traditional transfer credit, and answers to frequently asked questions (FAQs) visit the Registration & Records website: www.harford.edu/registration/TranscriptEvaluations.asp

HCC adheres to the general education and transfer policies of the Maryland Higher Education Commission (MHEC.)  All applicable general education courses earned from a Maryland public institution are acceptable for credit with an earned grade of “D” or higher.  Courses for non-general education credit applicable to the student’s program will be transferred in as long as the calculated cumulative grade point average of the block of courses is 2.0 or higher. Please note that some HCC programs of study require a grade of “C” or better in some courses. These are noted in the “Programs of Instruction” section of the college catalog.  Courses taken at non-MHEC institutions designated as General Education will be designated as General Education at HCC; however, a course cannot be accepted for General Education credit if less than 3 semester credit hours. 

The College recognizes diversity courses completed at other institutions as long as they also satisfy a Behavioral/Social Science, Arts/Humanities, or Interdisciplinary or Emerging Issues general education requirement at the sending institution.

Students planning to transfer credit from institutions outside of the United States must submit to Registration and Records official, translated versions of international transcripts. For more information visit www.harford.edu/registration/TranscriptEvaluations.asp.

Non-traditional credit applicable to the student’s declared program of study may be awarded for up to a maximum of thirty (30) credit hours and may include:

·         Credit by exam (e.g. AP, CLEP, IB)

·         Military training

·         HCC articulated credit agreements (e.g. Harford County Public Schools, Harford County Sherriff’s Academy, Aberdeen Proving Ground)

·         Professional training from programs accredited by the American Council on Education

Students may be required to submit copies of course syllabi, course descriptions and/or General Education requirements from the appropriate semester/year in order to receive credit.  Final decisions regarding transfer credit are made by the appropriate Academic Dean.

 All transcripts received by Registration & Records are the property of the college and cannot be released to the student; they will not be duplicated, returned to the applicant, or forwarded to any other college, university, individual, or agency.

Transfer students pursuing an associate degree or certificate are strongly encouraged to meet with an academic advisor prior to registering for credit courses.

Transfer of General Education Courses From Other Institutions

Course work completed at other colleges and universities will be evaluated upon admission to the College.  Courses that satisfied General Education requirements at the sending institution will be designated as General Education Courses at HCC; however, a General Education Course cannot be accepted if less than 3 semester credit hours.

Since it may be difficult to assess transfer credit from another institution unless adequate information is available, it is the student's responsibility to supply the Registration and Records Office with a catalog from each institution previously attended. 

Students who plan to take course work at other institutions after enrolling at HCC should have these courses approved in advance by an academic advisor.  This process will assure that courses taken to meet program or General Education requirements will transfer to HCC.

Transfer of Diversity Courses From Other Institutions

The College recognizes courses completed at other colleges and universities as comparable to diversity courses completed at Harford Community College if these courses also satisfied a Behavioral/Social Science (GB), Arts/Humanities (GH), or Interdisciplinary or Emerging Issues (GI) general education requirement at the sending institution.

Repeating Transfer Courses

Students who have a transfer course noted on their HCC transcript and then repeat the same course at HCC and earn an A-F grade will have the transfer course excluded from accepted transfer credits on their permanent record.  The repeated HCC course will be included in the student's grade point average and will remain on the HCC permanent record.

Students who have multiple transfer credit for a course will be awarded credit for the most recently completed course, regardless of the grade earned.

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