Accelerated College Education for High School Students (ACE)
The Accelerated College Education (ACE) program, formerly known as Dual Enrollment, is a partnership between high schools and the College. ACE allows high school students to earn Pennsylvania Highlands' credits while in high school. The courses are taught by qualifying high school faculty who assure that students' performance in the high school course is equivalent to a course taught at the College. College credits can be applied toward a degree at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College or transferred to another college. More information is available online at http://www.pennhighlands.edu/ace/.
College Credit by Exam
Penn Highlands will accept credit for Advanced Placement (AP) exams, College Level Examination Program (CLEP) exams, Dantes Subject Standardized Tests (DSST), and International Baccalaureate (IB) exams. Minimum test scores will apply. A full list of accepted tests, score requirements, and information on how they transfer to Pennsylvania Highlands can be found on the PATRC (Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center) website at www.patrac.org.
Credit for Life Experience
Guidelines for awarding credit for life experience are essentially those suggested by the American Council on Education. Students with substantial business, career and technical, or other life experience may present a proposal describing the broad outline of the learning experience and how that experience may be equivalent to the learning outcomes of one or more College courses. A comprehensive, detailed portfolio is then prepared and submitted for faculty review. The faculty will review and evaluate the portfolio and recommend whether credit is to be awarded. The student is charged a fee for the portfolio review process. Students wishing to learn more about this process are advised to inform the College during the admissions, advising, and registration process. The evaluation request process is started online through the College Credit FastTrack website at http://www.ccfasttrack.org/.
Credit for Military Training
College level courses taken while in the U.S. Armed Forces and submitted on college transcripts or on transcripts from the military may be transferable. Military courses may be submitted and reviewed on an individual basis. Credit is normally awarded based upon the recommendation of the American Council on Education.
Transfer to Pennsylvania Highlands
Students who have earned credits at other regionally accredited colleges or universities may request to have those credits applied to their program of study at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College. Those wishing to do so must submit official transcripts from the other institution(s) in which they were enrolled along with the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College Application for Admission and other materials necessary for admission.
Upon receipt of the necessary materials, the College Registrar will review the student’s official transcript(s) and determine which credits, if any, are to be applied to the student’s intended program of study. A written transfer evaluation will be sent to the student after the evaluation has been completed and credits applied to the Pennsylvania Highlands Community College transcript.
Pursuant to the American Association of Collegiate Registrar and Admissions Officers guidelines and internal procedures, the College will award transfer credit for courses in which a 2.0 ("C") or higher grade is earned and which are deemed equivalent to required or elective courses in the student’s program of study. Credit will not be awarded for courses in which the student earned a grade of "D", "F", "W", "I", "Au", “P/F”, or "In Progress" or if they are not considered equivalent to current Penn Highlands’ courses. Some coursework may not be accepted if the transfer course material is considered obsolete, especially in disciplines that are rapidly evolving as determined by Academic Affairs recommendations. To earn a certificate, diploma, or an associate’s degree from Penn Highlands, students must complete 50% or more of the required credit hours for those credentials while at the College.
The College does not accept developmental/remedial courses for transfer. Those courses, commonly numbered 000 – 099, include pre-college English, math, reading, and study skills courses.
Grades from accepted transfer credits of other institutions are not referenced on the Penn Highlands’ transcript nor are they factored into the student’s cumulative grade point average at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College.
If Advanced Placement and/or CLEP credits are listed on another institution’s transcript for credit, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College will require an official copy of the score report to evaluate for transfer credit.
For additional information on credit transfer and non-traditional options for earning College credit at Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, please contact the Office of Admissions, an Academic Advisor, or the Student Success Center.
Credit Transfer Appeals
Students unsatisfied with the outcome of their transfer credit petition have the right to appeal that decision to the Chief Academic Officer (CAO).
The steps for appeals are as follows:
- Student must write a letter of appeal accompanied by a syllabus of the course(s) in question along with any other documents that may support the appeal.
- The CAO will review the request and may solicit the expertise of a faculty member in the discipline before making a final decision.
- The student will receive a response to the appeal within 10 business days of receipt of the appeal.