Transfer Credit Policy for Undergraduates

CCA considers transfer credit from colleges and universities that have been accredited by their regional associations. Transfer credit may also be considered for courses taken at institutions that lack regional accreditation but have been accredited by specialized agencies or at institutions outside the United States that have been chartered or authorized by their national governments.

In general, transfer credit is considered only for courses that fulfill CCA graduation requirements, have been completed with a grade of C or better, and have been completed within the past ten years. Portfolio reviews are required to determine the credit that will be given for studio courses. All transcripts reflecting studio courses completed at other institutions must be accompanied by samples of work in order to be considered for credit toward any CCA studio requirements, including studio electives.

Matriculated students must have the approval of their program advisor or chair for all studio transfer credits.

Degree requirements at CCA include courses from the Humanities and Sciences Division, the First-Year Core Division, and the major program. CCA's transfer policy differs for each set of requirements.

Transfer Credit Policy for Humanities and Sciences Courses

Transfer credit is accepted for courses that are equivalent or comparable to the courses required in the Humanities and Sciences curriculum. Students who wish to receive transfer credit for courses taken at institutions without regional accreditation must provide documentation that the courses are equivalent or comparable to CCA's required Humanities and Sciences courses.

Students with a bachelor's degree from an accredited college or university are exempted from all Humanities and Sciences requirements except for the 15 to 18 units of visual studies. Transfer credit is given for visual studies courses in accordance with CCA's transfer credit policy. The 10-year limit on transfer credit does not apply to previous bachelor's degrees.

Students who wish to receive credit for Humanities and Sciences classes taken prior to their matriculation at CCA must submit all relevant transcripts prior to the end of their first term at the college.

Transcripts received after this time cannot be applied to the student's degree requirements.

Transfer Credit Policy for First-Year Core Requirements

Entering students whose official transcripts indicate 18 or more units of transferable studio course work from a WASC- or NASAD-accredited institution will automatically waive the 12 First-Year Core requirements. Students whose official transcripts show fewer than 18 units of transferable studio course work may be required to take one or all of the requirements based on a portfolio review by the First-Year Core office.

Transfer Credit Policy for Major Studio Requirements

Transfer credit for major studio requirements will be determined by transcript evaluation and portfolio review. Because studio requirements and evaluation criteria differ among majors, credit cannot be granted for studio courses prior to a student's declaration of major and may alter if the student's major changes. Transfer credit for major studio requirements is determined by the chair of the program or the advisor.

Students must have advisor approval for all major studio transfer credits after beginning their studies at CCA.

Students who wish to receive credit for studio classes taken prior to their matriculation at CCA must submit all relevant transcripts prior to the end of their first term at the college. Transcripts received after this time cannot be applied to the student's degree requirements.

Permission to Take Courses Outside CCA

Students must obtain pre-approval to receive transfer credit for classes they take at other institutions after they have matriculated at CCA. Students who matriculate with fewer than 60 transfer units may apply a maximum of 12 additional transfer units toward their degree requirements; however, students who matriculate with 60 or more transfer units may apply a maximum of 6 additional transfer units toward their degree requirements.

All transfer units must adhere to the college's residency requirement. Classes must be taken at appropriately accredited schools and must be completed with a grade of C or better.

The Humanities and Sciences advisor must pre-approve credit for all Humanities and Sciences courses, and the program advisor must pre-approve credit for all major requirements (see Advising Schedule for the current semester's advisors.)

Students must submit final transcripts for classes taken outside CCA to the Student Records office before the end of their first term back at the college and must meet with their advisor for a portfolio review of work completed in studio courses before the units can be applied to their CCA requirements.

CCA does not allow concurrent enrollment, with the exception of the cross-registration agreements with Mills College and Holy Names College (see Registration for details). Students may not take classes outside CCA while they are currently enrolled in courses at CCA, including online courses offered at other institutions.

Experiential Credit

CCA does not offer credit for experiential learning.