Acceptance of Credit and Awarding of Advanced Standing

Piedmont Technical College endorses the concept that college level learning may occur in a variety of settings. As a result, the college welcomes the opportunity to review and accept credits transferred from other regionally-accredited institutions and accrediting agencies recognized by the U.S. Department of Education and actively seeks ways to validate learning gained by non-traditional or extra-institutional methods. Validation of the currency of instructional content represented by transfer credit is a right which the college reserves. The following sources of credit and advanced standing represent not an exclusive listing, but rather an identification of some approaches to which the college is open.

Transfer Students

Piedmont Technical College will accept and give credit for work completed at other regionally accredited colleges and universities. Applicants seeking such credit should complete the admissions application and submit a transcript of coursework from all schools previously attended. All rules regulating the transfer of credit must be met, and acceptance of such credit will be at the discretion of the Registrar and the appropriate department head. The following criteria are observed:

1. Subjects being transferred must closely parallel subjects being offered at Piedmont Technical College, both in content and credit hours earned.
2. In order to transfer credit, a grade of “C” or better must have been earned in the subject.
3. At least one-fourth of credits toward graduation must be earned at Piedmont Technical College.
4. A grade of “TR” (transfer) is awarded for all transfer courses. TR grades are not included in the computation of the student’s Piedmont Technical College GPA. The grade earned at the previous institution will be visible in DegreeWorks, but will not impact the Piedmont Technical College GPA. Transfer credit hours earned will reflect on the student’s academic record at PTC.
5. Credit for a subject must show on the transcript from the granting institution, and an official copy of this transcript must be on file at Piedmont Technical College.
6. Credit awarded will be approved in writing and maintained in the student’s permanent record.
7. Transfer students are not required to take the placement test if valid transfer credits are awarded in English and math.
8. Acceptance of transfer credit is awarded by the Registrar, or designee, and is based on a combination of length of time and course content, as established by academic department heads.
9. Transfer credit will not be awarded for courses over eight years old which are technical in nature or with content that may change over time. Examples include courses in computer technology, mechanical engineering and integrated systems technology. Some programs may also be limited in awarding transfer credit for courses due to accreditation requirements. For a list of courses, please refer to the Course Expiration section of Advising in the Student Handbook.

Articulated Credit

Area high school students may receive appropriate exemption credit at PTC for courses completed while in high school. Courses must closely correspond to courses offered at the college and must be part of an articulation agreement between the high schools and PTC. In order to receive exemption credit, the following criteria must be met.

1. The student must earn a grade of “B” or better in the course.
2. The high school instructor must recommend the student to receive exemption credit.
3. The student must apply for the articulated credit at the college within two years of high school graduation.
4. The PTC instructor completes an exemption credit form, attaches the high school transcript, and forwards it to the Vice President for Academic Affairs for approval.
5. Exemption credit is then posted to the student’s academic transcript.
6. Exemption credit offered through articulation agreements may not be accepted as transfer credit by other colleges and universities but may apply towards graduation at PTC.

CLEP

Piedmont Technical College will consider awarding credit for successful completion of any of the CLEP (College Level Examination Program) subject area examinations. Credit will be determined based on the recommendation from the American Council on Education (ACE) College Credit Services. CLEP is a program of the College Entrance Examination Board.

Advanced Placement Examinations

The Advanced Placement Examination Program of the College Entrance Examination Board is accepted by Piedmont Technical College. Students who take college-level courses in high school and perform well on Advanced Placement Examinations may be granted credit for a variety of courses.

Credit for Military Service

It is the policy of Piedmont Technical College to award credit for training experiences in the Armed Services. Such experiences must be certified by the American Council on Education (identified in the Council’s publication, Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services) and must appear on the student’s official Joint Services Transcript (JST). Credit will be given on the basis of individual evaluation by the Registrar’s Office in consultation with the curriculum Academic Program Director, if necessary. Creditable military experience must closely correspond to courses in the Piedmont Technical College catalog or the SC Technical College System’s Catalog of Approved Courses (CAC).

Exemption Credit and Non-Traditional Learning

Students may be eligible to exempt some Piedmont Technical College courses by demonstrating through mastery of written and/or performance tests that they are already competent in the course’s content. The Registrar or relevant curriculum department head can provide information as to which courses have exemption tests. The cost of a Credit by Exam is $60. There will be a limit of one attempt (per course) for exemption by exam credit. The credits awarded will not count in the term enrolled hours, but will count toward cumulative hours. Applicants with appropriate life experience, corporate courses or other relevant background may also request consideration for credit at no charge by contacting the Registrar. The college reserves the right to limit the amount of exemption credit allowed to count towards graduation.