Academics · Adult Learning

Accepted is one thing.
Counting is another.

Adults going back to school often bring credits from several places: an old community college, an exam, military or workplace training. List each one with the college’s decision and where it counts. The checklist separates credits accepted from credits that apply to the degree, and flags the ones worth asking about again.

Add a courseWhat you get

Credits to transfer

The worked example is made up: a composition course that transferred, a 15-year-old biology course accepted only as an elective and military medic training that was denied. Saved on this device only.

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What you get

Academics · Adult LearningFree

What you finish with
A record per course, exam or training: name, source, kind, year, credits, grade, the college’s decision, the equivalent course, where it counts and four checks. Works out credits accepted, credits that apply to the degree and each course’s age; totals credits listed, accepted and applied; flags grades below C, college courses over ten years old, denials, elective-only credit and records not sent.
Who it is for
Adults returning to college or changing colleges, veterans and service members, and the advisors who help them.
Format
Browser checklist with a saved record per course. Prints one course, every course in a table or a blank checklist; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Adult Learning space in Caveat Academics.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. List every course, exam and training.
  2. Order official records from each source.
  3. Record each decision as it comes.
  4. Check where each credit counts.
  5. Ask for a review where it is worth it.

Add a course

How the decision goes

How a transfer credit decision usually goes1Send official recordsFrom each college, exam boardor the Joint Services2The college evaluatesCourse by course: equivalent,elective or not accepted.3Check where it countsMajor, general education oronly a free elective.4Ask for a reviewWith the syllabus, for denialsand elective-only credit.5Get it in writingKeep the final evaluation withyour degree plan.How a transfer credit decision usually goes1Send official recordsFrom each college, exam board or theJoint Services Transcript.2The college evaluatesCourse by course: equivalent, electiveor not accepted.3Check where it countsMajor, general education or only a freeelective.4Ask for a reviewWith the syllabus, for denials andelective-only credit.5Get it in writingKeep the final evaluation with yourdegree plan.
Accepted is not the same as useful: a credit counted only as a free elective may not shorten the degree at all.

Military and workplace training

The American Council on Education reviews military training and many workplace courses and recommends college credit for them. Those recommendations appear on the Joint Services Transcript. Colleges decide for themselves whether to accept them, so ask how a college uses ACE recommendations before you apply.

Exams

AP, IB and CLEP credit depends on the score and on each college’s policy, which is usually published. CLEP credit is often granted at a score of 50, but colleges may set their own score or limit how many exam credits count.

Sources

  1. American Council on Education. Military Guide and credit recommendations; the Joint Services Transcript (acenet.edu).
  2. College Board. CLEP: ACE-recommended credit-granting scores and college policies (clep.collegeboard.org).
  3. U.S. Government Accountability Office (2017). Higher education: students need more information to help reduce challenges in transferring college credits (GAO-17-574).
  4. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Transfer and mobility reports (nscresearchcenter.org).

The worked example is made up. Every college sets its own transfer rules; get decisions in writing. Nothing you type is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.