Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy

Touro College Los Angeles welcomes transfer students and believes that appropriate credit for prior academic study plays an important role in the achievement of students’ degree completion. The evaluation of prior study is an essential tool in advisement and degree planning. Transfer students seeking credits for previous academic work should therefore arrange to have an official transcript sent to the Office of Admissions of TCLA at the beginning of their academic career at Touro College Los Angeles.

Credits are generally awarded after evaluation for liberal arts and sciences, business, education, computer science and social science courses that (a) are relevant to a student’s program of study, (b) are equivalent to courses offered at TCLA, and (c) were completed with a minimum grade of C at an accredited institution. Courses from non-accredited institutions or organizations, even if recommended for credit by the American Council on Education, must be reviewed by the respective Departmental Chair before credit may be transferred. It may be necessary to schedule a meeting with department chairpersons if transfer credits are being offered to fulfill major, concentration, or other requirements.

Touro College grants transfer credits for satisfactory course work completed in a traditional classroom setting, through distance education, and, upon evaluation of a portfolio, for experiential learning.

A maximum of six credits is generally granted for previous work completed in technical or professional programs not offered at Touro College Los Angeles or relevant to a student’s program of study. 

Credits may not be awarded for courses taken more than 10 years prior to a student’s first semester at Touro College in natural sciences, business, and accounting. Such transfer credit in all other areas except for computer science is subject to individual departmental approval; in computer science, credit may not be awarded for courses taken more than six years prior to a student’s first semester at Touro College.

Students who have completed an associate’s degree at an accredited institution generally may transfer a minimum of 60 credits toward a baccalaureate degree, but they must meet the individual course and liberal arts requirements of their selected degree program. This may entail a course-by-course evaluation (or its equivalent) to ensure that TCLA course requirements are satisfied. Courses which may be equivalent to required course work are reviewed by an evaluator; if the evaluator is unable to determine required course work equivalency from the course description and course syllabus, it will be sent to the appropriate department chair for review and equivalency evaluation.

Transfer courses which are not equivalent to required course work may be considered for elective or “blanket credit,” and are evaluated in one of two ways:

1. If the student has an Associate or higher degree, courses may be accepted in bulk as electives; a course-by-course review may not be required.

2. If the student does not have an Associate or higher degree, courses will be reviewed on a course-by-course basis and may be given a “blanket credit” or elective course acceptance.

In both cases, credit is applied to the student’s program in the elective credit area(s).

Transfer students should be aware that if they take a course at TCLA which is equivalent to a one which is transferable to TCLA from a prior institution, that course will not count toward full-time status for financial aid purposes.  This may have adverse financial aid implications, and a Financial Aid officer should be consulted for further information.

The baccalaureate degree requires at least 45 credits in residence at Touro College Los Angeles.  In addition, a minimum of 50% of the credits in a student’s major must be taken at TCLA. Any credits transferred above 75 do not count towards a baccalaureate degree.

TRANSFER OF JUDAIC STUDY CREDIT

Because Judaic Studies is a required component of the curriculum, Touro College Los Angeles may award up to a maximum of 48 credits for post-high-school yeshiva and seminary studies toward the 120-credit baccalaureate degree. Students must document their yeshiva and seminary work by arranging for official transcripts to be submitted to TCLA for evaluation. The designated Judaic Studies evaluator reviews the yeshiva or seminary involved, and makes a determination as to the transfer of credits and the percentage of credits to be transferred from the individual institution. A listing of yeshivot and seminaries for which the College awards credit is available from the Office of the Registrar.  Based on departmental evaluations, transfer credit for Judaic Studies courses may be reduced by up to 50% of credits awarded by the yeshiva or seminary and listed on the institution’s transcript. Because of the intensity of study in Israel, students who have completed one year of intensive Judaic Studies in Israel (or similar domestic institutions) generally earn the equivalent of one year of college credit (30-36 credits). 

At present, credits are not generally awarded for online Judaic Studies or for the completion of course examinations in Judaic Studies areas offered by outside agencies. In the instance that courses completed at a yeshiva or seminary are evaluated for credit by a third party, Touro will require an original transcript from the yeshiva or seminary at which the study was completed. Touro College Los Angeles will not generally transfer credit for Judaic Studies courses completed before the student graduated high school.

Transfer Credit Post-Matriculation at Touro College

Students wishing to take courses at another institution while matriculated at Touro College Los Angeles must obtain official permission in advance.  They must submit a completed “Permit to Attend Another College” form, which is available from the Office of the Registrar.  Failure to obtain official permission to take courses at another institution may cause either a delay in obtaining credit or complete disapproval of the transfer credit.

CREDIT BY TESTING

Departmental Challenge Examinations

Students who can demonstrate proficiency in a particular subject may earn credits by taking a departmental challenge examination, as appropriate.  Interested students must make arrangements for taking the examination with the appropriate department chairperson, file a “Request to Take a Challenge Examination” form with the Registrar’s Office, and pay the necessary fee to the Bursar.  Touro College Los Angeles does not transfer Challenge Exam credit awarded at another institution.

Standardized examinations

• Students may receive college credit for selected subject area examinations given by the College Entrance Examination Board - College Level Examination Program (CLEP) and Advanced Placement Examinations (AP); and selected proficiency examinations sponsored by certain colleges. A listing of examinations for which credit is given is available from the Office of the Registrar.
• Credit transferred from standardized CLEP examinations does not generally substitute for required courses in the student’s academic program or for science, business, and economics courses. The maximum number of credits by examination overall that TCLA accepts is thirty credits and the maximum number of credits accepted in any specific category (listed above) is twelve, with the exception of AP courses, for which the maximum is 30. Credits for examinations undertaken after enrollment at Touro College Los Angeles require completion and approval of a permit form.

• Credit and/or advanced standing is typically awarded for scores of 4 or 5 on the Advanced Placement (AP) examinations taken before graduation.  No credit is awarded for tests taken after the completion of high school.  In order to receive credit, students must have official score results sent directly from the College Board to the Office of Admissions (Touro College Los Angeles’s code is 4753).Credit and/or advanced standing is typically awarded for grades of 6 or 7 on the International Baccalaureate (IB) higher-level examinations taken before graduation.  No credit is awarded for tests taken after the completion of high school.  In order to receive credit, the student must have official score results sent directly from the International Baccalaureate Organization to the Office of Admissions.

COLLEGE CREDITS EARNED WHILE ATTENDING HIGH SCHOOL

Credit may be awarded to students who have completed college courses while in high school, provided that they received a grade of "C" or better in the courses and that corresponding courses are offered at Touro College Los Angeles. Generally, these courses should be taught by a college/university faculty member and not counted toward high school graduation requirements.  TCLA may not recognize college courses undertaken before the students’ senior year in high school.  Touro College reserves the right to re-test students on material earned in college courses taken prior to high school completion, and to refuse transfer when standards are not met.

APPEALING TRANSFER CREDIT DECISIONS

All transfer credits are reviewed by one of several trained evaluators who work closely with faculty chairs in determining ongoing transfer credit and course equivalencies.  If a course is not acceptable for transfer credit or will not fulfill a Touro College Los Angeles requirement due to a determination that it is not equivalent to a required course, students may appeal that decision by supplying additional information such as syllabi, textbook, etc.  The student will be informed, in writing, of any change(s) to be made to the evaluation.

TRANSFER OF COURSES COMPLETED IN OTHER TOURO COLLEGE AND UNIVERSITY SYSTEM BRANCHES

Touro College Los Angeles is affiliated with a number of regionally-accredited branches outside of California through the Touro College and University System (TCUS). Students who wish to transfer from one of those branches to Touro College Los Angeles must complete a transfer process through the Admissions Office. Courses previously completed at those out-of-state or international branches are transferable to Touro College Los Angeles, provided that the student received a grade of "C" or better in the courses and that corresponding courses are offered at Touro College Los Angeles. Because each separately-chartered out-of-state institution may have its own curriculum and academic requirements, students are advised that they must satisfy residency and graduation requirements of Touro College Los Angeles in order to graduate from Touro College Los Angeles. At least 45 credits in residence must be completed at TCLA.

Students may also attend one of the Touro branches as a visiting student while maintaining matriculation at Touro College Los Angeles. These students also need to contact the Admissions Office, and should receive a permit from TCLA. Courses taken in a different Touro branch will not count toward the 45-credit home campus residency requirement.

Students who transfer are strongly advised to schedule a meeting immediately with an academic advisor who can guide them as to requirements at Touro College Los Angeles. 

Transfer between TCUS branches can have implications concerning continuation of financial aid benefits. Students are advised to consult with the Financial Aid Office as part of the transfer process.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

Students from foreign countries are eligible for admission to Touro College Los Angeles upon graduation from high school or the equivalent. Such students follow the same application procedure as other candidates for admission. Students whose native language is not English, or who did not graduate from high school or college in the USA or other English-speaking country, will also need to demonstrate proficiency in English, through satisfactory performance on a standardized examination (e.g. TOEFL) and an English Placement Essay administered by the College.

FOREIGN TRANSCRIPT EVALUATION

All international applicants must have an original transcript of their secondary and/or college record, with a certified English translation, if necessary, sent to the Office of Admissions.

Students who attend colleges outside of the United States are required to provide a transcript evaluation from a professional foreign credential evaluation service.  For consistency in foreign evaluations, TCLA recommends World Education Services (WES).  If, however, it is not possible to obtain an evaluation from this evaluation service, or if the student has had their credits evaluated by another foreign evaluation service, we award transfer credit on condition that said service is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluator Services.

COURSES RECEIVING NO CREDIT

Touro College Los Angeles reserves the right to deny credit for courses that are not compatible with those offered in its baccalaureate degree programs. Some general categories of courses never receive transfer credit, or, in some instances, receive credit on a restricted basis only. Examples of courses that receive no credit include:

• Courses considered below college level (usually numbered below 100)
• Repeated courses or courses with duplicate subject content
• Coursework earned at an institution that did not hold at least candidacy status with its accrediting association when the coursework was taken
• Mathematics courses considered below college level, including basic math, business math, and beginning and intermediate algebra
• Courses offered for non-credit continuing education units
• Remedial English (e.g., reading, vocabulary development, grammar, speed reading, or any courses that are preparatory to an institution’s first Freshman Composition course)
• Courses providing instruction in English as a Second Language (100-level or above)
• Remedial courses in any academic discipline (100-level and above)
• Non-academic/vocational-technical courses. (limited to 6 credits)

FOREIGN LANGUAGE COURSES

Students who have completed two or more years of a high-school foreign language receive no college credit for an entry-level course (e.g., French 101) in the same language when that course is completed after matriculation at the college. Transfer students who complete such a course before matriculation at Touro College are eligible to receive transfer credit.

NATIVE LANGUAGE

First-year (elementary) or second-year (intermediate) foreign-language credit is not granted either by examination or by course completion in a student’s native language. “Native language” is defined as the language spoken in the student’s home during the first six years of his or her life and in which he or she received instruction through the seventh grade. 

OUT-OF-SEQUENCE COURSES

Credit is not awarded for prerequisite courses in mathematics or foreign languages completed after a more advanced course has been completed. For example, students will not be awarded credit for Spanish 102 if taken after Spanish 103. 

OVERLAPPING CONTENT

If a department makes the determination that two of its courses have essentially overlapping content, credit is awarded for only one. (Students should consult the catalog and/or the department chair in cases of doubt). The different schools of the College may have parallel or duplicate courses with similar course titles and with identical numbers (but differing course codes to denote the individual school). Students do not receive credit for identical or parallel courses repeated in different schools of the College, and the duplicate course will not count toward the credit load for financial aid purposes.

Any credits transferred above 75 will not count towards your baccalaureate degree.