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Transfer Credit Policies - Undergraduate

General Policies

Courses are generally accepted in transfer to Fort Lewis College if they are regular, college-level academic courses completed with grades of C- or better at an institution of higher education accredited by one of the following regional accrediting agencies:

  • New England Association of Schools and Colleges
  • Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools
  • Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association
  • Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
  • Southern Association of Colleges and Schools
  • Western Association of Schools and Colleges

Courses that will not transfer include those that are not college level, such as remedial and developmental; non-academic courses such as vocational, career exploration, cooperative education, internships, independent study, workshops, and practicums.  Courses with grades of D+ or lower or with the grades pass/fail, credit/no credit, or satisfactory/unsatisfactory will not transfer, with the following exceptions:  courses with grades of pass, credit, or satisfactory may be accepted if they are physical education (PE) courses or if the student demonstrates that the course could not be taken under the normal A-F grading mode and the sending institution verifies that the grade awarded is equivalent to a C- or better.

Transfer credits more than 10 years old will not be automatically accepted and require special approval to be applied toward general education, major, auxiliary, or minor requirements.

Courses accepted in transfer become part of the credits completed and are not used in grade point average (GPA) calculations. The Fort Lewis College GPA is based on work completed at Fort Lewis College only.

Lower division credits are freshman and sophomore-level credits (courses numbered 100 and 200, respectively, at Fort Lewis College). Upper division credits are junior and senior-level credits (courses numbered 300 or 400, respectively, at Fort Lewis College). Lower and upper division designation is based on the transfer institution’s lower and upper division designation. Course equivalency may be granted for a lower division course from another college that is an upper division course at Fort Lewis College, but the course will not count as upper division credit at Fort Lewis College. Credits earned at a two-year college cannot be used to meet Fort Lewis College’s credit requirement in upper division courses. In cases where a course being transferred does not have a Fort Lewis College equivalent, the course will post with the appropriate departmental prefix and a “T” identifier within the course number (for example, Math T104).

The maximum number of credits that may transfer toward a baccalaureate degree at Fort Lewis College is 90. Within these 90 credits, the maximum number of credits that may transfer from an accredited two-year college is 60.

For academic program purposes, the catalog in effect for graduation requirements for a transfer student is the catalog in effect when the student transfers to Fort Lewis College. Previous catalogs may be used only when specified by a particular articulation.

Colorado Insitution Transfer Policies

Students transferring from a Colorado public institution to Fort Lewis College benefit from a system of policies developed by the Colorado Department of Higher Education to facilitate the transfer of credit among the state’s institutions of higher education.

Transfer of General Education Courses

Colorado’s gtPathways program allows students who successfully complete guaranteed lower division general education courses at a two-year or four-year Colorado public institution of higher education to apply that credit toward the lower division general education requirements at another Colorado public institution in all majors unless a specific statewide articulation agreement exists. Students must earn a C- grade or better in each course in order for the course to transfer.  Details of the guaranteed general education curriculum may be found on the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.

Transfer of an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science Degree

Students who complete an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree with 60 transferable credits will transfer with junior standing, provided that the student has earned a C- or better in each course, and will be able to complete a baccalaureate degree by taking 60 additional credits, unless the Colorado Commission on Higher Education has approved additional requirements. 

State policy facilitates transfer of A.A. and A.S. degrees into specific majors at Colorado public four-year colleges/universities through statewide articulation agreements, other transfer agreements, and institutional transfer guides.

Statewide articulation agreements exist between Colorado public two-year colleges and Fort Lewis College in the following majors: Anthropology, Art-Art Option, Biology, Business Administration–Business Administration Option, Chemistry–Chemistry Option, Economics–Economics Option, Early Childhood Teacher Education, Elementary Teacher Education, English-General Option, Geology-Geology Option, History–General Option, Mathematics, Music–General Music Studies Option, Philosophy, Physics–Physics Option, Political Science, Psychology, Sociology/Human Services–General Option, and Spanish–Spanish Option. These agreements are published on the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.

Other transfer agreements exist between Colorado public two-year colleges and Fort Lewis College in Engineering.  These agreements are published on the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.     

Institutional transfer guides exist been Colorado public community/junior colleges and Fort Lewis College in all majors and options not covered by a statewide articulation or other transfer agreement. These guides are published on the Fort Lewis College website.

Out of State Institution Transfer Policies

Students who transfer to Fort Lewis College with credit from an out-of-state college/university will have their courses evaluated on a course-by-course basis. All out-of-state Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degrees must be approved by the Coordinator of General Education in order to qualify for a waiver of the Liberal Arts Core requirements.  A list of institutions which have already been approved/not approved for the waiver may be found here.

At the time of transfer, an inquiry may be made to the Registrar’s Office regarding the status of any AA or AS degree not appearing on the approved/not approved lists.

International Institution Transfer Policies and Procedures

Students submitting coursework or a degree from an international institution will have that work reviewed on a case-by-case basis to determine transferability.

With the exception of students transferring credit as part of a Fort Lewis College study abroad experience, students submitting transcripts from international institutions must follow these procedures:

  1. Request the international institution to send an official transcript to Fort Lewis College.
  2. If not in English, send copy of transcript and course descriptions to University Language Services (ULS) for translation.
  3. Send ULS translation report to Fort Lewis College.

Apply for credential evaluation by the  World Education Services  (WES) and submit copies of required documentation as  required  by WES for the country of the institution.  Select “Course by Course” evaluation. Request WES to send the report to the Registrar’s Office at Fort Lewis College.

  Transfer Inquiry/Appeals Process

The inquiry/appeals process applies to transfer appeals from Colorado public colleges as well as all other accredited colleges.

The student may appeal:

  • A decision regarding the transferability of a specific course(s);
  • A decision regarding the way in which a specific course(s) transferred;
  • The institution’s failure to provide a transcript evaluation within the designated 30 calendar day period
  1. The appeal must be submitted in writing to the Registrar’s Office. The decisions regarding course transferability and/or placement made in the initial transcript evaluation will be binding if the student fails to file a written letter of appeal within 15 calendar days:
    1. The Registrar’s Office and appropriate department chair will review the written appeal submitted by the student.
    2. The appropriate department chair will have 30 calendar days to review the student’s appeal. The Registrar’s Office will inform the student in writing of the department’s decision on the appeal, including the rationale for that decision. In addition, the student shall be informed in writing about the process for appealing the appeal decision should the student feel that reasonable doubt exists about the validity of the appeal decision.
    3. If the Registrar’s Office fails to inform the student of the available appeal options, the departmental decision shall be null and void. The student’s request prevails and cannot be overturned by any institutional administrator or committee.
  2. An opportunity to appeal the first appeal decision:
    1. The student may appeal the first appeal decision by writing the Vice President for Academic Affairs at Fort Lewis College. The appeal must be filed within 15 calendar days of the postmark date of the letter notifying the student of the departmental decision. If the student fails to file an appeal within this time period, the original decision shall be binding.
    2. Fort Lewis College must hear and reach a decision on the appeal within 15 calendar days after the appeal is filed.
    3. The student will be notified in writing by Fort Lewis College of its decision regarding the transfer appeal and the rationale for the decision. In addition, the institution shall inform the student that the student may appeal the decision by writing the governing board.
  3. An opportunity to appeal the institutional appeal decision:
    1. The student may appeal the institutional decision by writing the Vice President for Academic Affairs. The appeal must be filed within five calendar days of the postmark date of the letter notifying the student of the institutional decision. If the student fails to file an appeal within this time period, the institutional decision shall be binding.
    2. The governing board staff shall review and reach a decision on the appeal within five calendar days after the appeal is filed.
    3. The student will be notified in writing by the governing board of its decision regarding the transfer appeal and the rationale for the decision. In addition, the institution shall inform the student that the student may appeal the decision by writing the Department of Higher Education. The appeal must be filed within five calendar days of the postmark date of letter notifying the student of the governing board’s decision

Department of Higher Education Procedures for Resolution of Student Transfer Disputes

The appeals process is to be initiated by the student after all remedies have been exhausted without resolution of the issue at the institutional level.

An appeal is initiated by the student informing the Colorado Department of Higher Education in writing of the situation and the reason for the appeal. Complete instructions regarding this level of appeal may be found on the Colorado Department of Higher Education website.

Revision History

Editorial changes (n.d.) were made to "Out of State Institution Transfer Policies" section to provide link to list of institutions approved/not-approved for the AA/AS Liberal Arts Core waiver and to direct students to Registrar's Office for status of any AA/AS degree not on the approved/not-approved list.

Editorial changes (n.d.) were made to "International Institution Transfer Policies and Procedures" section to clarify procedure for credential evaluation. 

On Aug. 25, 2015, 1) the list of statewide articulation agreements was updated to add Art-Art Option, Biology, Early Childhood Teacher Education, Elementary Teacher Education, English - General Option, Geology - Geology Option, Music - General Studies Option, Philosophy, and Physics – Physics Option, and 2) the list of transfer agreements between Colorado public two-year colleges and Fort Lewis College was edited to eliminate Early Childhood Education and Elementary Education.