1

Students transferring with an A.A. degree into a B.A. program or an A.S. degree into a B.S. program will have accepted for transfer exactly half of the credits required for the basic four-year degree and will have exactly half of the-credits to complete at the four-year institution. Such students will have Junior status upon enrollment at the four-year institution. [For example, at William Paterson, where the basic four-year degree is 128 credits, the transfer student's A.A. or A.S. degree will transfer in exactly 64 credits, and the student will have exactly 64 credits remaining to complete at William Paterson for the degree. At Montclair State, where the basic four-year degree is 120 credits, the transfer student's A.A. or A.S. degree will transfer in exactly 60 credits, and the student will have exactly 60 credits remaining to complete at Montclair State for the degree.]

2

Such transfer students will be considered to have completed all lower division General Education requirements.

3

It is up to the four-year institution to identify for the student upon admission any requirements in regard to the remaining half of the credits. [For example, where half of the degree program is equal to 64 credits, the receiving institution might say that the student must complete 36 credits for the major, 6 credits in foreign languages, and 22 elective credits, but the total requirements cannot be more than 64 credits or half of the total degree requirement.]

4

The only reason a student would be required to take more than the standard half of credits for the four-year degree is if entrance into a required course at the four-year institution requires a prerequisite course which the student has not completed at the community college, and the student cannot fit that prerequisite within the remaining credits to be taken at the four-year institution. The four-year institutions will make such prerequisite information clear so that students can take appropriate coursework at the community college.

5

100 and 200 level courses at the community college that deal with the same subject matter as 100 and 200 level courses at the four-year institutions will be accepted as equivalent. [For example, if Calculus II (a 200 level course) is a prerequisite for enrollment in Linear Algebra (a 300 level course) at the four-year institution, and if the transfer student has taken Calculus II at the community college, they will be able to enroll in Linear Algebra at the four-year institution, no questions asked.]

6

By definition, 300- and 400-level courses at four-year institutions have no course equivalents at the community colleges.

7

It is in transfer students' best interests that community college courses be well aligned with the courses offered at the four-year institutions. This alignment is best accomplished by faculty-to-faculty discussions across the institutions in all sectors. To insure that students can prepare themselves well to succeed in baccalaureate coursework, course evaluations that now take place as part of NJTransfer will continue, and the community colleges will advise their students as to which courses will best prepare them for transfer. [For example, Calculus II, whether taught at a four-year institution or a community college, should generally address Riemann integral applications, transcendental functions, techniques of integration, improper integrals, L'Hospital's rule, and infinite series.]

8

For five-year programs or other specialized programs where the degree requires more than the standard four-year credit requirement, the transfer student will be required to complete all credits in excess of the 60/64 credits transferred to the institution at the four-year institution, in exactly the same manner as native students. [For example, for a student transferring to Montclair State into the B.S. program in Physical Education with dual teacher certification in Physical Education and Health the credit distribution would be 60 credits at the community college and 84 credits at Montclair State to reach the required program total of 144 credits. For a student transferring to Rowan into a Chemical Engineering program the credit distribution would be 60 credits at the community college and 72 credits at Rowan to reach the required program total of 132 credits. As noted in principle 4. above, students who have not completed required prerequisite courses as part of their community college program might have to take additional credits.]

1

Admission to a four-year college or university will depend, as do all admissions, on the four-year institution’s assessment of the overall strength of the student’s academic record and the availability of places in the receiving institution. Senior institutions are not expected to exceed their enrollment goals to accommodate transfer students.

2

Applicants for transfer from a New Jersey community college shall be given priority consideration for admission over an equally qualified transfer applicant who is not a resident of New Jersey.

3

A transfer student’s admission into a particular major will be subject to the specific requirements for admission to that major, consistent with such requirements for native students. (See also A. 1. above.)

1

45 Credits for A.A. degrees, as follows:

• 9 credits in Communication (two courses in Composition and one in speech or human communication)
  
• 12 credits in Mathematics, Science, and Computer Science (including 3-8 credits in Mathematics at a level that minimally requires a prerequisite of basic algebra; 3-8 credits in science in general biology, chemistry, or physics, at least one of which must have a laboratory component; 0-4 credits in a rigorous introduction to computer science or a computer applications course)
  
• 6 credits in Social Science (selected from introductory courses in Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology or Sociology)
  
• 9 credits in Humanities (any broad-based courses in Art, Music, Theater, Literature, Foreign Language, Philosophy, Religious Studies or History)
  
• 6 credits in History
  
• 3 credits in Diversity courses
  

2

30 credits for A.S. degrees, as follows:

• 6 credits in Communication (a minimum of 2 courses in Composition, may include an additional course in Speech or Human Communication)
• 9 credits in Mathematics, Science or Computer Science (as above)
• 3 credits in Social Science (at least one introductory course from among Anthropology, Economics, Geography, Political Science, Psychology, or Sociology)
• 3 credits in Humanities (at least one broad-based course in History; Art, Music, or Theater Appreciation; Literature; a Foreign Language; Philosophy and/or Religious Studies)
• 3 additional credits in Social Science or Humanities
• 6 credits from any category in the A.A. program credit distribution

A.S. students who accumulate more than 30 general education credits should follow the A.A. distribution requirements.