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Policy on Transfer Credits

Purpose

This policy, in accordance with 34 CFR 602.24(e), assures that SUNY Downstate has transfer of credit policies that: (1) is publicly disclosed in accordance with section 668.43(a)(11); and (2) includes a statement of criteria established by the institution regarding the transfer of credit earned at another institution of higher education.

Policy

SUNY Downstate is an upper-division transfer and graduate institution. Students in our bachelor's programs complete a minimum of 60 semester hours of pre-requisite courses prior to enrolling. Students in our graduate degree programs complete pre-requisite courses and a bachelors degree prior to enrolling. The pre-requisite courses are not taught at SUNY Downstate and must be taken at another institution of higher education. Pre-requisites for each program are listed on the Admissions web site for each program. Completing the pre-requisites does not guarantee admission to SUNY Downstate or our programs.

The Office of Admissions evaluates transfer credit as part of the application process. Applicants are able to attend the accredited college(s) of their choice (as described below) to complete the pre-requisites prior to enrolling at Downstate. We accept credits from institutions, subject to the rules and limits of each program:

College Courses Completed in the United States

Official transcripts from all U.S. colleges/universities you have attended must be submitted in your application package, regardless of how long ago you attended the college or university and whether or not courses from those colleges/universities are being used for prerequisite courses. Please indicate on the application any courses in progress, or the processing of your application will be delayed.

Transfer Credits: We only accept credits from Colleges or Universities accredited by an institutional accreditor recognized by the Council of Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) such as: the Middle States Association of Colleges and Schools, the New England Association of Schools and Colleges, the Higher Learning Commission, the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities, the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools, and the Western Association of Schools and Colleges. If you have any questions about whether a transfer course will be accepted, you should check with the Office of Admissions prior to enrolling in the course.

Studies Completed Outside of the United States

Applicants who have completed all or part of their post-secondary, college/university education in a country other than the United States are required to have a course-by-course, detailed, educational credential evaluation. The evaluation must be completed by a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). For a list of approved evaluation agencies, please review the NACES website. Do not send your overseas college transcript in your application packet. Instead, the official course-by-course evaluation report must be sent directly from the agency to the Office of Admissions. Or go to World Education Services.

If your overseas courses have already been evaluated by an accredited U.S. college or university and the courses are listed on the college transcript individually with credit hours and grades, you may submit the transcript without a separate credential evaluation. However, if you are using any of the credits toward prerequisite courses for admission pre-requisites, you must still submit a complete course-by-course evaluation from a NACES member agency, even if the courses are listed on a transcript from a U.S. college or university.

Credit by Examination Programs

If you are fulfilling admissions requirements through the College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) examination, Regents College examinations, or Excelsior College examinations, you must have an official copy of your score report forwarded by the testing agency directly to the Office of Admissions (SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University, 450 Clarkson Avenue, MSC 60, Brooklyn, New York 11203), unless these credits already appear on the official transcripts of an accredited USA college or university.

Course Equivalency Guides have been created to assist prospective students transferring into some programs.Read the Course Equivalency Guide

Questions about pre-requisites may be e-mailed to Student Admissions.

Read Specific rules and restrictions regarding transfer into the College of Medicine.

Online courses at accredited colleges may meet pre-requisite courses for most programs, though some programs require that lab courses required as pre-requisites be taken in-person.

There may be time limitations for courses meeting program of study credit or pre-requisite requirements. Check individual program requirements listed for each program on the Office of Student Admissions Web Site.

Articulation Agreements exist with many colleges and universities. Students who are attending a college or university that is offering a program with an articulation agreement, should be careful to review the requirements of the agreement as the standard for guaranteed admission or transfer of credit may be more restrictive than those for applicants being considered for standard admission.

Transfer Credit Appeal Process

SUNY Downstate Health Sciences University's Transfer Credit Appeal Process is for students who do not agree with the campus decision regarding acceptance or placement of credit earned.

Who to contact

Students wishing to pursue the transfer credit appeal process should first contact the Director of Admissions or designee by e-mail at admissions@downstate.edu. Who will forward the question to the appropriate academic program director for review.

If a concern is not resolved through informal communication with the appropriate academic program director, the following process is available.

Appeal at the Student and campus level (available to all students)

The student submits a request to appeal to the Student Admissions Office, along with a letter outlining the reasons for the appeal, a catalog course description of the course in dispute from the year the course was taken, and any additional transfer course materials available. The appeal will be reviewed by representative(s) from Admissions, the program director, the Dean of Students and the Dean of the SUNY Downstate school or college the student is applying to. Within 15 business days of the date of receipt of the appeal, a written response will be sent to the student regarding the disposition of the appeal.

The campus official responsible for the final determination of the acceptance or denial of transfer credit is the Dean of Students/Vice President for Student Affairs, along with the Dean of the SUNY Downstate school or college the student is applying to.

Please note: If a decision is made to reverse the campus decision on a course, that reversal will apply only to that student, not to the generalized acceptability of the course.

Appeal at the SUNY System Level:
(Available to students transferring from another State University of New York campus for coursework done at another SUNY campus only)

Appeal at the SUNY System level (available to SUNY transfer students only) can be found on-line.

If the student has not had a response from the campus within 15 business days, or is not satisfied with the response at the campus level, he/she can submit an appeal to the SUNY Provost with supporting materials. The SUNY Provost or designee will gain additional information from the receiving institution as needed. The SUNY Provost will respond to the student within five business days from receipt of completed appeal application.

If the SUNY Provost reverses the campus decision on a course, that reversal will apply only to that student, not to the generalized acceptability of the course. All decisions will be officially communicated to the student and the campus.

Last Updated: March, 2021