kaphelp.org - How to Transfer Your Credits

How to Transfer Your Credits

Although many students have no difficulty obtaining college credit for their KAP courses, occasional problems over credit may arise. Here are some steps you can take that have worked well for other students:

1. When you are in the process of applying to college, make sure that the admissions people understand what KAP is. Ask them to give you a preliminary indication of the possibility for credit. Admissions officers are often eager to recruit new students; granting credit may be something they are willing to offer.

2. Make sure you have signed and sent a Request for Transcript form to Kenyon College. Without this signed request, Kenyon is not permitted to send your transcript to any school.

3. Contact the Registrar at your college as soon as possible after arriving. Ask if they have received your transcript from Kenyon College. If they have granted you credit and/or advanced placement in that subject, all is fine. Otherwise . . .

4. Keep your KAP course syllabus from high school ready, along with returned papers and exams, to present to officials at your college. kaphelp.org keeps course syllabi for five years after graduation. Consult the website if you need to download your KAP course syllabi. Kenyon has already sent supporting documentation describing the course, but more detailed information will make your appeal more persuasive. Be prepared to describe and defend the difficulty and sophistication of your KAP course. Colleges have the right to be skeptical about your course work, but you also have the right to be given fair consideration.

5. If you are denied credit, talk with your academic advisor first. Then ask the Registrar what the school's policy is about college credits earned at other institutions and for Advanced Placement courses. If you can convince college officials that your course was of comparable difficulty and your grade represents comparable achievement, you may be more successful.

6. Be aware that some colleges make decisions about credit at the departmental or even the faculty member level. Talking to the right people will make a difference. Even if the Registrar denies your request, it may be possible for a specific department or faculty member to appeal on your behalf. Most teachers don't want students retaking courses they have already passed. But you need to be able to convince them that you have really learned that material or mastered those skills. Having textbooks, papers, tests, projects, etc. on hand is essential to achieving this.

7. Nearly all colleges have some kind of appeals process. Even though you will be a new member of the community, you have the right to exercise this option. It may take some time and effort to learn who is in charge of what, but it's worth it.

8. If you are unable to obtain either credit or placement, ask the school to provide you a letter explaining their policies. Ask them to send copies of the denial to your school and the Registrar at Kenyon College. They might reconsider. In addition, Kenyon and KAP will have a better idea of what schools are accepting or rejecting their credits.

9. Remember, different schools have different policies about granting credit for work done elsewhere. Even the same school, at different times, may have different policies. Be persistent. Many students who transfer find that the new school will accept the credit even though the first school did not. But you will have to request Kenyon's KAP registrar to send another transcript to your new school.

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