Transferring to Suffolk?

Transferring to Suffolk from Another College?

Every year many transfer students begin their studies at Suffolk County Community College by transferring college credits from other colleges and universities. Your transfer to Suffolk begins by applying online.

Request your official college transcript(s), including AP or IB, be sent directly from your previous institution to transfercredits@sunysuffolk.edu or directly mailed to:

Suffolk County Community College
Transfer Credit Office
533 College Road
Selden, NY 11784-2899

After your college transcript(s) arrive, your transfer credits will be evaluated for applicable credits toward your program. An email will notify you when the courses are transferred into your student account. You can view the Transfer Evaluation Tables to see unofficially how your courses may transfer.

Grades for prior coursework accepted for Suffolk credit are not noted on our transcript, nor considered in computing the grade point average. However, grades for such courses may be used for admission decisions for curricula with competitive admission. 

Below is a brief description of the various ways students can receive college credit.  Please email transfercredits@sunysuffolk.edu for further information. 

AWARD OF ACADEMIC CREDIT BY EVALUATION POLICY

In order to obtain an associate degree, students who receive transfer credit for prior coursework and/or are awarded academic credit for prior learning must still complete a minimum of 30 credit hours of academic coursework at Suffolk County Community College. To obtain a Certificate, half of the credits must be completed at Suffolk County Community College. Advanced Placement, challenge examination, CLEP, portfolio, and all categories of transfer credit do not count towards the minimum resident credits for a degree or certificate.

In order to be eligible for transfer credit, students must be matriculated into a degree or certificate program.  Transfer credits are not computed into the student’s grade point average (GPA).

Requests of a student’s official college transcript(s), including AP or IB, should be sent directly from your previous institution to transfercredits@sunysuffolk.edu or directly mailed to:

Suffolk County Community College
Transfer Credit Office
533 College Road
Selden, NY 11784-2899

Courses taken at other Colleges and Universities

Suffolk County Community College will accept academic credit earned from colleges and universities accredited by regional institutional accrediting organizations recognized by both the Council for Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) and the U.S. Department of Education.

Credits for courses received from non-regionally accredited institutions of higher education will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.

Course descriptions and/or syllabi may be required to assist in evaluating the course.

Credit for coursework successfully completed with a grade of C minus (C-) or higher may be awarded for courses deemed equivalent to Suffolk County Community College courses. Grades indicated by a pass, with credits posted, will only be accepted if the grade is equivalent to a C- or higher.  Credit is recorded on the student’s transcript with “TR”.

For institutions that have closed, please refer to Obtaining Closed School Student Records.

Standardized Exams

Advanced Placement (AP)

Credit may be awarded to students who have taken Advanced Placement courses in high school and who attain scores of 3 or higher on the appropriate Advanced Placement examinations administered through the College Board.  Students should be aware that other schools may have a more restrictive policy for Advanced Placement transfer credit, and courses covered by AP exams at Suffolk may not be acceptable at their subsequent institution. Such credit will be added to the student’s transcript with a grade of “E” and will not be computed as part of institutional GPA. See the Transfer Evaluation Table for courses awarded by Suffolk.

To be awarded AP credit, students must request their official Advanced Placement score report from the College Board, using CEEB code 2827, to be sent to the mailing address provided below:

Suffolk County Community College
Transfer Credit Office
533 College Road
Selden, NY 11784-2899

International Baccalaureate (IB)

Credit may be awarded to students who have taken International Baccalaureate courses in high school and who attain a score of 4 or higher on the IB Higher Level (HL) exams.  If the student has successfully completed the Diploma program, then credit may be awarded for the Standard Level (SL) courses with a score of 4 or higher. Students must submit an official transcript from the International Baccalaureate (IB) website. Such credit will be added to the student’s transcript with a grade of “E” and will not be computed as part of institutional GPA. See the Transfer Evaluation Table for courses awarded by Suffolk.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Credit may be awarded to students who pass CLEP exams with a score of 50 or higher.  Such credit will be added to the student’s transcript with a grade of “E” and will not be computed as part of institutional GPA. See Suffolk’s CLEP webpage for the courses awarded by Suffolk.

CLEP examinations are offered throughout the year in group sessions at all three campuses.  Visit CLEP for more information.

American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages (ACTFL)

Credit may be awarded to students who pass ACTFL exams by earning a minimum score of Novice High. See Suffolk's ACTFL webpage for the courses awarded by Suffolk. Visit ACTFL for more information. 

Credit obtained through standardized exams is recorded on the student’s transcript with “E” and will not be computed as part of institutional GPA.

Prior Learning Assessment

Challenge Exam

When a CLEP examination is not available to test prior learning in a course or subject offered at Suffolk County Community College, a challenge exam can provide an opportunity for a student to demonstrate knowledge or competencies to receive credit for a specific course.

To request a challenge exam, students must complete the Challenge Exam Application and submit it to the Campus Associate Dean for Academic Affairs. The Associate Dean will forward the application to the department chair for review. If approved, the student will be contacted and arrangements for exam administration will be made.

To be eligible for a challenge exam:

• The request must be approved by the academic department. Challenge examinations are not available for all courses.
• The student must be matriculated in a degree or certificate program.
• The challenge exam cannot be taken for a course that the student has failed or withdrawn from.

Students should consult with the Office of Academic Affairs for applicable fees associated with the administration of a challenge exam.

Credit obtained upon successful completion of a Challenge Exam is recorded on the student’s transcript with “E” and will not be computed as part of the institutional GPA.

Portfolio Assessment

Students may request credit for a course that does not have an established method for granting prior learning credit through the development of a portfolio that demonstrates well-documented existing knowledge and competencies.

To be eligible for portfolio assessment:

• The academic department in which the student seeks credit must approve the student’s request for portfolio assessment.
• The student must be registered for 6 or more credits.
• The student must be matriculated in a degree or certificate program.
• The student will not be permitted to submit a portfolio for a course they already took and failed, already earned credit for, or are enrolled in at the same time as their portfolio submission.

For additional information, read more about Portfolio Assessment. Students should consult with the Office of Academic Affairs for applicable fees associated with receiving academic credits for prior learning.  Credit is granted after review by a faculty member and earning a C or higher.

Credit awarded upon completion of a portfolio assessment is recorded on the student’s transcript with a grade of “L” indicating discipline-specific evaluation by Portfolio and will not be computed as part of institutional GPA.

Note: Portfolio Assessment is not recommended for students who have completed 30 or more credits in an associate degree program or at least half of the credits in a certificate program.

Educational Programs Sponsored by Certain Non-Collegiate Organizations

Suffolk County Community College may award academic credit for industry-recognized certifications and other non-collegiate training if the training has been evaluated by either the National College Credit Recommendation Service (NCCRS) or the American Council on Education (ACE), is relevant to the student’s program of study, and has been recommended by the aforementioned organizations.  Students are required to submit an official ACE or NCCRS transcript for evaluation.  For military personnel, a Joint Services Transcript (JST) should be submitted for review.

For other forms of learning earned through non-collegiate training, the methods of evaluation must be conducted and/or approved by the discipline faculty or academic chair(s) of all relevant campuses.  Final approval will be determined by the Vice President for Academic Affairs or designee.

Credit awarded for non-collegiate training is recorded on the student’s transcript with a “TR” and will not be computed as part of institutional GPA.

Foreign Credential Evaluations

Suffolk County Community College may award academic credit for coursework successfully completed at a foreign college or university if the foreign institution is shown to be equivalent to a regionally accredited institution in the United States.  An official course-by-course evaluation (which includes a document-to-document evaluation) must be mailed directly from a credential evaluation service that is a member of either the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or the Association of International Credentials Evaluators (AICE) to the following address:

Suffolk County Community College
Transfer Credit Office
533 College Road
Selden, NY 11784-2899

For non-F1 visa students, U.S. transcripts must be translated if not in English. All foreign educational credentials must be evaluated by an accredited agency. Please visit NACES and/or AICE to select one of the evaluation agencies.  F1 visa students should contact the International Students Office.

Credit is recorded on the student’s transcript with “TR” and will not be computed as part of institutional GPA.

Transfer Credit Appeal Process

Students who wish to challenge the evaluation of their transfer credits from other institutions can initiate the appeal process by:

• Submitting a written appeal clearly outlining the reasons for challenging the evaluation and including supporting documents (syllabi, lab hours, credit hours, etc.)
• Include your name, student ID, email, phone number, course, and name of academic institution where the course was taken

Appeal submissions must be emailed to transfercredits@sunysuffolk.edu or submitted to:

Suffolk County Community College
Transfer Credit Office
Kreiling Hall 103
533 College Road
Selden, NY 11784-2899

For information on SUNY’s appeal process, see the Student Transfer Appeal Process website.