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Beacon Program

Transferring Credit From the College

The Beacon Program allows students to earn college credits recorded on an official college academic transcript. College credits earned with a grade of "C" or better are accepted by a wide Three students smilingrange of colleges/ universities throughout the country, including State University of New York (SUNY) institutions. Acceptance of credit for college-level course work is under the domain of the receiving college or university. Students are advised to consult the college or university they plan to attend, for their specific course credit transfer and equivalency policies (most college websites have a "transfer credit equivalency table or tool," to inquire), prior to enrolling in courses offered through Suffolk's Beacon Program. Suffolk County Community College accepts all credits earned successfully through the Beacon Program.

To ensure that credits earned through Suffolk are transferred to their attending college/university, students must request an official academic transcript to be sent to the desired institution through Parchment.  Click here to order transcript:  https://www.sunysuffolk.edu/current-students/registrar/official-transcript.jsp

To access Suffolk's Beacon Program student grades (unofficial transcript) through sunysuffolk.edu:

  1. Go to: MySCCC
  2. Under the log-in box, there is a box for new students. Click on “Click Here” to obtain a username and password, and follow the directions.

Students may order an unofficial copy of their academic transcript through the transcript request form and have it sent to their home. An unofficial academic transcript can be brought to your attending college for advising purposes, however an official copy is required to transfer the credits.

Students should check to make sure all grades are posted in MySCCC, prior to requesting an academic transcript, or under "Tell us when to release your transcripts" check the box “Course Taken Through High School - January or June End,” to request a HOLD, until grades are uploaded from the Beacon portal. Official college academic transcripts are generally complete and available to send to the student’s attending college after mid-July.

It is recommended that students who participate in the Beacon Program keep a portfolio of each of their Beacon course syllabi and their work as documentation for consultation with their anticipated attending college (this could possibly be requested by their attending college). The College’s discipline specific course descriptions can be found on Suffolk's Course Descriptions page.

College Application Process

Students applying to colleges other than Suffolk County Community College are advised to:

  • Indicate on the college application that coursework has been taken at another college.
  • Once the decision is made, it is the student’s responsibility to send an official transcript from The College to his or her attending college.
  • Many times students are asked to share the Beacon Program course syllabus with their attending college, as corroboration and collaboration of course transferability. Students should make sure they receive this information from their high school teacher and save it to present to the attending college.
  • Save course syllabi and written work. If a college has questions regarding the College courses the student has taken through the Beacon Program, the student should present a portfolio containing the course syllabus and the student’s written work (completed assignments and exams) to the pertinent academic department with the request that the portfolio be evaluated on an individual basis. The College discipline specific course syllabi can be found on Suffolk's Course Descriptions page. 

Students applying to Suffolk County Community College are advised to:

  • Bring their Suffolk County Community College ID# or a copy of their academic transcript when meeting with their College counselor for advisement and scheduling. Inform the admissions counselor that you have taken courses offered through the Beacon Program.
  • All students must take the College computerized academic placement test [CPT] as part of the admissions process and will be placed in accordance to the College procedures and guidelines.
  • Course credit cannot be awarded until the actual grade is posted. Should scheduling occur prior to posting, students should meet with their advisement counselor to adjust their schedule once they have an official transcript with the appropriate grade(s) posted.
  • Suffolk's official student academic transcripts are complete and accessible after July 1st of the academic year. It is the student’s responsibility to revise his or her schedule, if necessary, after Beacon Program course grades are posted.