Alternative Credit

Advanced Placement (AP) Credit

Students who receive scores of three or higher on College Board Advanced Placement tests for which the college offers equivalent courses will be awarded the appropriate credit at Atlanta Technical College. This credit is designated as TR on academic transcripts, is included in students’ earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Applicants must have official test scores mailed directly from the College Board to Atlanta Technical College. Students should direct questions to the Enrollment Services Office about credit for AP courses.

AP Equivalency Chart

College-Level (CLEP) Credit

College-Level Examination Program tests are nationally recognized exams developed by the College Board that allow students to receive credit in subject areas in which they have expertise from previous experiences or studies. Exam scores must be at the 50th percentile or higher in order to receive CLEP credit. This credit is designate as TR on academic transcripts, is included in students’ earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Students who wish to receive CLEP credit for these courses must register for the exams on the College Board website. They must have official test scores mailed directly from the College Board to Atlanta Technical College. Students should direct questions to Enrollment Services Office about CLEP credits.

CLEP Equivalency Chart

Credit-by-Examination

Credit-by-examination is a process that allows students who can demonstrate achievement of course competencies to receive credit for courses. Students interested in credit-by-examination should confer with their respective academic advisors and the Enrollment Services Office to ensure that credit earned through the examination process will apply toward graduation requirements. In addition to the CLEP process described above, students who present evidence of prior knowledge of a particular subject for which CLEP exams do not exist may receive credit by passing course-specific examinations. Appropriate evidence may include, but is not limited to, work experience, non-credit coursework, equivalent coursework taken at non-accredited institutions, and courses offered by the military. Students may not take credit-by-examination tests for courses previously taken at Atlanta Technical College or for courses in which students earned grades of W, WP, WF, or AU. Students may not take the same test more than once. Students must obtain permission of the instructional program chairs or coordinators offering the courses before seeking credit-by examination. The nonrefundable testing fee is 25 percent of the tuition normally charged for the courses.

Instructional departments are responsible for reporting results to the Enrollment Services Office. Students who achieve letter grades of C or higher or numerical grades of 70 or higher on exams receive credit for the courses. This credit is designated as EX on academic transcripts, is included in students' earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Students should verify they received credit by checking their transcripts on Banner Web.

Note: Institutional credit-by-exam credits are generally not transferable outside of Atlanta Technical College. Students do not have the option of attempting to earn credit by exam for FYES 1001—First Year Experience Seminar, the college’s first-semester seminar course.

Essential Learning/Prior Learning Assessment

Atlanta Technical College recognizes that individuals can develop mastery of course competencies through non-traditional educational environments such as employment, training, professional certifications, noncredit courses, and other life experiences. The term prior learning is used to describe these methods of learning. The college awards credit for prior learning when the equivalency is validated by academically sound and rigorous assessment. Credit will be awarded only for demonstrable college-level learning, not for experience. Students must demonstrate mastery of course competencies through testing or appropriate documentation such as portfolios or certifications received from professional organizations. Students who believe they have the appropriate prior learning to request credit for a course or courses should make an appointment to speak with the dean responsible for the program.

Credit for High School Coursework

High school students are eligible to receive articulated college credit for high school coursework by demonstrating mastery of competencies in appropriate college courses. Students who achieve minimum grades of 70 in related courses at the high-school level are eligible to earn exemption credit. This credit is designated as AC on academic transcripts, is included in students' earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Students must pay a $10 fee for each course in which college credit is sought. The College Registrar will award credit up to 24 months after students graduate from high school.

International Baccalaureate (IB) Credit

Students who have taken appropriate high school courses determined and achieved scores of three or higher on International Baccalaureate examinations will receive credit for equivalent courses offered by the college. IB Examinations are offered by the International Baccalaureate Examination Board. Applicants must have official test scores mailed directly to Atlanta Technical College. This credit is designated as TR on academic transcripts, is included in students’ earned hours, and is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. Students should direct questions to registration@atlantatech.edu about IB credit.

International Students with Graduate Degrees from US Institutions

If a student has a foreign undergraduate degree from which an equivalent English course cannot be articulated but has a graduate degree (Masters or Doctorate) from an accredited US institution, that student can be exempt from ENGL 1010/1101 on the grounds that completion of an advanced degree demonstrates a proficiency in the English language that is equivalent to the content that would be covered in a freshman-level composition and rhetoric course.

Military Credit

Atlanta Technical College awards credit for courses completed at military service schools. The awarding of credit is based American Council of Education (ACE) recommendations as listed in A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services http://www.acenet.edu/news-room/Pages/Military-Guide-Online.aspx.

Transfer Credit

Atlanta Technical College recognizes that it is necessary to establish reasonable and definitive policies for the acceptance of transfer credit. The college developed these guidelines in accordance with the standards set by the Technical College System of Georgia, American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, and the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges.

While the College Registrar is responsible for evaluating transcripts to determine transfer credit, the ultimate authority for the transfer evaluation rests with the instructional faculty and division deans in the discipline. For example, the mathematics coordinator and dean of general education are the ultimate authorities on the transferability of math courses to the college.

The College Registrar, instructional faculty, and division deans determine the transferability of courses taken at other postsecondary institutions by considering the educational quality of the learning experience for which students seek transfer credit; the comparability of the nature, content, and level of the learning experiences to the courses offered at Atlanta Technical College; and the appropriateness and applicability of the learning experiences to the programs offered at Atlanta Technical College.

The college has established the following procedures to guide the awarding of transfer credit: 

Computer Information Systems (Computer Support Specialist and Networking Specialist)

Appropriate faculty and administrators review course competencies and the date of completion (typically within five years) before awarding transfer credit for courses in computer science, microcomputers, or networking.

Credit-By-Examination Awarded at Other Colleges

Atlanta Technical College does not award transfer credit for credit-by-examination tests administered at other postsecondary institutions.

Fine Arts and Humanities

Students who have taken courses in art, music, and/or English literature may receive transfer credit to satisfy General Education Requirement Area IV provided the courses are comparable in scope, nature, content, and level of learning experiences to the ARTS, MUSC, and ENGL courses offered at Atlanta Technical College. This type of transfer credit is entered on academic transcripts as ARTS 11XX, MUSC 11XX, or ENGL 11XX. Transferability of these courses will be determined by the executive vice president for academic and student affairs in consultation with deans and faculty on a case-by-case basis.

Health Information Management Technology

Atlanta Technical College will award transfer credit for Health Information Management Technology (HIMT) courses taken at postsecondary institutions holding CAHIIM accreditation provided the courses are comparable in scope, nature, content, and level of learning experiences to the HIMT courses offered at Atlanta Technical College.

Learning Support Coursework

Learning support coursework taken at other colleges is used to determine whether students are eligible to enroll in credit-bearing coursework. Learning support coursework grades are not counted in students' earned hours or in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages.

Health and Public Safety Technologies Courses

The College Registrar does not automatically award transfer credit for courses specific to Health Sciences programs in Dental Assisting, Dental Hygiene, Nursing, Paramedicine, Physical Therapist Assistant, and Radiology. The College Registrar consults with faculty from those programs to determine transfer credit based on course competencies, program accreditation, and date of completion (typically within two to five years).

Official Transcripts with Final Grades

Students must submit official transcripts from all colleges attended in the past. All official transcripts must include final grades. Students who submit transcripts with in-progress coursework must submit official transcripts again once they complete the in-progress coursework and receive final grades before college officials can determine whether to award transfer credit.

Paralegal Studies

Atlanta Technical College will award transfer credit for Paralegal Studies (PARA) courses taken at postsecondary institutions holding American Bar Association (ABA) approval and institutions within the Technical College System of Georgia (TCSG). Transfer credit from other Colleges will be accepted provided that the courses are comparable in scope, nature, content, and level of learning experiences to the PARA courses offered at Atlanta Technical College.

Quarter System Coursework

The College Registrar converts credit hours for courses taken on the quarter system to semester credit hours by multiplying the quarter hours by 0.6667. This conversion may result in students receiving fewer credit hours for coursework offered at Atlanta Technical College. Students may need to complete additional coursework in order to satisfy the graduation requirements at Atlanta Technical College.

Satisfactory Academic Progress

Grades earned for courses transferred to Atlanta Technical College are not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, and graduation grade point averages. The Financial Aid Office includes grades earned for all courses taken at all postsecondary institutions when calculating HOPE scholarship grade point averages and for determining satisfactory academic progress for financial aid purposes.

Social Sciences

Students who have taken courses in history or political science may receive transfer credit to satisfy General Education Requirement Area II provided the courses are comparable in scope, nature, content, and level of learning experience to the HIST and POLS courses offered at Atlanta Technical College. This type of transfer credit is entered on academic transcripts as HIST 11XX and POLS 11XX. Transferability of these courses will be determined by the executive vice president for academic and student affairs in consultation with deans and faculty on a case-by-case basis.

Transcript Notation of Transfer Credit

Transfer credit is noted as TR, TRA, TRB, or TRC on academic transcripts. Transfer credit is not included in the calculation of semester, cumulative, or graduation grade point averages. The Dean of Enrollment Services records transferred coursework on students' academic transcripts and notifies students via their @student.Atlantatech.edu email address when transfer credits have been posted. Students should access their student records on Banner Web to verify the transfer credit awarded.

Transferable Coursework

Students may receive transfer credit for courses taken at regionally accredited colleges and universities. Students who attended colleges that were not regionally accredited at the time of attendance may be asked to provide additional materials including course syllabi, college catalog course descriptions, and instructors' credential information before the College Registrar can determine whether the courses are transferable. Students must have earned final grades of A+/-, B+/-, or C+/- for courses to be transferable. Course must equal or exceed to the number of semester hours established for similar courses at Atlanta Technical College.

Transferring from Other Technical Colleges in Georgia

Courses taken under state-approved standards at other Technical College System of Georgia colleges are transferable provided the technical colleges were accredited by the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges at the time of attendance. Students who attended technical colleges that were not regionally accredited at the time of attendance may be asked to provide additional materials including course syllabi, college catalog course descriptions, and instructors' credential information before the director or registration and records can determine whether the courses are transferrable.