OFFICE OF ACADEMIC AFFAIRS
70 Sip Ave., 4th Floor, Jersey City, New Jersey 07306 | 201-360-4010 | academicaffairs@hccc.edu
Office of Academic Affairs Webpage
Students may be awarded up to 30 credits toward a degree and 15 credits toward a certificate for their prior educational experiences in the following ways: Advanced Placement (AP), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), Military Courses, NYU Foreign Language Proficiency Tests, Transfer Credit, and Work/Life Portfolio Assessment. The College does not guarantee the transferability to other institutions of credit earned in these ways.
Advanced Placement (AP)
Hudson County Community College may award up to eight credits to entering students who complete Advanced Placement (AP) courses in secondary school, and achieve a score of 3 or higher on the Advanced Placement Examinations. Credits may be awarded if the courses can be equated with specific courses offered by the College, are part of the student’s major, and are completed within specified timelines.
Applicants should have their official scores sent from the College Entrance Examination Board — Advanced Placement Examination Program to the Office of the Registrar for evaluation by the end of their first semester of enrollment to avoid course duplication. Course credits are reported on the student transcript as transfer credits and are not used in computing the student’s GPA.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
The College Level Examination Program (CLEP) helps students receive college credit for comprehensive subject knowledge acquired through independent or prior study, on-the-job training, or cultural pursuits to show that they have the understanding of college-level material. CLEP offers 33 examinations in Business, Composition & Literature, World Languages (French, German, and Spanish), History, Social Sciences, Science, and Math. For more information on CLEP exams, please visit: https://clep.collegeboard.org/exams
The HCCC testing center is an authorized CLEP testing center. Students are encouraged to sit for the CLEP exam as soon as possible in their college careers to avoid course duplication. Credits will be awarded only for those courses that are a part of a specific degree program at HCCC. Therefore, students should speak to the Office of Advisement or their School Dean or Academic Program Director, to be sure that such credit is acceptable in their major. To receive CLEP credit, students must achieve the required cut-off score. CLEP credit scores should be forwarded to the Office of the Registrar. Course credits are reported on the College transcript as transfer/examination credit and are not used in computing a student’s GPA.
Credit for Courses Completed at Non-Collegiate or Proprietary Institutions
HCCC will award college credit for courses completed at non-collegiate institutions only under the following conditions:
1. The credits for which students seek transfer must be part of a degree-granting program approved by a state agency for higher education. HCCC will accept credits from an institution that is approved by the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education.
2. Students seeking credits to be used toward a state-licensed program that requires the successful completion of a state or national certification exam, such as a hospital-based nursing program, will be granted credit only with the approval of an HCCC School Dean. The College does not grant credit from non-approved proprietary schools.
Military Education Courses
Enrollment Services and School Dean or Academic Program Director will evaluate transcripts for courses taken in the armed services using “A Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces.” Students who have taken United States Armed Forces Institute (USAFI)/Defense Agency for Non-Traditional Education (DANTES) courses and/or tests in college-level subjects may request the award of credits. Applicants should have their official scores sent from the Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support-Educational Testing Service to Enrollment Service for evaluation.
NYU Foreign Language Proficiency Tests
Students who are interested in receiving college credit for a foreign language not offered by CLEP can take NYU’s Language Proficiency Exams at HCCC. There is a charge for the exam in addition to a testing fee to take the exam at HCCC. For a complete list of the 50+ language exams offered by NYU’s School of Professional Studies, please visit NYU's SPS Continuing Education Courses.
Transfer Credit for Students with College Credits/Degrees from Accredited US Institutions:
• HCCC will accept up to 30 credits of general education and prerequisite courses, provided that the coursework at the previous institution was comparable to coursework at HCCC, and the student achieved a grade of “C” or better at the former institution.
• For the associate degree, the student must fulfill the HCCC residency requirement of a minimum of 30 credits, of which at least 12 credits must be in major-required courses.
• For certificate programs, students must complete all specialization courses at HCCC.
Course Age Restrictions
English and/or mathematics courses taken more than 10 years prior to the first semester will be accepted if the student passes a proficiency test in writing and/or a placement test in mathematics.
For other specified courses, age limits (typically 5 or 10 years) have been set by the appropriate academic areas. The granting of credits for such courses may require successful completion of a proficiency examination, or review by the School Dean or Academic Program Director to determine currency of knowledge. The list of age-restricted courses and requirements for granting credits is available in the Center for Academic and Student Success, Enrollment Services Office, and the Office of the Registrar.
For more information about transfer credit, visit Applying to HCCC - Transfer Students.
Transfer Credit from Foreign Institutions
The following shall apply to students who have earned credits or college degrees from accredited foreign institutions of higher education:
Students will be required to have their academic credentials translated and evaluated by any member agency of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) and demonstrate proficiency in English by passing the HCCC Writing Proficiency Test (WPT) before transfer credits for English Composition will be granted.
Work/Life Portfolio Credit
Students matriculated in a degree program may earn up to thirteen (13) credits for work/life experience that is demonstrated to be the equivalent of college-level study. Such credit requires the submission of a Work/Life Portfolio to determine if that experience is the equivalent of college-level study. This credit is not just for work experience, but for college-level knowledge gained from work or life experience. Students who satisfy the following requirements may apply for Work/Life portfolio credit:
• Graduated from high school or received a GED certificate five (5) or more years ago.
• Have completed at least four (4) college-level courses at HCCC as a matriculated student with a minimum 2.0 GPA, but are not in their final, degree-awarding semester.
Note: Students who receive transfer credits or other course waivers may not use Work Credit for any part of the residential requirements for an Academic Certificate or an Associate Degree.
All documents submitted become the property of the College. A student who falsifies or conceals previous academic records will be subject to disciplinary action.