Independent Study

Students who wish to complete a course offered by the College on an independent study basis may do so with permission from the instructor and the Academic Dean of the School through which the course is offered. The Academic Dean of the School will arrange for registration in the course for the student. These arrangements must be made before the beginning of the semester. The instructor shall establish requirements for successful completion of the course. Academic credit earned through independent study is recognized as official course credit.

Credit for Prior Learning

Currently enrolled students are eligible to earn credit through a variety of assessment methods such as, but not limited to, the following:

  • National Standardized Examination (CLEP, AP, IB, DSST)
  • Departmental Exemption Examinations
  • Portfolio
  • Military Experience
  • State POST Training
  • ACE Credit Recommendations
  • Georgia High School EDU 2110 Program

Students may not request CPL for any courses for which they are currently registered as a regular or audit student.  Earning CPL does not exempt students from meeting institutional residency requirements as defined in the GHC catalog.  Decisions made by credentialing experts are final and not eligible for appeal. Any fees related to the assessment process are non-refundable.

Certain courses have been approved for credit by examination. An individual who wishes to take any of the desired examinations must be registered at the College and must complete the examination under the supervision of the Academic Dean of the School to which the course is assigned. Visit the Credit for Prior Learning site for more information.

Transfer Credit Evaluations

Once a student has applied to GHC, transcripts are evaluated. Admitted students access their evaluation of transfer credits through DegreeWorks. Transfer credits may be awarded from regionally accredited institutions as outlined below.  Transfer credits may be awarded from other accredited institutions when students provide evidence of the level, content, quality, comparability, and degree program relevance of those credits and they are determined to be acceptable by a subject matter expert.  If so determined, they will be awarded as outlined below.  

Credit may be accepted for general education courses from Technical College System of Georgia institutions in observance of USG/TCSG transfer policy outlined in the USG Academic & Student Affairs Handbook Section 2.17. Additionally, credit may be accepted for collegiate-level coursework at accredited TCSG institutions. Technical school course codes below 190 or 1100 are not eligible for transfer credit unless otherwise stated in an articulation agreement.

International transcripts must be evaluated and endorsed/certified/accredited by an evaluation agency before they are sent to GHC by the student. The evaluation agency must be a current member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES) or Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc (AICE). A course-by-course evaluation is required. 

Transfer credit evaluations are determined by the Registrar transfer evaluation staff in collaboration with subject matter experts in academic departments. Transfer credit evaluations must adhere to USG transfer policies, reciprocity agreements, and other approved articulation agreements. 

Copies of transcripts from other universities cannot be reissued to the student. 

Once transfer credit has been awarded, it cannot be changed or removed except if an error was made.

Transfer credit may be awarded as the equivalent GHC course or elective credit if no GHC equivalent exists.

Transfer work from a quarter hour system will be converted to semester hours. Each quarter credit hour counts as 2/3 of a semester credit hour. For example, 5.00 quarter hours is equal to 3.33 credits of semester credit.

If a transfer course from a semester hour system has a different credit hour value than the GHC equivalent, the credit hour value of the transfer course will be used. For example, a 2-credit hour transfer course that is equivalent to COMM 1100 Human Communication will be awarded as COMM 1100 Human Communication with 2 credit hours. Students must meet the minimum credit hours required for their degree and in each of the Core IMPACTS domains and may have to take additional courses to ensure this requirement is met.  

Accepted transfer credit quality points (grades) are not used in calculating the GHC institutional grade point average.

Transfer credit may be awarded for coursework with a minimum grade of “D”. However, ENGL 1101 English Composition I and ENGL 1102 English Composition II equivalents, courses satisfying Field of Study requirements (effective for 2023-2024 catalog and later), major course requirements, major electives, and courses where a grade of "C" or better is required as indicated in the catalog, a grade of "C" or better is required for transfer credit to be awarded. 

Transfer credit is not awarded for Internships, Directed Studies, Practicums, Workshops, Orientation Classes, Seminar Classes, or remedial courses. 

If a transfer course is repeated or more than one transfer course is equivalent to a GHC course, the transfer course with the highest grade will be evaluated for transfer credit. 

At least 25 percent of the credit hours required for an undergraduate degree must be earned at GHC. This is typically 18 hours for an associate’s degree and 30 hours for a bachelor’s degree. No more than 75 percent of the credit hours required for an undergraduate degree can be earned through credit for prior learning or transfer coursework. See residency requirement details in the Graduation Requirements section for more details. 

Students transferring credits from a University System of Georgia (USG) institution are guaranteed the transferability of their general education courses. Any course accepted for credit in the core IMPACTS and Field of Study at the sending institution will be accepted as credit in the core IMPACTS and Field of Study at GHC with the following conditions, in accordance with the USG Academic & Student Affairs Handbook, Section 2.4.10:

  1. Students must meet the USG-specified minimum number of hours in each Core IMPACTS domain.
  2. Students successfully completing a course in a sending institution’s Core IMPACTS domain will receive full credit in the equivalent Core IMPACTS domain for the course upon transfer to another USG institution as long as the number of credit hours in the Core IMPACTS domain at the two institutions is the same.
  3. In cases where the sending and receiving institutions offer unequal amounts of credit, the following rule should be used to determine how to reassign the excess credits from the sending institution’s IMPACTS domain to the receiving institution’s IMPACTS domain. If a sending institution has more credits in one domain than does a receiving institution, the receiving institution will have more credits in another domain than the sending institution. Excess credits in a domain at the sending institution should be assigned to a domain where the receiving institution has more credits.
  4. Students successfully completing a course in one institution’s Field of Study will receive full credit for the course upon transferring to another USG institution as long as the student retains the same major.

If the official transcript from another USG institution indicates a student has satisfied a legislative requirement, GHC will also satisfy that same requirement. Satisfaction of the legislative requirement does not necessarily mean a student has earned credit for the course that usually satisfies the requirement. Students may still be required to take courses in the core that usually satisfy that requirement. See Graduation Requirements for more information.

Questions concerning transfer evaluations should be directed to the GHC Registrar’s Office by emailing registrar@highlands.edu.

Permission to Attend Another Institution as a Transient Student

Students may petition for transient status at another institution for no more than two consecutive semesters. To be eligible to complete the Transient Permission form, student should have:

  • One current semester of residency at GHC
  • Be in in good standing
  • Completed all Learning Support and required high school curriculum (RHSC) requirements
  • Know the application deadline at the receiving institution and apply for admission as transient students at that institution.

The student is responsible for ensuring that an official transcript of all course work completed is sent to Georgia Highlands College in order for credit to be evaluated. Students who have been absent from Georgia Highlands College for more than one academic year will not be granted transient status.  In special circumstances, a student taking Learning Support courses may be able to petition for transient status from the Provost.