Course Share, Transfer Credit, and Credit by Exam
CIC Online Course Sharing Consortium (Course Share)
Wabash students are permitted to take a limited number of Council of Independent College’s Online Course Sharing Consortium (CIC-OCSC) courses for Wabash credit. Available courses in the Course Share program are identified by the Registrar in consultation with academic departments. Students should work with their academic advisor to identify appropriate options from the Wabash approved Course Share courses and registration occurs through Wabash College. This option is available for summer courses.
Wabash College will accept Course Share credits under the following conditions:
- The total number of credits a student receives using Course Share courses, transfer courses, and credit by exam may not exceed the limits established in the Wabash transfer credit policy.
- Students may take no more than two (2) Course Share courses per summer session or four (4) total in any summer.
- The final course grade in a Course Share course must be at least a C- in order for credit to be earned at Wabash.
- No more than one (1) Course Share or transfer credit may be applied toward any Wabash distribution requirement specifying completion of multiple course credits.
- No more than two (2) Course Share credits may be applied toward a single major or minor (and as approved by the academic department or program).
- Once the student begins a Course Share course, approval of the academic advisor or the Registrar’s Office is required before he can drop the course.
Course Share courses appear on the student’s academic record as “CR” for courses in which a C- or higher is earned and as “NC” in other instances, and are not used in the determination of the academic grade point average. Grades of “CR” for Course Share courses will earn credit toward graduation. Course Share courses are governed by the policies and procedures of the teaching institution including those related to course calendar and academic integrity.
Transfer Credit
To earn a Wabash College degree, a minimum of eighteen (18) course credits must be completed at Wabash College. No more than sixteen (16) course credits may be applied to a Wabash degree program from outside sources, including transfer credit, Course Share credit, or any credit by exam other than Wabash-administered exams.
Once a student has enrolled at Wabash College, he is subject to a maximum of ten (10) credits from outside sources that may apply toward his 34 credits for graduation, including transfer credit, Course Share credit, or any credit by exam other than Wabash-administered exams. That is, a first-time freshman or a transfer student who brings 10-16 credits into his program at the time of his initial enrollment at Wabash will not be permitted to apply any more transfer credits to his program. A first-time freshman or a transfer student who brings less than 10 credits into his program at the time of his initial enrollment at Wabash will be permitted to apply additional transfer credits until he reaches the limit of 10 credits. A first-time freshman who brings no transfer or exam credits will be permitted to apply a maximum of 10 transfer or Course Share credits to his program while he is a Wabash student. Courses completed through a Wabash-approved off-campus study program are recorded on student transcripts as transfer credit but are considered Wabash College courses for the purpose of determining these limits.
Wabash College will accept course credits from other colleges and universities under the following conditions:
- The institution must be regionally accredited.
- Coursework must be liberal arts in nature and acceptable to Wabash College.
- The final grade in the course must be at least C-. An official academic transcript (not a grade report or unofficial transcript) is required to establish an official academic record of transfer credit.
- No more than one transfer or Course Share credit may be applied toward any Wabash distribution requirements specifying completion of multiple course credits.
- No more than five course credits per semester may be transferred to Wabash.
- The credit to be transferred is unavailable through Wabash-approved Course Share offerings.
One Wabash course credit is equivalent to four semester hours. Individual two-semester hour courses accepted in transfer will count as one-half course credit. Individual courses of three, four, or five semester hours will count as one course credit. Academic departments or program committees will have the final decision on transfer credit for courses in their fields and in determining if a transfer course can meet requirements for their major or minor.
Transfer credit, Course Share credit, and credit by examination (other than Wabash departmental exam) appears in the student’s academic record as credit without letter grade and is not used in the determination of the academic grade point average. Transfer credits to be counted toward the fulfillment of a department major or minor, the foreign language requirement, or in mathematics and science must be approved by the appropriate department or committee. All transfer credits must be approved by the Registrar.
Transfer credit requests from current students (for courses other than Course Share courses) are filed using the Transfer Course Request Form available on the Registrar’s webpage. Transfer credit will not be accepted unless prior approval has been granted by the Registrar and/or academic departments as needed and, as applicable, the requirement to enroll in an equivalent Course Share course is waived.
Dual Enrollment Programs
The acceptance of a transfer course for which the student also received high school credit (a dual credit course) will be contingent upon completion of an additional course in the appropriate Wabash College department or program, and approval of the chair of that department or program. If there is no corresponding department, program, or course at Wabash in which to enroll, no credit will be granted for the transfer course. To earn transfer credit for such courses, students will typically be permitted to enroll in a higher level course in the same department or program and will receive credit for the transfer course after earning a grade of B- or higher in the Wabash course.
Students who earn college credits as high school students by completing courses on a college campus alongside students from the general college population may have those credits evaluated as transfer credit rather than dual enrollment credit, subject to the conditions for acceptance of transfer credit at Wabash.
Credit by Examination
A new student at Wabash may receive credit upon enrollment based on examination scores indicating a high level of achievement in the subject matter. Exams recognized by Wabash, and requirements for receiving credit, are listed below.
Credit by exam will not be granted, or will be removed from a student's credits toward graduation, when the student takes a comparable course that covers the same material. College placement examination results will take precedence over credit by exam. For example, AP credit will be forfeited if, by College placement examination, the student is required to take a beginning course. In all cases, the amount of credit awarded will be determined by the appropriate department.
Advanced Placement (AP)
The College grants credit for College Board Advanced Placement (AP) results with an Advanced Placement exam score of 4 or 5 in courses relevant to a Wabash academic program. The credit is recorded as elective credit and designated as XXXX-98 or XXXX-99 (where XXXX represents the Wabash department or program, e.g. ENGL = English). Additionally, Department or Program Chairs may designate credit equivalencies for specific Wabash courses at their discretion, e.g. to meet prerequisite or distribution requirements, and with the Chair’s permission, students may request the Registrar’s Office to update to their program on that basis. The Mathematics and World Languages programs may grant or deny AP credit based on proficiency exam performance.
| Exam Title | Score | Equivalency | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Art History | 4, 5 | ART-101 | 1 |
| Biology | 5 | Non-lab elective | 1 |
| Calculus AB | 4, 5 | MAT-111 | 1 |
| Calculus BC | 4, 5 | MAT-111 and MAT-112 | 2 |
| Chemistry | 4, 5 | Non-lab elective | 1 |
| Computer Science A | 4, 5 | CSC-111 | 1 |
| Computer Science Principles | 4, 5 | CSC-101 | 1 |
| Economics - Micro & Macro (must take both) | 4, 5 | ECO-101 | 1 |
| English Language/Composition | 4, 5 | Language Studies elective | 1 |
| English Literature/Composition | 4, 5 | Literature elective | 1 |
| Environmental Science | 4, 5 | Non-lab elective | 1 |
| French Language | 4, 5 | FRE-101 | 1 |
| German Language | 4, 5 | GER-101 | 1 |
| Government/Political Science - Comparative | 4, 5 | PSC-121 | 1 |
| Government/Political Science - U.S. | 4, 5 | PSC-111 | 1 |
| History - European | 4, 5 | European History elective | 1 |
| History - U.S. | 4, 5 | U.S. History elective | 1 |
| History - World | 4, 5 | World History elective | 1 |
| Music Theory | 4, 5 | MUS-201 | 1 |
| Physics 1 OR Physics C (Mechanics) | 4, 5 | PHY-177 (non-lab), or PHY-109 if the student completes the labs for PHY-109 at Wabash | 1 |
| Physics 2 OR Physics C (Electricity & Magnetism) | 4, 5 | PHY-178 (non-lab), or PHY-110 if the student completes the labs for PHY-110 at Wabash | 1 |
| Psychology | 4, 5 | Psychology elective, or PSY-101 if the student takes a 200 level Psychology course and earns a B- or higher | 1 |
| Spanish Language | 4, 5 | SPA-101 | 1 |
| Statistics | 4, 5 | MAT-103, MAT-104 | 1 (0.5 for MAT-103 and 0.5 for MAT-104) |
Please contact the Registrar’s Office at 765-361-6416 for questions about exams not listed. AP credits earned in Biology or Chemistry will not fulfill the college laboratory science distribution requirement.
International Baccalaureate (IB)
Courses completed for the International Baccalaureate Degree with a higher-level (HL) examination grade of 5, 6, or 7 may receive credit at Wabash, provided the course is liberal arts in nature and applicable to a Wabash academic program. International Baccalaureate credits may not be used for fulfilling science laboratory requirements. Academic departments or programs may place additional limits on the applicability of International Baccalaureate credits within their departments or programs.
| Exam Title | Score | Equivalency | Credit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Chemistry | 5, 6, 7 | CHE-111 upon completion of CHE-111 labs at Wabash | 1 |
| Economics | 5, 6, 7 | ECO-101 | 1 |
| English Literature | 5, 6, 7 | Literature elective | 1 |
| English Language & Literature | 5, 6, 7 | Language Studies elective | 1 |
| History - Americas | 5, 6, 7 | HIS-200 | 1 |
| Spanish | 5, 6, 7 | SPA-101 | 1 |
| Physics | 5, 6, 7 | PHY-111 upon completion of PHY-111 labs at Wabash | 1 |
Cambridge International Exams (CIE)
Cambridge International Exams, A-Level, may receive credit subject to review by the appropriate department or program chair.
College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
College Level Examination Program credits may receive credit subject to review by the appropriate department or program chair.
Wabash Departmental Exams
Credit may be granted for Wabash-designed and administered examinations. Faculty members administering Wabash-designed examinations have the option to authorize credit with or without a grade. Not all departments or programs at Wabash offer credit by exam. Students seeking this option should consult with the appropriate chair of the department or program.