Admissions & Aid

All applicants to Olivet University should evidence strong a Christian character, potential for effectiveness in Christian ministry, and the scholastic ability and emotional maturity to handle a higher education experience.

Undergraduate Transfer Policy

A transfer student is defined as any student who has previously matriculated as a degree candidate at another institution and has earned or is earning college-level academic credit at the undergraduate/graduate level.

Students applying for transfer to Olivet University must follow the admission procedures. Official college transcripts from all schools attended must be sent directly from the previously attended college(s) to:

Olivet University
Attn: Admissions
36401 Tropp Flats Rd.
Anza, CA 92539

Coursework transferred or accepted for credit toward any OU degree must be relevant to the degree program, with course content and level of instruction resulting in student competencies at least equivalent to those of students enrolled in this university’s own degree programs. In assessing and documenting equivalent learning and qualified faculty, OU personnel consult official institutional catalogs and employ recognized guides which aid in the evaluation for credit.

Such guides include those published by the American Council on Education, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), and the National Association of Foreign Student Affairs, or such services as are provided by AACRAO or the World Education Services (WES).

OU accepts transfer credit from other accredited educational institutions subject to the following general criteria:

UNDERGRADUATE

  • • A minimum grade of “C”(or equivalent); courses graded “pass/fail” are not transferred unless it is stipulated on the transcript that a “pass” required a grade of “C” (2.0) or above;
  • • Credit is applicable to the OU program of study in which the student intends to enroll.
  • • No more than 75 percent of the units or credits awarded by another accredited institution may be applied toward the award of a Bachelor's degree of Olivet University.”

In order to assist students with curricular planning, the transfer evaluation process must be completed as soon as possible. After enrollment at the university, courses taken at another institution are evaluated for transfer by the Registrar's Office. Transfer courses are evaluated in the Office of Admissions for acceptance of core curriculum requirements and general elective credit. Transfer credits applied toward major requirements are determined in consultation with the appropriate academic divisions.

Transfer Grades

  • • A student’s grade point average at Olivet University is based only on courses completed at this institution. The Olivet University grade point average is used to determine academic standing and graduation.
  • • Transfer grade equivalents will be determined and recorded with the student’s transfer credit. Credit will be awarded for courses in which a “C” or higher was earned. Grades of “F” are included in the calculation of the transfer grade point average.
  • • Transfer grades and grade point averages are assigned on the basis of the Olivet University grading policy. For courses taken at institutions that use combined grades (e.g., “AB”), the lower grade will be used.
  • • Courses taken at institutions that use a grading system not comparable to the Olivet University grading system will be evaluated with the transfer grade equivalents of Pass or Not Pass. “Withdraw failing” grades are calculated in a student’s transfer grade point average as “F” grades.
  • • When fractions are accumulated and awarded as general electives, grade points are accumulated in similar fashion. For example, a student who took one four quarter hour course with an “A” and two four quarter hour courses with a “B” would receive general elective credit (to compensate for fractions) for two credit hours and six grade points.

Credit Hour Equivalencies

  • • The credit hour minimums are based on courses from quarter calendar institutions. If a course at another institution is offered for fewer credit hours than an equivalent course at Olivet University, the student will be given transfer credit for the equivalent course at Olivet University but only for the number of credit hours earned at the other institution. In such cases, the student may need to take an additional course to fulfill credit hour requirements.
  • • When semester credit is converted to quarter hour equivalents, a conversion factor of two-thirds is used. When conversions result in fractions, credit granted per course is reduced to the nearest whole number. Fractions are accumulated and reduced to the nearest whole number, and general elective credit is awarded for that total.

Transfer Credit Award Requirements

Transfer credit is awarded based on specific requirements:

  • • Credit must be awarded from an official college or university transcript, from an official Advanced Placement or International Baccalaureate test score report, or from an official document considered equivalent to a transcript by the Registrar.
  • • Courses taken in a college or university in a continuing education or extension program must be applicable toward the degree being pursued by full-time students at that institution.
  • • Only equivalent level course work will be accepted toward their respective degrees.
  • • The maximum credit transferable from another institution at the undergraduate level is: 135 quarter hours (90 semester hours).
  • • Previously awarded transfer credit will be deducted if coursework is repeated.
  • • Developmental courses that are similar in content to credit-earning courses at Olivet University will be accepted; however, those courses that are not applied toward a degree at the transferring institution will not be accepted.
  • • No transfer credit is granted for Certificate programs.
  • • Olivet University has not entered into an articulation or transfer agreement with any other college or university.
  • • Transfer students with an earned baccalaureate degree from CHEA- or USDE-recognized accredited institutions normally will have the core curriculum requirements for the undergraduate program waived.
  • • Courses that are over 10 years old are not transferred directly to Olivet University unless the courses are part of a baccalaureate or associate degree. However, credits that are over 10 years old may be validated by the student’s successful completion (“C” or better) of a recent upper-level college course in the discipline.
  • • Students seeking to transfer credit from institutions outside the United States and Canada are subject to having their transcripts reviewed by a credentials evaluation service as a guide for transfer credit evaluation (see “Transfer Students - Specific Policies” section of this Catalog for more information).
  • Olivet University reserves the right to notify applicants that they must have their non U.S. academic transcripts evaluated by an academic transcript evaluation agency using a course-by-course report. Olivet prefers that transcripts be evaluated by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). In such cases, credit and placement decisions are based on recommendations of AACRAO. (Credentials evaluation reports are the financial responsibility of the applicant.)

Advanced Placement (AP) and International Baccalaureate (IB) Exams

Students are granted one full course credit (4 quarter units) for any Advanced Placement (AP) or International Baccalaureate (IB) Higher Level Exam on which an appropriate score has been earned (for AP, a score of 4 or 5; for IB, a score of 6 or 7), within transfer limits for each degree level. (Other equivalent exams, such as the Swiss matura or the British A-levels, are also available for one course credit, when completed with an equivalent score). Credit is not granted for exams that duplicate each other, such as AP and IB English Literature.

AP and IB credit is treated like transfer credit. AP credit will be recorded as “Pass” on Olivet University grade reports and transcripts. Transfer students wishing to receive course credit for AP exams must request AP transcripts be sent to Olivet University, or submit official college transcripts that clearly indicate the AP subject for which the student was awarded credit by the transferring institution.

Instances of Fraud

Anyone found to have been admitted to Olivet University on the basis of false information will be immediately dismissed and will forfeit all financial payments made and academic credits accumulated during all periods of enrollment following that admission.

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