Transfer Students

Many students decide to attend Dutchess Community College after beginning their studies at another college or university. We welcome transfer students and are delighted to work with them in achieving their goals.

Credits earned at other colleges will be evaluated in keeping with the requirements of the DCC curriculum to which a student is applying. Credit will be granted only for courses applicable to the desired curriculum. For students who have earned a bachelor of arts or science degree or a more advanced degree, every effort is made to award advanced standing credit for required general education courses in the DCC degree.

Normally, credits for which a student has earned a grade lower than C will not be accepted in transfer. Grades of P are normally accepted.

In addition to transferring courses in from other colleges, college credit may also be earned through the following methods:

• Advanced Placement (AP) Program

• Excelsior College Examination Program

• Dantes Subject Standardized Tests

• College-Level Examination Program (CLEP)

Test results should be mailed directly by the sponsoring agency to the Office of the Registrar.

Dutchess Community College also grants credits for those non-traditional educational experiences, including military experience, that are approved by the American Council on Education and are applicable to the curriculum in which a student is matriculating.

A degree candidate may receive up to 40 semester hours of credit through direct transfer of credits from other colleges, and/or through proficiency tests, and/or credit for learning through life experience, but these methods of earning credits will have no bearing on a student’s QPA or CPA.

In addition to completing the regular forms issued to all matriculating students, applicants who have studied at other colleges must fill out Transcript Request Forms. These forms are mailed to all colleges previously attended, requesting that the forms be completed and returned to the Office of Admissions for full-time study, and the Registrar’s Office for part-time study.

SUNY Student Transfer Appeal Process

If you do not agree with your SUNY college's decision on the granting or placement of credit that you earned at a prior SUNY institution, you have the right to submit an appeal to your campus transfer representative.

While each campus has a slightly different transfer appeal process, you should be prepared to provide reasonable material to support your case, such as the course description or syllabus in question. The campus transfer representative will explain the process to you and let you know exactly what materials are needed.

Once all of the required information is received, the expectation is that the transfer appeal representative will provide you with a written response within 15 business days. If the decision finds merit to change the course to meet a major requirement, the representative will notify you, the chairperson and/or program coordinator, and will see that the change is made to your student record.

If the decision is unchanged, or you have not received a response in 15 business days, you may take your appeal to the SUNY System Provost by submitting the Student Transfer Appeal Form along with requested materials.

Contact the Office of the Registrar at (845) 431-8020 for more information regarding incoming transfer credit.