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Academic Policy: Transfer Students/Advanced Standing

Palmer College Student Handbook / Academic Policies / Academic Policy: Transfer Students/Advanced Standing

Domestic Transfers

A student who has attended another Council on Chiropractic Education (CCE) accredited chiropractic college or doctoral-level health profession program (M.D., D.D.S., D.O., D.P.M., etc.) accredited by an agency nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education may request transfer to Palmer College of Chiropractic. Students accepted for transfer may be eligible to receive advanced standing credit for previously completed coursework. To be eligible to transfer, students must have met the CCE prerequisites at the time of enrollment at their transferring institution, and possess a doctoral-level health profession program cumulative grade point average of 2.50 or better. Requests for transfer below 2.50 cumulative grade point average will be reviewed and determined by the Academic Dean. To transfer and receive advanced placement, students must be in good academic and ethical standing and be eligible to re-matriculate at their transferring institution. Students dismissed from a chiropractic or doctoral-level health professional program are not eligible for transfer consideration. All transfer students are required to fulfill the procedures found in the Application Procedures section in the College Catalog.

International Transfers

Each international student requesting transfer to Palmer College must first meet admissions requirements. Students admitted to begin the D.C. degree program on the basis of academic credentials from institutions outside the United States must meet the following requirements:

  1. Provide evidence of proficiency in reading and writing English, and an understanding of oral communication in English, commensurate with the level of proficiency expectations established by the D.C. degree program for successful completion.
  2. Provide evidence of completing 90 undergraduate semester hours, substantially equivalent to that completed by beginning students admitted from U.S. institutions, with no less than a 2.75 grade point average.
  3. Provide evidence of proficiency in the subject matter of each course for which credits are accepted.
  4. Provide evidence of having financial resources sufficient to complete at least one full calendar year of full-time attendance in the D.C. degree program.
  5. Meet all applicable legal requirements for study in the United States.

Advanced Standing

Advanced standing may be granted to a student who completes a graduate-level course required by Palmer College of Chiropractic while attending another institution within the last five years. Graduate professional credits earned through an accredited graduate, medical, osteopathic college or CCE-member college may be used for advanced standing. Each course will be individually evaluated and credit will be granted only when approved by the College. For specific procedures and restrictions, please contact the College Registrar.

Once the applicant has acquired Advanced Standing Evaluation information from the Office of Admissions/Enrollment or campus Registrar, the following applies:

  • The transferring student should provide course descriptions and any other documentation (syllabi) describing the course content for those courses in which advanced standing is requested.
  • This information must be received by the Office of Admissions/Enrollment no later than one month prior to the beginning of enrollment.
  • An official transcript of the course must be on file in the student’s records.
  • The request will be approved by the Dean for the appropriate grade, hours and course content. The student will then be notified of the results by email.

For international transfers, credit from non-U.S. professional programs must be evaluated by the World Educational Services (WES), or equivalent transcript evaluator, before applying for transfer. Academic work will be evaluated by Palmer to determine that prerequisite admissions requirements are met. Courses used to meet prerequisite requirements are not eligible for advanced standing consideration. Once admissions requirements are met, evaluation for advanced standing credits will follow.

Transfer student and advanced standing criteria:

  • Students must be in good academic and ethical standing at the transferring institution
  • Overall chiropractic or other doctoral-level cumulative GPA must be 2.50 or above. Requests to transfer below 2.50 cumulative grade point average will be reviewed and determined by the Dean of Programs
  • Previous fulfillment of all CCE prerequisite admissions requirements
  • Transfer credits must be equivalent in credit hours, content and quality to that of Palmer College of Chiropractic; the earned grade is not transferred, and, thus, the course does not affect the student’s GPA at Palmer College of Chiropractic
  • Only credits with a grade of “C” or better are considered for transfer
  • Credits accepted for transfer must have been awarded within five years of the date of admission to Palmer College. Older credits in certain areas may be accepted if the transferring student holds an earned doctorate in one of the health sciences (e.g., D.C., M.D., D.O., D.D.S., D.P.M.) or a graduate degree in an academic discipline closely related to the health sciences
  • Credits used to satisfy the minimum prerequisites for admission may not be used for advanced placement credit
  • Each course will be individually evaluated and credit will be granted only when approved by the College
  • Palmer College transcripts will record transfer courses and credits as issued by the awarding institution, including the name of the awarding institution
  • Students transferring from another chiropractic program must complete the Chiropractic College Transfer Form available from the Office of Admissions/ Enrollment
  • Students will be placed according to their incoming educational profile (i.e. third term)

In addition to awarding advanced standing credit, the College may offer credit by examination (see Credit by Examination).

In order to receive a degree from Palmer, a student must have satisfied all academic and clinical requirements, be in good ethical standing, and must have earned not less than the final 25 percent of the total credits required for the D.C. degree from Palmer College of Chiropractic, allowing up to 75 percent of the total credits through advanced standing. Students wishing to transfer from Palmer College of Chiropractic to another institution must contact that institution directly to determine whether Palmer credits will be accepted. As with any academic program, transferability of credit is at the discretion of the accepting institution.

Students should inquire for further details directly to the Dean of Programs.

Transferring Between Palmer Campuses

Students requesting transfer between Palmer College campuses must meet the same transfer and advanced standing criteria outlined above. The awarding of advanced standing credit varies across the three campuses due to the variation in academic term length, curricular structure and sequence of academic coursework.

Transferability of Credits

NOTICE CONCERNING TRANSFERABILITY OF CREDITS AND CREDENTIALS EARNED AT OUR INSTITUTION
The transferability of credits you earn at Palmer College of Chiropractic is at the complete discretion of an institution to which you may seek to transfer. Acceptance of the credits you earn in the Doctor of Chiropractic program is also at the complete discretion of the institution to which you may seek to transfer. If the credits that you earn at this institution are not accepted at the institution to which you seek to transfer, you may be required to repeat some or all of your coursework at that institution. For this reason, you should make certain that your attendance at this institution will meet your educational goals. This may include contacting an institution to which you may seek to transfer after attending Palmer College of Chiropractic to determine if your credits will transfer.

Undergraduate Studies Programs

Transfer policy is the same as the Doctor of Chiropractic Degree program with the following exceptions:

  • Undergraduate-program transfer credit is accepted for equivalent course work when a minimal grade of “C” is earned from an institution or institutions accredited at the college level by an accrediting body that is nationally recognized by the U.S. Department of Education.
  • B.S. students may transfer 90 credit hours of undergraduate coursework (60 credit hours from freshman/sophomore level and 30 hours from junior/senior level).
  • Official transcripts are required. In addition, students may be required to provide a copy of the catalog description and/or the course syllabus from the institution where the credit was awarded.