Earn Credit for What You Know

Overview

Muskegon Community College welcomes college and university transfer students! In general, we award college transfer credit for coursework completed with a grade of “C” or higher from regionally-accredited institutions of higher education. MCC will award equivalent course credit when applicable, and when direct equivalencies are not available, we may award elective credit in the appropriate academic subjects.

To view the many different ways students may get credit at MCC (including credit for exams like AP, CLEP, and IB), visit our Credit for Prior Learning page.

Transfer Credit Guidelines

Incoming transfer credit is determined on an individual student basis using these guidelines:

• Enroll First – Students must first enroll to MCC by applying online before a college/university transcript may be evaluated for possible transfer credit.
• Official Transcripts – MCC will only accept official college transcripts sent directly from the college/university where the credit was originally completed. In order to be considered “official,” transcripts must be sent directly from the college/university where the credit was originally earned, not directly from the student.
• How & Where to Send – Official transcripts may be sent by mail or sent electronically through the college/university’s secure third-party transcript ordering system. If an MCC email is needed when requesting your transcript from another school, use:  officeoftheregistrar@muskegoncc.edu. The mailing address to send official transcripts is:

Registrar’s Office
Muskegon Community College
221 S. Quarterline Rd.
Muskegon, MI 49442

• Regionally Accredited College/University – MCC will only consider transfer credit from a regionally accredited college or university. A list of regional-accrediting organizations can be viewed here.
• Grades – Only courses with a grade of “C” or higher will be considered for transfer credit. Credits only, not grades, are accepted in transfer. Grades from other schools are not entered on MCC transcripts nor calculated in the cumulative grade point average.
• Degree Residency Requirement – A student may transfer any number of credits to MCC; however, a student must complete at least 30 credit hours, or the last 15 credit hours of a degree, at MCC in order to receive a degree from MCC.
• Course Descriptions/Syllabi – If a determination cannot be made on the transfer credit a student should receive, the student may need to obtain a copy of course descriptions and/or syllabi with course objectives. The Registrar’s Office will contact the appropriate academic department to review the course descriptions/syllabi and make a determination.
• Transfer Credit on MCC Transcripts – The total amount of transfer credit accepted from another college/university will appear on the student’s MCC transcript, but not the specific credit accepted.
• Evaluation Time – Transcripts will be evaluated within approximately 2-3 weeks for in-state colleges/universities and 3-5 weeks for out-of-state colleges/universities. The evaluation time may be longer during peak times.
• International Transcripts – International credits must be evaluated through www.wes.org or www.ece.org to be accepted for evaluation.

Time Limits on Transfer Credits

In most cases, credits will be accepted without a time limit. For certain courses, current knowledge in the subject matter is essential, so there are time limits on certain courses. The following courses must have been taken within the time limits listed:

• Accounting – Credit must be earned within the past ten years.
• Information Technology/Computer Science – Credit must be earned within the past five years.
• Nursing – All Nursing courses, as well as non-Nursing courses required for nursing degrees, must be earned within the past eight years. If credit was earned more than eight years ago, competency must be validated by established examinations or by repeating the course. Please contact the Nursing department for more information about the possibility of Nursing transfer credit or competency examinations.
• Office System Education – Credit must be earned within the past 10 years. 
• Liberal Arts – Liberal Arts courses generally don’t have a time limit for transfer credit or being used towards a degree program at MCC. 

Transfer Re-Evaluation Request 

If you wish to contest the transfer credit you were awarded, you may submit the Request for Transfer Course Equivalency Re-Evaluation Form.

• Complete one request form for each department/subject area and include a copy of course descriptions and course syllabi, which should include course objectives and outcomes for the year the course was taken.
• Send the form, course descriptions, and course syllabi to the Registrar’s Office at OfficeoftheRegistrar@muskegoncc.edu.
• Results of your re-evaluation are final and are based on documentation you submitted. Final results will be emailed to students’ MCC email accounts within four weeks.

Questions? 

For any questions about transferring college/university credit to MCC, please contact the Registrar’s Office at OfficeoftheRegistrar@muskegoncc.edu or (231) 777-0310.

Muskegon Community College awards college credit for the exams listed below (click on an exam more information about getting credit for the exams). Of these exams, only credit granted from Advanced Placement (AP) may be used to fulfill requirements of the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA).

Advanced Placement Credit (AP)

Click here to see AP test score equivalencies.
AP has enabled millions of students to take college-level courses and national standardized exams and earn college credit or placement while still in high school.
• We only accept official score reports sent directly from College Board to MCC. Please contact AP Score Reporting Services at www.collegeboard.org.
• Only scores of 3 or higher will be considered for credit.

College Level Examination Program (CLEP)

CLEP is a national standardized testing program, which offers tests in various academic areas. Passing scores may be accepted for college credit.
• The acceptance of, and determination of minimum scores for, the CLEP examinations are determined by the department authorizing credit for that subject.
• Students may earn a maximum of 30 semester hours of credit through the CLEP/DANTES examinations.
• Based on the rules of the Michigan Transfer Agreement (MTA), CLEP credits may not be used to fulfill MTA requirements at this time.
• For more information regarding CLEP, check their website at www.collegeboard.com.

International Baccalaureate

Overview

Students who participated in an International Baccalaureate (IB) program in high school may receive credit for completion of the Higher Level exam(s), depending on the subject area and exam score.
How to Request IB Credit
Students must request for official IB examination scores to be mailed to Muskegon Community College. Official IB scores may be ordered online at https://rrs.ibo.org and must be sent by mail to: Muskegon Community College, Registrar’s Office, 221 S. Quarterline Rd, Muskegon, MI 49442. IB scores must be official and must be sent to MCC directly from IB.
For any questions about IB credit, email OfficeoftheRegistrar@muskegoncc.edu or call (231) 777-0394.

Credit Equivalencies

Equivalent course credit may be granted for IB scores at the discretion of the corresponding academic department at Muskegon Community College.

Below are the IB exams that have already been approved for MCC course credit. Students seeking credit for an IB exam that’s not listed below should still send official IB scores to MCC for consideration of credit.

Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES)

DANTES is a national standardized test in selected areas and is accepted for college credit.
• The acceptance and determination of minimum scores for DANTES examinations is determined by the department authorizing credit for that subject.
• Students may earn a maximum of 30 semester hours of credit through the CLEP/DANTES examination.

Click here to see AP test score equivalencies.

AP has enabled millions of students to take college-level courses and national standardized exams and earn college credit or placement while still in high school.

• We only accept official score reports sent directly from College Board to MCC. Please contact AP Score Reporting Services at www.collegeboard.org.
• Only scores of 3 or higher will be considered for credit.