Transfer Credit, Substitution and Waivers Policies

 TRANSFER CREDIT

FIRST YEAR STUDENTS TRANSFERRING CREDITS FROM HIGH SCHOOL

1. Advanced Placement: Students who have successfully passed one or more Advanced Placement Tests administered by the College Entrance Examination Board may request advanced placement and/or credit. Advanced placement means that the student may be scheduled for a course at a more advanced level. Credit means that the student receives credit toward the 120 hours required for graduation. A score of 4 or 5 will usually be accepted for placement or credit. No grades are assigned to the courses for which the student receives advanced placement credit. A student with a distinguished high school record and superior scores on standardized entrance examinations also may be considered for advanced placement without credit.
2. International Baccalaureate: International Baccalaureate Higher Level examinations will be received for credits for scores of 5 or better.  No credit is awarded for Standard Level examinations.  Courses are recommended to the appropriate school dean for acceptance as transfer credit, on a course-by-course basis, to a maximum of 30 credits.
3. College Courses taken in High School: Students who complete appropriate college courses for credit during high school may also transfer this credit to Siena.  To begin the process of credit evaluation, the student should request an official transcript from the originating college or university, or their third-party provider, and have it sent to the Siena College Admissions Office, 515 Loudon Road, Loudonville, NY 12211. The Admissions Office will evaluate the coursework and process the transfer credit.  If further evaluation of a transcript is needed, the transcript will be sent to the Registrar’s Office for completion. A grade of  C-1 or higher is required.

TRANSFER STUDENTS

Students applying for admission to Siena who matriculated at a two-year or other four-year institutions must submit an application for transfer admission by January 1 for the spring semester, April 1 for the summer semester, or by July 1 for the fall semester. Transfer candidates may use the Siena College application by visiting the Transfer Student Admission webpage or they may submit  the Transfer Common Application. Applications for transfer admission are reviewed as soon as they are complete. Applications received after June 1 will be reviewed on a space-available basis. In addition to the application form, the following information must be received before an admission decision can be made:

1. An official, final secondary school transcript or an official copy of a G.E.D., if applicant graduated from high school within the last 10 years.
2. Official, final, and complete transcripts from all colleges or universities attended.
3. The Siena College Transfer Recommendation Form or the Common Application College Official’s Report to be completed by the appropriate college official from the last institution attended on a full-time basis. This form is only required if a student has been enrolled within the past five years. If the student has not attended college in the last five years, they may have an employer write a letter of recommendation.

Although SAT or ACT examinations are not required for transfers to Siena College, students are encouraged to submit the results of SAT or ACT tests if they are applying to the School of Science. Transfer credit will be given only for those courses in which at least a C-¹ grade has been earned and that are similar in content, level, and scope to courses offered at Siena. Siena will accept a total of 75 credits from four-year institutions. A maximum of 66 credits may be transferred from accredited two-year institutions. These credits would include Advanced Placement, College Proficiency Examination, International Baccalaureate Diploma, and Experiential Learning credits. A tentative evaluation of credit can be made by an Admissions staff member during the candidate’s interview or upon acceptance. Final approval of transfer credits is made by the Dean of the School the student is entering. Transfer students entering Siena will be contacted by the Assistant Dean of their School for an appointment to meet and schedule courses. The evaluation of transfer credit is based on the student’s academic major. Any future change of major will result in a re-evaluation of this transfer credit.

Generally, students transferring to Siena are expected to have a minimum 2.5 cumulative average at the institution where they are currently enrolled. Admissions standards will vary depending upon the space availability in specific programs.

Students who transfer into Siena with 24 or more credits earned while matriculated at another college or university do not take First Year Seminar sequence 100 and 101 but will fulfill this requirement by using any two other core courses (3 credits each from any two core disciplinary areas). Students who transfer in the spring semester with fewer than 24 credits will take First Year Seminar 101 in the Spring semester, but will not take First Year Seminar 100 the following fall. Instead, they will substitute any other core course. 

Transfer students must earn a minimum of 45 semester hours and complete at least half of the major field at Siena to earn a degree at Siena. 

Students in the School of Business must earn at least half of all Business credits counted toward the degree at Siena. The only exception to this rule is for students from schools with which we have a dual degree agreement, e.g. CEFAM. 

Credits earned with a grade of C-¹ or better from another accredited institution will transfer when the course is similar in content and scope to courses offered at Siena. When a course is accepted in transfer, only the credits transfer; quality points (i.e., grades) do not transfer. 

Once students matriculate at Siena, they are permitted to transfer in up to 18 additional credits, to a maximum of 75. Any exceptions must be pre-approved by the School Dean. This limit of transfer credits does not apply to credits earned from Study Abroad programs. The maximum total of transfer credits is 75.

Matriculated Siena Students

A Siena student requesting transfer credits will have courses reviewed by the assistant dean in the school within which the student’s major is positioned. All course descriptions are reviewed by the respective assistant dean who may then consult with assistant deans in other schools as necessary Prior to registering for a course at another institution, students must provide their School Dean with a description of the desired course, and complete a transfer credit permission form. Courses consistent with the mission of the college may be approved through the Office of the School Dean.

Any course that is equivalent to a course at Siena that is “300 or above” must be taken at a four-year institution. Exceptions may be made only for those schools with which Siena has an articulation agreement. See your School office for information regarding specific courses as each School at Siena has its own internal rules governing the transfer of credits.

Transfer credit will be given only for those courses in which at least a C-¹ grade has been earned and that are similar in content and scope to courses offered at Siena. When a course is transferred to Siena, the credits are transferred, but the grades are not.  Beginning in Fall 2013, once students matriculate at Siena, they are permitted to transfer in up to 18 additional credits. Any exceptions must be pre-approved by the School Dean. This limit of transfer credits does not apply to credits earned from Study Abroad programs. The maximum total of transfer credits is 75.

¹ As of May 3, 2022, transfer credits earned with a grade of C- or better from another accredited institution will transfer when the course is similar in content and scope to courses offered at Siena.

Note: This policy will not apply to individual programs that have a higher minimum grade requirement.

HUDSON-MOHAWK ASSOCIATION - CROSS REGISTRATION

Providing that all the points above regarding transferability of the course are met and the student is completing no more than 19 credits, courses that are in the Siena curriculum and those not in the Siena curriculum may be considered if it the course is consistent with the student’s program.

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SUBSTITUTIONs AND WAIVERS

CRITERIA USED WHEN CONSIDERING A SUBSTITUTION AND/OR WAIVER

Level, content and credit of the course to substitute compared to required course.

MAJOR/AUXILIARY*/CORE** REQUIREMENTS - ALL SCHOOLS

Request for substitutions or waivers of a major requirement are submitted to the Assistant Dean by Department Heads, faculty, and students. School of Liberal Arts and School of Science consult with the Department Heads or Dean when necessary. School of Business requires approval of Department Heads for all courses.

Albany Medical/Siena College or Actuarial Science major and Multimedia minor requires a request from the Program Director and consultation with the Department Heads and/or the Dean of School of Science when necessary.

NOTES:

*In the School of Science, requests for substitutions or waivers of a major’s auxiliary requirement must be submitted to the Assistant Dean by the Department Head of the student’s major. The Assistant Dean will consult with the Dean when necessary.

**In the School of Science, requests for substitutions or waivers of a core requirement must be submitted by the student’s advisor. The Assistant Dean will consult with the School of Liberal Arts Assistant Dean when necessary.

HONORS REQUIREMENTS

Request for substitutions or waivers for the Honors Program must come from the Honors Program Director.