Transfer Credit Transcript Evaluation
Highline College accepts transfer credits from other regionally accredited institutions and military service schools. Apply for admission online and select ‘transfer’ as your Admit Type if you’ve completed college-level coursework elsewhere.
- If you are not planning to complete a degree or certificate and graduate from Highline, a transfer credit evaluation is not necessary.
- If you’re looking to take classes at Highline, you can use an unofficial transcript to request entry. This option is quicker and only applies to those who wish to take classes at Highline. To learn more, please refer to the permission numbers.
Who Should Request a Transcript Evaluation?
If you plan to complete a degree or certificate and graduate from Highline, you’ll need to request a transfer Credit Transcript Evaluation after enrolling for classes. This evaluation will determine which credits will transfer toward your degree or certificate.
- Students must be enrolled for the current or upcoming quarter to have their transcript evaluated by Highline.
Transcript Evaluation Steps
- Complete the Admission Steps to receive your ctcLink Student ID.
- Submit Official Transcripts from your former colleges.
- Submit the Request to Evaluate Official Transcripts from Other Institutions Form.
- More information about Transferring Credits from Regional Institutions.
Eligibility Conditions for Transfer-In Credits
Highline College will accept transfer classes with a minimum grade of D or 1.0 in each class. The cumulative combined GPA for all accepted classes must be 2.0 or better.
The school you attended must be regionally accredited and/or recognized.
- To check if your college or university is regionally accredited in the United States, you can search from our list of regional accrediting agencies. Be careful to look for regional, not national or other levels of accreditation.
The courses must fulfill Highline College graduation requirements.
- The maximum number of credits we can transfer in is about 75% of the credits required towards a program (for example, 67 credits maximum for an associate degree). We want to make sure we only bring in the classes you can use.
Credit for Advanced Placement (AP) is awarded for a score of 3 or higher. Credit will be awarded based on official AP results, not transcript notation. Our Academic Equivalency Guide shows a chart of how we will determine your transfer credit from AP exams.
Credit for an International Baccalaureate (IB) is awarded for Standard Level (SL) and Higher Level (HL) exam scores of 4, 5, 6, or 7. Credit will be awarded based on official IB results, not transcript notation. Contact the IB organization to request that an official transcript be sent directly to Highline College. A chart of how we will determine your transfer credit from IB exams is available in our International Baccalaureate (IB) Equivalencies Guide.
Credit will be awarded within the distribution area of the subject matter for each Cambridge International (CI) Examination for scores of E(e) or higher on A and AS levels. Credit will be awarded based on official Cambridge International Examination results, not transcript notation. Duplicate credit for the same subject taken on different exams will not be granted. No grades are posted for A-level exams.
With a DD-214 our office issues 3 credits of PE activity for US military experience. A Joint Services Transcript (JST) we will issue the 3 credits of PE activity and may also issue up to 15 credits of restricted occupational elective credits.
Highline requires translation and evaluation of the student’s academic record from an agency that is a member of the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services.
- Local agencies include FIS, WES, and Josef Silny & Associates.
- The costs of agency services are the responsibility of the student.
- Only transcripts for students enrolled for the current or upcoming quarter will be evaluated by Highline. New students can provide NACES-evaluated transcripts to academic advisors during their enrollment process for the purpose of first-quarter course selection and placement.
Request Your Transcripts From Other Institutions
- Order official transcripts from all colleges/universities other than Highline that you have attended. Highline cannot request official transcripts on the student’s behalf. Official transcripts from other institutions should be ordered through the institution’s websites.
- You may need a copy of your transcripts to meet your advisor or get a permission number.
- Order official transcripts from other institutions should be requested through the institution’s websites. Scores listed on high school transcripts are not accepted.
- Electronic Transcripts should be sent to incomingtranscripts@highline.edu
- Paper Official Transcripts can be mailed to:
Highline College
Credentials Evaluator
PO Box 98000 MS 6-4
Des Moines, WA 98198-9800
- Submit online Request to Evaluate Official Transcripts from Other Institutions form.
- More information: incomingtranscripts@highline.edu
Processing time begins when all documents (transcripts and the request form) have been received. Once your file is complete, please allow 14 weeks for processing.
Students will receive notification of completed evaluation via email, as well as have access to view transfer courses in Academic Advisement Reports (AAR). Make sure your email address is correct in our system by logging into ctcLink and updating your contact information. The next step would be to meet with a Faculty Advisor or Running Start Advisor depending on the student’s type. Make an appointment to meet and discuss your academic goal.
Records of Transfer-in Credit
After evaluation, transfer-in credits will appear as a summary on your official Highline transcript. Transfer-in credits do not affect your Highline College GPA and do not change your total Highline credits earned.
To view what has been transferred can be reviewed in your Academic Advisement Report (AAR) or review your transfer credit award in ctcLink by selecting the Academic Records tile and selecting View Transfer Credit Report.
Kinds of Transfer-in Credits
There are two ways we might transfer your credits into your Highline record.
If we find the course description of your transfer-in course to be reasonably identical to a Highline course, we will transfer it into our system with the Highline department and course number. Example: I took English Composition at Green River. I was given transfer-in credit for ENGL& 101 at Highline.
If we find the course description of your external course is not identical to a Highline course, we will bring the course in with an appropriate department and a general course number.
- 800-899 are classified as non-transferable credits. Typically, you can not transfer them to universities. Only 15 credits of non-transferable classes are allowed as part of a transfer degree.
- 900-999 are classified as transferable credits. Typically, you can transfer them to universities.
Requesting a Change from General to Direct Equivalency
If you were given general equivalency, but feel that your transfer-in class fits the requirements for a specific class offered by Highline College (Direct Equivalency), you can talk to the department coordinator about earning direct equivalency instead. Often they will want you to provide them with a course description, course syllabus, assignments you completed or other documentation.
Transcript Evaluation FAQs
Accreditation is a process of external review used by the higher education community to assure quality and ongoing improvement. A regional accrediting agency is recognized by the Federal Department of Education and will accredit entire colleges and universities within a designated region of the United States. Most nonprofit institutions are regionally accredited.
To find out if your school is regionally accredited, use the link for your school’s region from the table below.
Regional Accreditation Agency | Member States |
|---|---|
| Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU) | Alaska, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, Oregon, Utah, Washington |
| Higher Learning Commission (HLC) | Arkansas, Arizona, Colorado, Iowa, Illinois, Indiana, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, North Dakota, Nebraska, New Mexico, Ohio, Oklahoma, South Dakota, Wisconsin, West Virginia, Wyoming |
| Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE) | New York, New Jersey, Pennsylvania, Delaware, Maryland, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, US Virgin Islands |
| New England Commission of Higher Education (NECHE) | Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island, Vermont |
| Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) | Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia |
| Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC) Senior Colleges and Universities Community and Junior Colleges | California, Hawaii, Guam, American Samoa, Micronesia, Palau, Northern Marianas Islands |