Effective July 1st, 2020

Student Location Policy

Pacific Oaks College requires all students to provide the address where they will be located while enrolled at Pacific Oaks College and actively attending classes. Each student is required to provide this address information in their enrollment application. P.O. Boxes will not be accepted. This address will be maintained as the “Student Location. and will be used by Pacific Oaks College to send official correspondence and ensure regulatory compliance. Each student is responsible for keeping their Student Location current and for notifying Pacific Oaks College of any address change.

A student who is considering relocating, or has relocated to another state, territory, or outside of the United States during their program, whether relocation is permanent or temporary, must contact Office of the Registrar to process a change to their Student Location.

To initiate a change in a Student Location, access the Student Gateway under “My Contact Information”. The request will then be sent to the Registrar’s Office to update the Student Location. Additionally, students may contact the Registrar’s Office for more information regarding their options to update their Student Location.

Transfer of Credit Policy

Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy

Applicants may transfer up to 87 credits (dependent upon specific degree transfer allowances. The decision to accept transfer credit resides solely with the respective School. Undergraduate transfer credit guidelines by School are:

Approved transfer credit will be posted to the student’s Pacific Oaks College (POC) transcript after s/he has registered and remained in residence through the Add/Drop deadline. All new students register during the same designated period regardless of transfer credit. Approved transfer credit will not be factored into a new student’s registration time. Transfer credit may affect registration eligibility and degree requirements in subsequent terms.

Please refer to the section on Academic Programs for additional program-specific guidelines regarding transfer credit. Transfer coursework must be approved by the School into which the credit is being transferred.

All undergraduate transfer of credit is subject to the following conditions:

1. Transferred course credit is restricted to undergraduate level, degree applicable courses from a regionally accredited degree granting institution.
2. Students with credit from multiple institutions will need to provide the School with an official transcript from each institution. Pacific Oaks College will not accept third party evaluations on U.S. institution transcripts.
3. Courses that cross multiple subject areas may not be split for credit.
4. Students who have completed university extension credit are not guaranteed that the courses will be transferred to Pacific Oaks.
5. Only courses with a grade of C (2.0 on a 4.0 grade scale) or better will be accepted for transfer into the Bachelor’s Program. Pass/Fail or Credit/No Credit courses are eligible only if the course can be verified as a C (2.0) or higher.
6. Students who have completed internships or practicums, regardless of passing grade and degree applicability, will not be awarded transfer credit for these experiences at Pacific Oaks College.
7. All courses are required to be college level, degree applicable, and not designated as developmental or remedial in nature.
8. Course-to-course equivalency matches require an 80% content match. Students must provide POC with a course syllabus for transfer of credit to be evaluated.
9. A quarter credit taken in transfer will be equated to two-thirds of a semester credit.
10. When credit through examination is awarded; it is not included in the grade-point average.
11. Students may take approved outside standardized exams (International Baccalaureate (IB), College Level Examination Program (CLEP), DANTES Subject Standardized Exams (DSST), etc. If they do not receive passing scores, they will be required to complete the necessary course work.
12. POC does not recognize other institutions’ credit by exam, proficiency, or challenge exams. Only nationally recognized exams approved by POC and outlined below are accepted.
13. Courses completed either at Pacific Oaks or in transfer from a regionally accredited institution, that exceed the course time limits prior to the date of readmission will not be counted towards graduation requirements or completion of credential. Course time limits vary by school; please see the Course Time Limit policy for additional details. The content of these courses may no longer be current or required for a degree or credential.
14. International Student Undergraduate Transfer Credit Policy:  Pacific Oaks College accepts academic credit earned at international institutions that are fully accredited by their country’s Ministry of Education, but only if the courses meet general transfer credit policies. Transcripts are considered official when they are sent directly from a college or university to the Registrar’s Office and contain an official seal and/or signature. All academic records that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified English Translation and Evaluation.

• International students are subject to all transfer credit policies as Course Equivalencies: Students requesting credit for specific Pacific Oaks course equivalencies must provide:
  • Official and sealed transcript from previous institution sent directly to Pacific Oaks College, or an official evaluation from NACES http://www.naces.org/members.htm/ ) or the Association of International Credential Evaluators, Inc. (AICES http://www.aice-eval.org/) or ACREVS can be accepted in lieu of the official foreign transcript.
  • All academic records that are not in English must be accompanied by a certified English translation
  • A detailed or comprehensive report that includes a course-by-course review with course titles, credit or semester hours completed and the letter grade earned for each courses, grade, and lower/under division breakdown and with U.S. degree equivalency.

Students who completed a professional degree (e.g. Bachelor-level Medical degrees) outside of the United States will need to have their transcript accompanied by certified English translation along with a comprehensive report (see criteria above) with U.S. Degree equivalency. Catalog descriptions may be required. If the course descriptions are not in English, they will need to be translated by a certified English translation. International transcripts submitted without translation and/or the detailed evaluation will not be reviewed by the Academic Evaluations Department. It is important for the student to provide complete and accurate information, following the specific directions of the respective agencies.

Any course that does not meet the specific content requirements of an existing POC course may be accepted as transfer credit as an elective if the course supports the required competencies and learning objectives of the program and meets the following conditions:

1. The course must meet all other requirements for transfer credit.
2. The course must be at the equivalent degree level.
3. Courses cannot be duplications of other requirements successfully completed.

In order for the transfer request to be processed, the student must submit an official transcript upon acceptance with Pacific Oaks College. Unofficial transcripts may be used for review prior to enrollment into Pacific Oaks College; however, this review is not considered official and no credit will be posted to the student record.

An official transcript is defined as a document that has been sent from the sending institution directly to the receiving institution or hand delivered to the Admissions office in a sealed envelope from the degree granting institution. Official transcripts sent to Pacific Oaks must be in an unopened envelope from the institution.

Appealing Transfer Credit

Students wishing to appeal their transfer credit evaluation after matriculation, may appeal in writing by completing a Transfer Credit Appeal form and must provide a course description and syllabi along with the nature of their appeal.

Nontraditional Credit Transfer Policies

Prior Learning Assessment Credits

Credit for Learning from Experience (CLE)

Life and work experience can be just as valuable as what is learned in the classroom. Experience provides a broad, dynamic understanding of theories and concepts that can only come from applying them in the real world.

Pacific Oaks College recognizes that students can obtain college level learning in a variety of ways outside the traditional classroom. Due to this thinking and understanding, Pacific Oaks College honors learning completed in a variety of different areas by offering students the opportunity to turn their real-world experience into credit towards a degree through Credit through Learning Experience (CLE).

Students admitted to the bachelors’ programs with fewer than 87 transferrable credits, enroll in GEN 289, and receive 3 credits in English/Communication. The course teaches students how to write for empowerment and persuasion and how to provide documentation of skills and abilities gained through life experiences.

Students with at least 5 years of relevant and significant experience, who wish to pursue CLE credits, then enroll in GEN 299 , a zero-credit “laboratory” for creating and submitting portfolios for the Reflective Study courses. Students may continue to develop and submit portfolios while enrolled in GEN 299  (up to 4 consecutive semesters) and are required to be actively enrolled (at least half-time)  in other courses while completing portfolio development. Portfolios address the learning outcomes in each of the 8 courses included in CLE (see course listing). Faculty evaluate the portfolio, and based on the writing and documentation, will award up to 3 credits in each course.  All portfolios are reviewed by faculty and they determine the credits to be recorded. A Recording Fee is charged based on the number of credits earned.  Students may earn up to 24 credits through CLE.

Requirements

• Be admitted into a Pacific Oaks Bachelor’s Degree
• Five years of relevant, verifiable work or life experience
• Successful completion of GEN 289
• Enrollment in GEN 299
  • Assessment of portfolios for up to 24 credits

View the Fee Schedule at the bottom of the Tuition and Fees page.

Additional Prior Learning Assessment Credit Opportunities

AP Exams

Students who successfully pass and complete testing through Advanced Placement (AP) with scores of 3 or higher will be considered for college level credit. Students who have previously completed AP exams will need to submit official score sheets to Pacific Oaks College prior to matriculation to the institution.

CLEP Exams

Students who have successfully passed the College‐Level Examination Program (CLEP) Exams may enter into Pacific Oaks College. Exams are required to be passed with the minimum American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendation. Scores lower than the ACE Recommendation will not be considered for transfer credit. Students will need to submit an official score sheet to Pacific Oaks College prior to matriculation to the institution.

IB Exams

The International Baccalaureate Exams (IB Exams) are also considered for college level learning to Pacific Oaks College. Students who have completed testing from IB should contact the Office of the Registrar for possible acceptance of this credit. Students should provide Pacific Oaks College with an official transcript for possible credit review.

DSST Exams

Students who have successfully passed the DANTES Subject Standardized Exams may enter into Pacific Oaks College. Exams are required to be passed with the minimum American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendation. Scores lower than the ACE Recommendation will not be considered for transfer credit. Students will need to submit an official score sheet to Pacific Oaks College prior to matriculation to the institution.

Military students

Previous military experience is reviewed for college transfer credit at Pacific Oaks College. Students with previous military experience terminated under honorable conditions in any of the United States Military Branches may submit their official transcripts or a certified copy of DD‐295 to the Office of the Registrar. Credit review will be based on the American Council on Education (ACE) Credit Recommendations.

Professional Training and Certification

Professional training that is recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE) can also be submitted for review. Students who have completed training will need to submit their official transcript from ACE and are required to inquire on the cost of this request. Students should submit these transcripts prior to matriculation with Pacific Oaks College. Trainings and certifications not recognized by ACE will not be reviewed for transfer credit.

Propero Courses

Prospective students needing to meet the Pacific Oaks College general education requirements may fulfill the remaining general education requirements through the successful completion of Propero online courses prior to matriculation to the institution. Propero is a 3rd party vendor that offers a variety of courses for students in general Education areas. Students will need to complete the course(s) through Propero and then submit an official transcript of the ACE Recommended Credit to Pacific Oaks College for the credit to be accepted by the institution. Students wishing to pursue this PLA option should contact the Registrar’s Office.

Straighterline.com Partnership

Prospective students needing to meet Pacific Oaks College general education requirements may fulfill the remaining general education requirements through the successful completion through the Straighterline.com Partnership prior to matriculation to the institution. Straighterline and Pacific Oaks College have established a partnership that will allow students to complete a variety of courses in select general education areas. Students will need to complete the course(s) through Straighterline and then submit an official transcript of the ACE Recommended Credit to Pacific Oaks College for the credit to be accepted by the institution. Students wishing to pursue this PLA option should contact the Registrar’s Office.

Articulation Agreements

Articulation is the process of evaluating courses to determine whether coursework completed at one institution will meet requirements for Admissions, transfer credit, general education, and/or major preparation at another institution. Articulation agreements are formal, written agreements agreed to and signed by the faculty at two colleges.

To help you transfer easily into Pacific Oaks College, we have developed articulation agreements with local colleges. However, official evaluation and awarding of the transfer credits resides with the Academic Evaluation department. A list of institutions with which Pacific Oaks College has an articulation agreement can be accessed by contacting the Office of Admissions.

Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT)

The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) is a pathway designed for college students graduating with an Associate in Arts for Transfer (AA-T) or an Associate in Science for Transfer (AS-T) from a California community college and wishing to transfer.  If you plan or will be completing an AA-T or AS-T degree at your community college, please make sure to indicate this on the application for admission.  In addition, ensure that you complete any requirements at your community college to receive this degree designation on your transcripts.  Once you have earned the AA-T or AS-T degree, submit a final official transcript with this degree indicated.  If you meet all the requirements of admission to Pacific Oaks College, Admission is guaranteed.  In addition to guaranteeing admission ADT students will receive a minimum of 60 credits transferred. and will start with a junior standing. 

Transfer Admissions Guarantee

Pacific Oaks College may offer a Transfer Admissions Guarantee (TAG) to students who wish to transfer from specific community college partner schools.  For a list of community colleges with which Pacific Oaks College has implemented a TAG agreement, please visit https://www.pacificoaks.edu/community-organizational-educational-partners/.

To qualify for a TAG, prospective students must be actively enrolled at an institution with which Pacific Oaks College has a Transfer Admissions Guarantee Agreement at the time of application and meet all admissions requirements specified for applicants from that institution.  A TAG allows any currently enrolled student at the community college partner to receive a guaranteed offer of acceptance for the term in which the student applies if:

• The student meets all application deadlines specified in the TAG agreement for the term in which the student applies; and
• The student successfully completes all standard admissions requirements for the degree program to which they are applying at Pacific Oaks College; and
• The student satisfies any cumulative GPA requirements outlined in the TAG agreement.

Graduate Transfer Credit Policy

Each School determines transferability of graduate level coursework. Graduate transfer credit guidelines by School are:

1. Courses must be graduate level and must have been completed at a regionally accredited graduate institution.
2. Courses must adhere to the Course Time Limit Policy and be completed within seven (7) years of the date of enrollment at Pacific Oaks College. (See Course Time Limit Policy)
   1. For the School of Cultural and Family Psychology, courses completed within ten (10) years of the date of Pacific Oaks enrollment are acceptable.
3. Courses must be graduate level and the institution must be regionally accredited.
   1. Institution must be approved by the Board of Behavioral Sciences and regionally accredited for the School of Cultural and Family Psychology.
4. All official transcripts are required to be on file prior to student’s program start.
5. Courses must be completed with a grade of B or higher (3.0 on a 4.0 grade scale).
   1. Credits for courses in which the student earned a grade below B or took a non-letter grade such as a pass/fail or credit/not credit are not transferable.
6. Credits applied to meet the requirements of a previously earned degree of any type at another institution are ineligible for use as transfer credit.
7. Courses must be completed prior to entry into the POC graduate program. Courses completed while concurrently enrolled at another institution will not be accepted for transfer credit.
8. Only courses that qualify for graduate credit by the transferring institution can be transferred.

Courses must be graduate level and completed in regular, non‐extension formats