Getting Started

Determine Your Need for a Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE)

Over 80% of our students will be REQUIRED to have an initial TCE.   

Initial TCE Required:  Incoming students who have completed some undergraduate courses but have not earned a Bachelor's degree, and are seeking an undergraduate degree with our university (called ‘Transfer students’) are required to complete a TCE as part of their Admission process in order to establish a complete student record.

Initial TCE Encouraged:  Although not required, it is highly recommended that the following students submit a TCE in order to determine if prior education and training can be accepted as transfer credit toward their degree program:

• Students seeking a Bachelor's degree who have already completed a BA/BS degree
• Students seeking a Master's degree who have already completed some graduate-level courses
• Students who are currently in (or have completed) military service but have not completed any college courses 
• Students with formal civilian training that has been evaluated by ACE
• Students using Federal Aid who have previous college course work

Initial TCE process:

• The student’s official TCE starts after the last document for the student’s TCE file is received. 
• The evaluation takes 4-6 weeks from the date of the last document received to complete the TCE file.
• There is a standard evaluation fee that must be paid within 60 days of the TCE request (unpaid fees will result in cancellation of TCE request). 

Steps 2 through 8 below are listed for students applying for their Initial Transfer Credit Evaluation.  For an explanation of the various types of TCEs, please review the TCE Types on the left.

Locate Your Transfer Credit Evaluation (TCE) Application

If you were not routed to a TCE Application during your online application for admissions, you can find one inside your campus at any time. 

• Log in to your campus
• Look on FORMS MENU on the left
• Click on TRANSFER CREDIT APPLICATION

Please Note:  You must have a Student ID and a password to complete the entire TCE Application.  You must have completed the application and orientation to complete the entire TCE Application.

If you do not have a student ID and a password, please click here to complete the Admissions Application (AMU Application |  APU Application).

• If you have already received your TCE results but need to have additional courses reviewed, please complete a TCE Update Request form in the FORMS Menu of your online campus.  For more information, please visit TCE Update.

Complete Your Transfer Credit Evaluation Application & Fee

After opening your TCE Application, you will need to list all necessary documents and pay a one-time Transfer Student Fee to complete your application.

• For Undergraduate degree programs, you must enter EVERY institution of higher learning you have attended. For Graduate degree programs, you must submit the highest degree conferred transcript, in addition to any graduate level credit that you would like to have evaluated.
• If you leave out an institution - even if you received less than passing grades there - your TCE application will be incomplete and the evaluation will be delayed.
• You may find that some or all of the college information you entered on your Admissions Application will be populated for you.  Please fill in whatever is not already on the form.
• You must enter any military transcripts and examinations that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE).  For detailed information about ACE, click here.

Once you have filled out all the information on the form, you must also pay a one-time $100 fee* in order to complete your application.

• Payment must be made online by credit card.  When complete, you can consider Step 3 completed. 

Payment  must be received within 60 days of the TCE Application.  If payment is not received, the application may be canceled.

*Other schools have a $75-100 application fee which typically goes toward covering the cost of their Transfer Credit Evaluation process.  At our university, we charge a Transfer Student Fee only to the students who will be receiving a TCE.  Our fee covers administrative costs associated with creating a TCE file for each student and requesting official transcripts from other schools.  The Transfer Student Fee is non-refundable. 

Your Transcript Release Authorization (TRA)

A Transcript Release Authorization (TRA) form is used to request academic transcripts from accredited institutions on behalf of the student. In order for the college(s) you listed on your TCE Application to release your transcripts, you must submit a signed TRA form.  Once the school receives the request with the signed TRA form, they will mail the official transcript to our school in a sealed envelope. 

• The TRA form will appear on your computer screen AFTER you have finished the TCE Application.  Please print this form.  (If the TRA form does not appear on your screen or you are not able to complete it for any reason, please email TRA@apus.edu with your full name, student ID and request for a TRA form.)
• Simply complete and sign the TRA form and fax it to us at (304) 724-3811.  Note:  A faxed TRA form is not valid without your written signature. 

Once your TCE Application and signed TRA form are submitted, the Student Records Department will be notified to begin assembling your TCE file.

Please Note:  Be sure to select the Submit button at this point during the application.  You will receive a conformation email and printable form verifying that your TCE Application was received.

Send Your TCE Documents to Us

• Any transcripts from schools that will not release them to us with your signed TRA.  Click here for a list of schools that must be contacted by the student in order to release transcripts.
• Any military transcripts and training documents
• Any copies of test scores that have been evaluated by the American Council on Education (ACE) and recommended for college level credit (i.e. AP Exams, CLEP, DSST, DANTES, etc.).
• Any International Transcript evaluation reports:  International/Non-US College transcripts must be evaluated by a foreign credential evaluation service recognized by the National Association of Credential Evaluation Services (NACES).  Click here for more information regarding this service: www.naces.org/aboutnaces.htm.

You will be responsible for submitting these documents because the issuing institutions will not allow us to order these for you. 

Please note:

• For Undergraduate degree programs, you must submit official transcripts from EVERY institution of higher learning you have attended.  For Graduate degree programs, you must submit the highest degree conferred transcript, in addition to any graduate level credit that you would like to have evaluated.
• All official transcripts for TCE must be received in sealed envelopes from the issuing institution.
• Initial TCEs take 4-6 weeks and there is a standard evaluation fee that must be paid within 60 days of the TCE request (unpaid fees will result in cancellation of TCE request).

Track Your TCE Documents

As each document for a TCE file is received, the student is sent a confirmation email.  Students can view ALL of the documents that have been received as well as those which may be outstanding by visiting the online campus:

• Login to your campus
• Under RECORDS MENU, click on MY ACADEMIC RECORDS
• Locate TRANSCRIPT LOG (click on it to expand it or see a full page display) 
  

As each document arrives it is logged into the student’s Transcript Log and an email notification is sent to the student’s email address on file.  (To update your email address at any time, log in to your campus and use the Change Contact Information link on the left.)

When ALL of the documents on a TCE Application and those listed in the Transcript Log are received, the student’s TCE file is reviewed by the Student Records Department staff.  If additional information is needed (e.g., course syllabi or descriptions), the student is sent an email regarding what is still outstanding.
 
Once received, all admission and transfer credit documents are a permanent part of your student record and the property of this university.  They cannot be returned to the student. 

Wait for Your Results

After the Student Records Department forwards your file to the TCE Department, each completed course will be reviewed carefully and thoroughly for potential transfer credit toward your chosen program of study.

While waiting for the results of this course-by-course evaluation, we encourage you to register for a course unlike any other you have taken in the past.  If you need assistance with your first course selection, please contact counseling@apus.edu.
 
Once your official TCE is completed, the Evaluator will send the results through one final Quality Assurance (QA) review before it is deemed fully complete.

For Initial TCEs, the evaluation will be completed within 4-6 weeks from the date our Records Department receives ALL the documents required for your TCE file.

Receive Your Results

Once a student’s file has cleared the QA review, an email is sent from the TCE Department to the student listing the number of transfer credits applied toward the chosen degree program requirements. 

TCE results will also be posted and may be viewed inside the campus at any time:

• Login to your campus
• Find RECORDS MENU on the left
• Click on MY ACADEMIC PLAN
  

Students with questions about academic planning should contact the Student Advisor for their program.