Transfer of Credit

Transfer of Credit from Laredo College

Courses listed in the Course Descriptions section of this catalog, which have a Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) approval number, are generally acceptable for transfer to other Texas public institutions of higher education, provided that the earned grades are acceptable to the receiving institution.

Courses without a THECB number transfer at the discretion of the receiving institution.

Developmental education courses do not transfer and are not applicable for degree credit.

Senate Bill 148, enacted in 1997 by the 75th Texas Legislature, will allow LC students who complete their core curriculum at LC to transfer the credits as a block to any state community college or university and to satisfy their core curriculum requirements.

The Field of Study Curriculum (FOSC), is a set of lower-division courses that transfer and apply to a degree program, as required by state law, Texas Education Code, Chapter 61, Section 61.823, and Coordinating Board rules, Texas Administrative Code, Title 19, Part 1, Chapter 4, Subchapter B.

Under the new framework, a complete FOSC will consist of the following elements:

  • Discipline-relevant Texas Core Curriculum courses
  • Up to 12 semester credit hours of Discipline Foundation Courses
  • At least 6 semester credit hours of Directed Electives, which will be submitted by the relevant faculty of each general academic institution and shared through the THECB website

If a student completes all the courses in an FOSC and transfers to another Texas public institution of higher education, the FOSC courses transfer as a block and are applied to the student’s selected major. If a student completes the FOSC, the Texas Core Curriculum, and any college or university courses required of all students regardless of major, the student is finished with all the lower-division courses.

If a student transfers with an incomplete FOSC, each completed FOSC course transfers and applies to the to the degree program, and the institution may require the student to complete additional lower-division courses.

For information regarding transferability of courses to institutions outside of Texas, students should check with the institution receiving the credit.

LC accepts transfer credit from Texas public colleges in accordance with these provisions. 

Transfer of Credit to Laredo College

(formerly Credits Accepted in Transfer)

College courses on official transcripts from other colleges and universities with the Texas Higher Education Coordinating Board (THECB) common number are generally accepted. Courses without the THECB common number are evaluated by reviewing catalog descriptions and, in some cases, course syllabi and content. In assessing and documenting transfer credit from other colleges and universities, the Office of the Registrar uses the AACRAO (American Association of Collegiate Registrar’s and Admissions Officers) guides.

Military service educational programs are evaluated using the Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Forces and College Credits for Heroes recommendations and contents of course.

Students who attended a college or university outside of the United States and are requesting LC credit for such courses must present the foreign transcript(s) to the LC Office of the Registrar (transcript(s) may be required to be translated to English). The Office of Registrar will determine if the foreign college or university has proper regional accreditation. If the institution is determined to be accredited, the student will be required to have the foreign transcript(s) evaluated by the National Association of  Credential Evaluation Services (NACES). A list of evaluating NACES agencies can be found at NACES.ORG. Transcripts must be evaluated and translated on a course-by-course basis. To confirm credit, the Office of the Registrar will petition to the respective instructional department to evaluate and determine if the course meets the requirements for such credit prior to granting it. Upon completion of all evaluations, LC will accept the credit for any of its certificates or associate’s degrees (science, arts, and applied science) and most credits accepted will be used as electives, unless the course descriptions and content supplied is clear where the credit may be used to meet other requirements.

All transcripts submitted for evaluation must be submitted on a timely basis and become part of the students permanent record at the Office of the Registrar. All decisions made by the Office of the Registrar are final.

Transfer Disputes

Transfer disputes may arise when a lower-division course is not accepted for credit by a Texas public institution of higher education. 

Resolution of Transfer Disputes

The following procedures shall be followed by public institutions of higher education in the resolution of credit transfer disputes involving lower-division courses:

1. If an institution of higher education does not accept and apply a course included in the field of study curriculum for the program in which a student is enrolled or a course in the core curriculum earned by a student at another institution of higher education, the receiving institution shall give written notice to the student and to the sending institution that it intends to deny the transfer of the course credit and shall include in that notice the reasons for the proposed denial. The receiving institution must attach the procedures for resolution of transfer disputes as outlined in this section to the notice. The notice and procedure must include:

  • clear instructions for appealing the decision to the Commissioner; and
  • the name and contact information for the designated official at the receiving institution who is authorized to resolve the credit transfer dispute.

2. A student who receives notice as specified in paragraph (1) of this subsection may dispute the denial of credit by contacting a designated official at either the sending or the receiving institution.

3. The two institutions and the student shall attempt to resolve the transfer of the course credit in accordance with this section. An institution that proposes to deny the credit shall resolve the dispute not later than the 45th day after the date that the student enrolls at the institution.

4. If the student or the sending institution is not satisfied with the resolution of the credit transfer dispute, the student or the sending institution may notify the Commissioner in writing of the denial of the course credit and the reasons for denial.

No later than the 20th business day after the date that the Commissioner receives the notice of dispute concerning the application of credit for the core curriculum or field of study curriculum, the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee shall make the final determination about a credit transfer dispute and give written notice of the determination to the student and each institution.

If the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee determines that an institution may not deny the transfer of credit for the core curriculum or the field of study curriculum, the receiving institution shall accept and apply the credit toward the core curriculum or the field of study as determined by the Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee.

A decision under this section is not a contested case. The Commissioner or the Commissioner's designee's decision is final and may not be appealed. Each transfer credit dispute resolved by the Commissioner shall be posted on the Board website, including the final determination.

(Texas Administrative Code, Chapter 5, Sub-chapter S, Rule 5.393. Resolution of Transfer Disputes for Lower-Division Courses)

Reverse Transfer

Reverse transfer benefits students by allowing them to complete their associate degree if they transfer to a university prior to graduation from Laredo College. 

Established by the Texas Legislature in 2011 to help students who transfer from a public community college to a public university receive an associate’s degree as they successfully complete coursework. Texas public universities are required to identify, track, and follow up with each student who has earned at least 30 SCH at a community college and completed a total of 66 SCH. Once a student meets these requirements, the university – with the student’s permission – sends Laredo College the student’s course completion transcript. Laredo College reviews the transcript information and determines whether the student completed sufficient credits to qualify for an associate degree.