The
UNC Policy Manual
700.7.2[R]
Adopted
05/26/22
I. Purpose. The following regulation (“this regulation”)
provides System-wide consistency and clarity regarding implementation of
Session Law 2014-67, Senate Bill 761, Section 3 (S.B. 761), and Section 700.7.1
of the UNC Policy Manual, Policy on Military Student Success (“the
policy”). Content and definitions
contained in this regulation shall comply with Section 700.1.1.2[R], Regulation
on Transfer Student Admission.
A. Among the goals of the policy and
this regulation are to implement S.B. 761, specifically the requirement for
“implementing a uniform system of granting course credits to all students enrolled
in the constituent institutions of the University of North Carolina and all
students enrolled in State community colleges based on the students’ military
training and experiences” and “the procedure to be utilized in evaluating
military training or experience.” This
regulation will provide clarity and consistency for UNC System constituent
institutions to award credit as appropriate.
B. Representatives from all UNC System
institutions, the North Carolina Community College System, and experts in the
proper course credit procedures (e.g., registrars, admissions staff, offices of
articulation) have been engaged in drafting this regulation to ensure the
framework adheres to all applicable standards.
Implementation is in alignment with accrediting standards of the
Commission on Colleges of the Southern Association of Colleges and Schools and
of accrediting bodies for specific disciplines and professions.
II. Definitions. The
following operational definitions apply to the policy and this regulation:
A. Database. The UNC System Office will construct,
maintain, and make available for use and deployment by the institutions, a
database, which will function as the
centralized and definitive resource the UNC System constituent institutions
must utilize to award credit for military courses/experiences. The database will contain, at a minimum, the
following elements:
1. A current archive of all American Council
on Education (ACE) Military Occupation and Military Course credit
recommendations.
2. All course credit equivalencies (see
II. D., below) as determined by the Military Credit Review Faculty Panels and
by each individual Institution in all cases where the institution awarded credit
through their own determination and processes.
3. An interface that allows users to
search by military occupation and course and returns the proper and current
course credit equivalencies for each UNC System and North Carolina Community
College System (NCCCS) institution.
4. A secure interface that allows
Military Credit Review Faculty Panels (see II. D.) and--in cases where
occupations or courses have not been evaluated by a panel--appropriate
institutional staff (e.g., registrars, admissions staff, offices of articulation)
to enter their appropriate credit recommendations into the database.
B. Defense Activity for Non-Traditional
Education Support (DANTES). DANTES is
the Defense Human Resource Activity (DHRA) component responsible for managing a
portfolio of education programs and services that help military members achieve
their education and career goals. DANTES
produces Joint Services Transcript JST; (see II.G.) and contracts with ACE to
perform academic evaluation of military occupations and courses.
C. American Council on Education
(ACE). ACE is a membership organization
that mobilizes the higher education community to shape effective public policy
and foster innovative, high-quality practice.
ACE convenes faculty panels nationwide to review military occupation and
course skills, learning objectives, and competencies, and to create generic
credit recommendations based on course definitions common to most two- and
four-year postsecondary educational institutions.
D. Military Credit Review Faculty
Panels. The UNC System Office and NCCCS
System Office will jointly recruit, assign, and administer Military Credit
Review Faculty Panels, made up of faculty from across the two systems. These panels shall meet regularly to review
ACE course credit recommendations for military occupations and courses and
determine the appropriate credit institutions must award.
E. Applicable and appropriate
credit. A determined number of credit
hours granted for a particular course or courses, each designated by course
prefix and course number as contained in the institution catalog, aligned with
the subject content and determined by the UNC and NCCCS faculty panels, or by
ACE course credit recommendations if not yet reviewed by the faculty panels.
F. Community College of the Air Force
(CCAF). Members of the U.S. Air Force
may not have a Joint Service Transcript (JST) if they only attended Air Force
courses; the USAF established the CCAF in 1972 and the Southern Association of
Colleges and Schools (SACS) accredited CCAF in 1973. Courses on a CCAF transcript are not, and
will not be, assessed by the faculty panels or included in these
processes. Instead, institutions should
grant normal and appropriate transfer credit as applicable.
G. Joint Service Transcript (JST). The JST is an academically accepted document
approved by ACE to validate a service member’s military occupational expertise
and training, along with the corresponding ACE college credit
recommendations. Institutions should
only use official JSTs, marked “Official,” and transmitted from DANTES to the
evaluating institution, for actual credit articulation.
H. Military Credit Advisory Council
(MCAC). The UNC System Office will create and maintain (as needed), a Military
Credit Advisory Council as a resource to assist and advise the System Office
and the UNC System chief academic officer (CAO), regarding requested areas of
expertise on military credit issues. The
System Office CAO, after communicating the change to all constituent
institution’s CAOs and requesting nominations, may alter the composition of the
MCAC as needed. The UNC System Office
will invite North Carolina Community College System officials to MCAC meetings.
I.
Military Occupational Specialty
(MOS). A coded system used by the
military services to identify specific jobs and levels of expertise in those
jobs. Specifically, only the U.S. Army
and the U.S. Marine Corps uses the MOS acronym.
The U.S. Air Force uses Air Force Specialty Codes (AFSC); the U.S. Navy
uses ratings and the Navy Enlisted Classification (NEC); and the U.S. Coast
Guard uses a system of naval ratings.
However, many documents often use “MOS” generically. This document will use the general
terminology of military specialty or military specialty codes, but we may use
“MOS” in charts and areas when required by allowable space as an acronym for
military duty identifiers.
J. Other Official Academic Records. UNC System institutions may evaluate other
documents as official academic records (military academic forms, e.g., DA-1059
(Army), Enlisted Record Briefing (ERB), Officer Record Brief (ORB)). Official academic records should include the
following: name or type of training, description of training, dates of training,
and performance outcome.
K. Recommended Course Credit. The credits published in the database, agreed
upon by the faculty panels, and approved by each system’s provost/CAO, approved
for awarding academic credit for specific military occupations and courses.
III. Affected Students.
The requirements of this regulation shall affect all active duty,
Reserve, National Guard, and veteran students who present an official JST,
official CCAF transcript, or other official military academic record for
review. This regulation, in conformance
with S.B. 761, does not distinguish between type and/or status of any
discharge. This regulation does not
mandate any disposition regarding enrollment eligibility or institutional
acceptance for enrollment. If DANTES
transmits a valid JST for the student, the institutions must review the JST and
apply approved credit in accordance with this regulation.
A.
Institutions should encourage prospective military/veteran
students to provide a JST (and other official academic records) during the
application process.
B.
Institutions should evaluate the JST and other official academic
records for transfer credit as early as possible, but shall evaluate the JST
prior to enrollment. Institutions are
encouraged to evaluate non-official JSTs as part of the recruiting/application
process. Early application of credits
could affect course sequencing and failing to apply credits in a timely manner
could adversely affect the student’s ability to register for courses, or cause
students to take unneeded courses for credit.
C.
Institutions may review unofficial JSTs/documents to provide
information on possible credits, but they may award/implement the credit only
after receiving an official JST, transmitted by DANTES.
D. Institutions shall not impose a
penalty if a student chooses not to identify as an active duty service member
or veteran. Once an active duty service
member or veteran chooses to self-identify, the institution should request the
official JST and evaluate it for transfer credit as soon as possible.
IV. Student Responsibilities
A.
Students seeking credit for military training or experience must
submit a JST and other official academic records and/or notify the registrar or
admissions personnel that they have potential military credit as part of the
application process.
B. If they did not do so during the
application process, students receiving VA benefits must submit their JST to
the registrar by the end of the first semester of enrollment (or earlier) to
maximize the amount of information for the cataloguing official. Registrars should work with the VA certifying
officials to enter credit by the end of the first semester of enrollment to
maximize the amount of information for the cataloguing official.
C. Some students on active duty may have
applicable courses added to their JST while enrolled and at different points in
their institutional enrollment. Students
should request an evaluation of any new JST credits as soon as possible after
the military course is completed by submitting an updated official JST for
evaluation.
V. Awarding Applicable and Appropriate Credit. UNC System constituent institutions shall
determine and award applicable and appropriate credit to students who have
presented an official JST (and/or other official academic records) as outlined
below. The institution shall retain a
copy of all official JSTs used to evaluate credit for each student in
conformance with the UNC System and institution’s records retention
policy. Institutions must use the
database and its credit transfer functions to apply all credit articulations
into the student’s record. This
requirement ensures that the UNC System Office has a reliable audit trail of
all military credit articulations to demonstrate system-wide conformance to S.B.
761.
A.
Initial JST Evaluation:
1. If
the occupation(s) and course(s) listed on the official JST are included in the
database, which indicates a review and approval by UNC System-NCCCS faculty
panels, institution officials shall award the student the specified course
credit and specified credit hours listed in the database. Institutions shall record the credit
specifically, as a course prefix, number, and name as indicated in the database
(e.g., specifically MATH 1150, and not as a “three hours of math,” etc.). Institutions seeing any errors in the
database should bring the matter to the attention of the appropriate staff at
the UNC System Office as soon as possible.
2. If
the UNC System-NCCCS faculty panels have not reviewed a course presented by the
student, and thus no recommendation exists in the database, then the
institution shall grant credit based upon ACE recommendations. The institution will ensure timely evaluation
of credit and the credit given shall be specific to an institutional course
equivalency, and not generic credit.
a. When the institution awards any credit
for military courses/experiences, it shall enter the information into the
database and it shall award the same credit for future students who present the
identical military occupation or military course on or after the date of credit
award.
b. If the UNC System-NCCCS faculty
panels later award credit for the same military course/occupation/experience, the
institution need not change previous credits awarded. The updated equivalent credit decided by the
faculty panel will apply to future students as-of the panel decision date.
B.
Updated JST Evaluation:
1. Registrars and institutional
faculty/staff shall utilize the database (as described in V.A., above) to
evaluate new content on a previously evaluated JST when a student presents a
JST. Students on active duty may
complete training while enrolled in an institution, and after the initial JST
Evaluation (see V.A., above). When
presented with an updated JST, registrars and institutional faculty/staff need only
evaluate those elements of the JST added since the last evaluation.
2. Transfer Students from another UNC
System institution shall have their entire JST re-evaluated by the gaining
institution prior to starting classes.
The gaining institution shall evaluate the student’s JST against the
current data in the database, and shall award the appropriate credit shown for
their institution. Additionally, the
gaining institution will make every reasonable effort to retain any previously
granted credit that is not represented in the database for their institution,
as appropriate regarding their transfer evaluation policies (e.g., as elective
credit).
C. Refusal of credit by institution:
1. The
default position for the institutions and registrars shall be to award credit
per the database or (if not evaluated) ACE recommendations.
2. If
an institution objects to awarding credit, either via the database or ACE
recommendations, they must request to do so in writing from the institution’s
CAO to the UNC System CAO. The
letter must contain specific evidence to counter the panel or ACE
recommendations. At a minimum, the
institution must base the objection upon the faculty’s review of the military
course in question (to include a review of the syllabus and learning objectives
and outcomes) and compared to the same criteria of the institution’s course for
which the student is seeking credit.
Evidence in support of an institution’s compelling reasons for an
exception to transfer equivalents shall be supported by the most recently
available and practicable data on academic outcomes of that constituent
institution’s own students from the discipline most analogous or relevant to
the content area of the credit under consideration.
3. The UNC System CAO will evaluate the
institution’s request. If the CAO grants
the waiver, it will be for that institution only and the System Office will
annotate the waiver in the database. If
the CAO denies the waiver, the institution must grant the credit and cannot
petition for a waiver again for the specific military course/training
associated with the specific course credit.
D. As of August 1, 2023, any
institutional policy or practice of awarding credit for military courses that
differs from the above processes is considered null and void and the UNC System
regulation takes precedence.
Institutions may seek specific exceptions, following the processes
outlined above (V. C. 2.). Any limits on
the transfer of military credits shall be discontinued effective August 1, 2023.
This regulation does not in any manner
alter the graduation requirements that every student must meet in order to
receive a degree; students must still satisfy graduation requirements (e.g.,
coursework taken in residence, capstone courses, cohort requirements, etc.).
E. Repeated Credit. Students may choose to take a course that
meets credit they have already earned under this policy.
1.
The student must make the request in writing, which will become a
part of their academic record. The
request should state the reasons for wanting to take the course rather than the
transfer credit (e.g., military course was too far in the past and they wish to
have updated information).
2.
If appropriate under Department of Veterans Affairs and/or
Department of Defense regulations, the institution’s registrar may award the
transfer credit in a way that preserves the student’s eligibility for the institution’s
course (which is not normally given for taking a repeated course if the student
earned a non-punitive grade). If such a
change/coding is not possible, the student must understand that they may have
to personally pay for tuition and fees associated with taking a repeated
course, in order to abide by Department of Veterans Affairs and/or Department
of Defense policies.
3.
If the student wishes to audit the course, the institution should
allow the student to do so at no charge for tuition and fees (required
textbooks and supplies are the student’s responsibility).
F. Effective immediately, institutions
should announce and publish credit that is available for currently enrolled
military and veteran students and invite them to submit any JSTs for
review. Prior credit given to currently
enrolled students may remain as granted or the student and/or institutional
faculty/staff may request an additional review.
The institution shall award additional credit if advantageous to the
student.
G. Additionally, UNC constituent
institutions:
1.
Shall establish and publish a
process whereby active duty military, reservists, and veterans receive credit for
the general education health and/or physical education requirements, based on
military recruit training.
2.
Shall accept foreign language
coursework completed through the Defense Language Institute Foreign Language
Center (DLIFLC) as transfer credit.
Institutions are encouraged to establish a process for students to
demonstrate proficiency and to waive campus language requirements for other
foreign language skill development outside of DLIFLC. Examples include, but are not limited to, the
following examples: College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) credit, Defense
Language Proficiency exams, and continuing education mission specific language
training.
3.
Are encouraged to develop
equivalence mapping for credit by exam for CLEP and DANTES Standardized Subject
Tests (DSST), and to publish a chart showing the minimum allowable CLEP and
DSST scores (no lower than 50 for CLEP) and the credit/course equivalences.
4.
Are encouraged to train
admissions counselors, registrars, academic advisors, department chairs or
heads, and deans on the principles and practices of military credit
transferability. The UNC System Office will
provide training and consultation as requested or required.
5. Shall consult with the UNC System
Office CAO (or designated representative) on any questions regarding evaluation
of military training and experience not covered in this regulation.
VI. Student Choice Regarding Award of
Transfer. A student may decline to
accept the offered credit and either audit or enroll in a course or credit
option aligned with the course in question, depending on institutional
practice. When a student declines to accept
an offered credit, they should do so in writing and the institution will make
that request a part of the student’s academic record.
A. Whenever
possible, appropriate institutional staff (military/veterans services office,
advisors, VA Representatives, etc.) should inform eligible students of the
above-described options available to them under the policy and this regulation,
along with the potential benefits and disadvantages of those options.
B. Institutions
may choose to complement advice from academic advisors with a standardized
communication to incoming students regarding transfer credit and the potential
benefits and disadvantages of the above-mentioned options.
VII. Documentation
Requirements
A. All
institutions will record all credit granted to veterans from JST evaluations in
their Student Information System (SIS) and/or degree audit systems, in a manner
that makes it clear that the credit originated from a JST evaluation.
B. The UNC System
Office will maintain records of all transfer transactions that utilize the
database to transfer credit into the institutions’ SIS and/or degree audit
systems.
VIII. Assessment of the Policy and this Regulation’s
Effectiveness. At least every three
years, the UNC System Office will assess effects of the policy and this
regulation, at the level of the UNC System and across its constituent
institutions. Recommendations for
altering the policy and this regulation shall be made accordingly to the president
(for this regulation) or Board of Governors (for the policy), based on
appropriate evidence.
IX. Other Matters
A.
Effective Date. The requirements of this regulation shall be
effective upon the date of adoption of this regulation by the president.
B. Relation to Federal and State
Laws. The foregoing regulation as
adopted by the president is meant to supplement, and does not purport to
supplant or modify, those statutory enactments, regulations, and policies that may
govern or related to the subject matter of this regulation.