Transfer Credit Evaluation
If you completed coursework at another institution, you may be able to receive transfer credit you can apply to a degree or certificate at Lower Columbia College!
Follow these steps to get started:
- Apply for Admission. Skip this step if you're already an LCC student or you've already applied.
- Submit the Transfer Credit Evaluation Request Form. You'll need the ctcLink student
ID number you received when your admission application was processed.
- Request official transcripts from each of the institutions you have attended.
Please send electronic official transcripts when possible, using the National Student Clearinghouse or Parchment. If you need to enter an email address when ordering the transcript, use evaluation@lowercolumbia.edu.
- If your institution doesn't offer electronic official transcripts, or you already
have an original sealed hard copy, you can also:
- Hand deliver in the original sealed envelope to the One-Stop Center; or,
- Mail in the original sealed envelope to:
Lower Columbia College
Registrar/Transcript Evaluation
PO Box 3010
Longview, WA 98632
If you have questions, check out the transfer credit FAQ below. If you need help, contact us.
Your official transcript is a college or university's certified statement of your academic record. An official transcript is printed on security paper or sent as a secure electronic file by the sending institution and contains the official seal and signature of the registrar. Hard copy official transcripts must be sealed and unopened.
Once LCC receives your official transcripts they are the property of LCC and will not be returned or forwarded to any other institution.
Unevaluated transcripts will be kept on file for a maximum of two years. If you send LCC a transcript but do not complete the evaluation process within two years, you will need to request a new official transcript.
Transfer-Eligible Accredited Institutions
In general, Lower Columbia College only accepts credits earned at institutions accredited by one of the following institutional accrediting agencies, or other institutions with which LCC has an established transfer agreement:
- Accrediting Commission for Community and Junior Colleges
- Higher Learning Commission
- Middle States Commission on Higher Education
- New England Commission of Higher Education
- Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities
- Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
- WASC Senior College and University Commission
LCC has designated institutions accredited by these institutional accreditors as Transfer-Eligible Accredited Institutions. To find out if a college or university is a Transfer-Eligible Accredited Institution, use the accreditation database provided by the US Department of Education's Office of Postsecondary Education and verify that the institution’s accreditor is on the list above.
Transfer-Eligible Courses
LCC awards transfer credit for courses completed with a grade of C- or better. Each class is measured against LCC’s specific course outcomes to ensure academic equivalency. When a direct equivalent does not exist at LCC, elective credit may be awarded.
Official transcripts are required before a transfer credit evaluation can be completed, even when coursework was completed at another ctcLink institution. If you have attended multiple ctcLink colleges you will be able to view your course history from all schools in a single location through your ctcLink student portal. However, each school’s record is separate and we cannot directly access your official transcript until you request it from the sending college.
Because an official transcript is an institution’s certified statement of your academic record it must be officially sent to us to ensure we comply with recordkeeping requirements and evaluate your credits accurately.
Your evaluation will be added to the queue once we have received official transcripts from all institutions listed on your request form. Transfer credit evaluations are processed in the order they are received.
Allow 6-8 weeks after submitting all required documents. During high-volume periods, processing time may be slightly higher.
Once your evaluation is complete, you will receive a notification via your email address marked as preferred in ctcLink. Your next step is to meet with your advisor to discuss your remaining degree requirements. In some cases, a course syllabus may be required to verify equivalency; if requested, contact your previous institution to obtain and submit this documentation.
Transfer credit evaluations are tracked in ctcLink using milestones. These are created once an official transcript and request form are received and are updated within three business days of arrival.
How to view your status:
- Log into ctcLink
- Click the Academic Records tile
- Click View My Milestones
- Select the Milestone
- Click OK
Transfer Reciprocity
If you completed a course at your previous school that met a distribution/general education requirement, you may be able to use that course to fulfill your LCC graduation requirements, even if the class does not have an equivalent LCC class. How the class counts will depend on the state where you completed it. Students must initiate the review process and be prepared to provide necessary documentation.
Most US-Based Colleges:
- Humanities
- Natural Science
- Social Science
Washington Colleges Only:
- All of the Above and:
- Communications
- Quantitative Skills
- Diversity
Transfer reciprocity is not available for all courses or institutions. Email evaluation@lowercolumbia.edu for more information.
To appeal a transfer credit decision, send a syllabus to evaluation@lowercolumbia.edu. A syllabus is different from a course description and must include a list of topics and assignments from the same year the course was taken.
To find your syllabus, first search the institution’s website – many colleges post syllabi on the web or provide instructions on how to request one. If you can’t find it, you may need to contact your previous institution to request that they email it to you. Usually the registrar’s office, or the academic department for the course subject, can help.
No, transfer credit will not impact your GPA at LCC.
No, transfer credit will not replace any grades on your LCC transcript. If you plan to repeat a class you transferred in while attending LCC, contact evaluation@lowercolumbia.edu after you complete the class.
If you have attended an institution outside of the United States, extra documentation may be needed. It is recommended that you contact an advisor before beginning the process. Review our Foreign Transcript Evaluation process for more information.
No, you do not need to wait. Email an unofficial transcript to registration@lowercolumbia.edu and let us know that you need to enroll. If we determine that you meet the prerequisite, we will enroll you.