FAQs About Transfer

Each four-year college makes decisions about which courses from Lord Fairfax will transfer individually. Students planning to transfer should review the major guides and course equivalencies at laurelridge.edu/transfer, work closely with their academic advisor and contact the transfer counselor at the school they want to attend. Students transferring out-of-state should research the school online and follow the guidelines for transfer students. Lord Fairfax faculty and staff will assist students in researching transfer requirements for particular schools, but it is always best for students to get information in writing directly from the transfer school, when possible.

Most students planning to transfer should be in an Associate in Arts & Sciences (AA&S) or Associate in Science (AS) degree curriculum at Lord Fairfax. There are fifteen majors:

• Business Administration
• Education
• General Studies
  • Administration of Justice Specialization
  • Human Services Specialization
  • Recreation and Outdoor Leadership Specialization
• Liberal Arts
  • Communications Specialization
  • Fine Arts Specialization
• Science
  • Agriculture Science Specialization
  • Computer Science Specialization
  • Engineering Specialization
  • Forensic Science Specialization
  • Health Professions Specialization

Some Associate in Applied Science degrees transfer under specific agreements. Please check these agreements for all needed requirements. Otherwise students should work closely with advising staff and/or faculty advisors to determine which courses in the Associate in Applied Science degrees will transfer.

A Guaranteed Admission Agreement, or GAA for short, is an agreement between the 4-year school and the community college that they will automatically accept all of our students who meet specific requirements. These requirements are different for different schools, but typically have a minimum GPA, an application deadline, and require that students complete one an associate’s degree in a transfer program at the community college. GAAs are posted on the Laurel Ridge website and also on the website of the 4-year school. Students are encouraged to carefully read the GAA for the schools they are interested in.

A 2+2 agreement is a formal arrangement between the community college and the 4-year school where the first two years of a bachelor’s degree is earned at the community college and the final two years at the 4 – year college or university. The courses to be taken at the community college have been specifically chosen to align seamlessly with the receiving institution’s requirements so that all classes the student takes at the community college are accepted for full course credit at the 4 – year school.

Having an associate’s degree will usually make a student more competitive for admission and most of the guaranteed admissions agreements require completion of the entire degree. Many schools will waive their “general education” or “core” curriculum for a student who has completed a transferable degree. Some schools only transfer specific courses but each school will have different requirements such as completion of a minimum number of credits, completion of specific courses, specific grade point average (GPA) or completion of core content/general education equivalences. Check with each school to determine the requirements.

*Guaranteed admission agreements are very specific in nature and have detailed requirements that vary by school.

English: Most transfer students will need to take ENG 111 and 112, College Composition I and II.

Math: Most math and science students will need to take MTH 263 Calculus I and may also need higher math classes. Business administration students will need to take MTH 261 Applied Calculus and MTH 245 Statistics I, while liberal arts and general studies majors can take MTH 154, quantitative reasoning or higher math.

* Developmental courses may be required before taking English and math.

Humanities and Social Science Electives: Most colleges require credits in humanities and social science. Transferable humanities electives usually include art history, music, philosophy, religion and foreign languages. Transferable social science electives usually include sociology, psychology, history, political science, economics and geography.

Students should check with the college to which they plan to transfer for specific course requirements for their degrees. Students can also meet with their academic advisor for help in planning which courses to take. Advisors can help make sure students take courses that fulfill Laurel Ridge program requirements, and can often also assist students in researching appropriate courses for the specific major and college they want to transfer to.

All colleges limit the number of credits they will accept for transfer and many allow up to half of the total hours required for graduation. For example, if 120 hours are required for a bachelor’s degree, the college may accept up to 60 hours in transfer. Students will need to verify the maximum number of transfer credits allowed for each college.

A grade of “C” or better is normally required for a course to be transferred. Students need to check with each college to verify grade requirements. Some transfer programs require a grade of B or better in specific courses for transfer or to satisfy degree requirements. Any developmental courses taken, typically receiving grades such as U or S, are not eligible for transfer.

Most four-year colleges have very early deadlines for application. Some schools accept fall transfer students only while others accept fall, spring, and sometimes summer transfers. Check the application deadline and apply in advance of that date.

Student Services sponsors transfer programs each fall semester and invites representatives from many colleges to come on campus to talk to transfer students. Watch the plasma screens, student email, Laurel Ridge Counseling and Advising Events Facebook page and the student lounge areas for information on these visits.

In general, yes. However, as with any transfer of credits, students should always check with the institution for their policy regarding dual enrollment credits. Some of our transfer partners handle dual enrollment credits differently than credits taken after graduating high school.

While typically a foreign language is not a requirement for general admission to a four year university, many Bachelor of Arts degree programs as well as other specific programs will require foreign language proficiency – typically through the Intermediate level. Some four year institutions may consider the foreign language requirement as having been met in high school but students must verify this requirement in advance with their school of interest.

Normally if a student has earned 24-30 credits or has earned an Associate Degree from Laurel Ridge and meets the requirements for Guaranteed Admission, the student will not need SAT and ACT scores to transfer. However, students are strongly encouraged to check with the school they intend to transfer to in order to confirm if specific programs require these scores for admission.

Different schools have different GPA requirements. Schools may require a higher GPA requirement to qualify for transfer under a Guaranteed Admissions Agreement, but still admit some students with a slightly lower GPA as regular transfer students. Please check with your school of interest for GPA requirements and recommendations.

Please check with your intended transfer school for their transfer application guidelines.