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Transfer Credits Transfer Experience Challenge Exams

Transfer your credits

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If you’ve already taken courses or have completed another program through another post-secondary institution, your credits earned may be eligible for transfer credit into a SAIT program.

Transfer credit is a formal learning assessment of credit courses you've completed which may be eligible to transfer to SAIT. After you've been accepted into a SAIT program or enrolled in a continuing education course, you can apply to have your previous post-secondary education evaluated. We'll determine if you can be granted credit for courses specific to your SAIT program.

Am I eligible for transfer credit?

You must be a current SAIT student enrolled in a SAIT program. Your previous education must be less than five years old to be eligible for transfer credit. This timeline is based on the academic year, not the current semester. Your previous grades must be a minimum of 65% (C). Courses with grades of Attended, Pass, Audited, etc. will not be accepted for credit. Credit hours or course weight of your previous course(s) must be similar to your intended SAIT course(s). Non-credit courses cannot be used as transfer credit towards a credit course. 80% of the previous course curriculum must match the SAIT course curriculum. It’s your responsibility to complete the necessary course matching. No more than two courses may generally be combined for credit towards one SAIT course and the two courses must be from the same post-secondary institution. You can apply to receive credit for a maximum of 50% of the courses in a SAIT program. For example, 10 courses out of 20 for diploma programs. If you have taken a similar course at SAIT and would like to receive 'SAIT-to-SAIT equivalency', you must work with your Academic Chair to determine if the course is eligible. Not all SAIT courses are eligible for transfer credit. It is the responsibility of the student to verify with Office of the Registrar or the Academic Chair if a particular course is eligible. If you plan on taking a non-credit program (e.g. Certificate of Achievement) through Continuing Education, you'll need to complete a Program Declaration form before you submit your Transfer Credit Application form or package. This will ensure your program is listed on your SAIT student record and notify us of the program you're working toward.

Can I get credit for my education from outside of Canada?

If you’ve obtained education outside of Canada and want to transfer those courses to SAIT, you’re still required to meet course eligibility. International course evaluations cost $150 per course plus an additional $150 fee to begin the evaluation process. This initial fee is non-refundable regardless of the outcome of the evaluation; however, it will be used towards the first course should that course be approved for credit. If you have an international education, you can apply for up to 50% of a program's courses, but you’ll only be charged up to $600 for the evaluation. If your documents are in a language other the English, a translation must be provided along with the original documents. We only accept translations done by certified members of the ATIA or CTTIC. We’ll also accept translations done in your home country by a certified translator with a translation authority.

Can I take a course outside of SAIT?

If you’re a current SAIT student and want to take a course from another post-secondary institution, you must complete a Transfer Credit application form (no transcript required) to have the course evaluated to be approved for transfer. Any approved equivalencies are approved for one academic year from the date of approval. A new assessment may be required in future years if programs or course content changes occur. Once you complete any external course(s) with a grade of 65% or higher, you’ll need to apply for the credit by submitting the Transfer Credit Application form along with a copy of your transcript.

How do I apply for transfer credit?

First, use our How to Apply Checklist to make sure you are ready to apply to your chosen SAIT program. Once eligibility criteria are met, you must apply for transfer credit and submit a transfer credit application package, including: Complete the Transfer Credit Application form. Carefully review and fully complete the application form. Submit your transcripts from previous institutions. Unofficial transcripts will be accepted provided the institution's name and your name is listed on the document. All external courses being used for credit must be on your transcript with the final posted result. Submit a detailed course outline/syllabus for each external course being used for credit. Outlines must be from the year and semester the course was taken; no website or calendar course descriptions. Once complete, you can submit your transfer credit application package to the Office of the Registrar by email or in person during office hours. Your application package will be reviewed to ensure all the required materials are present. If anything is missing, the Office of the Registrar will contact you by email with a request for additional materials. When all material is present, your application package will be submitted to the program's Academic Chair for final review. To receive a tuition refund, transfer credit requests must be completed prior to the course add/drop deadline. You're able to apply for course credit after the add/drop deadline up to the midpoint of the course, however, you will not receive a tuition refund. You should register in, continue attending, and not drop or withdraw from the SAIT course until you've been advised of the success of your transfer credit application. AC.3.18.2 Transfer Credit Procedure

Provincial Business Administration Pathway

Incoming transfer students might be eligible for the provincial Business Administration pathway if you have completed Business Administration coursework at Bow Valley College, Grande Prairie Regional College, Keyano College, Lakeland College, Lethbridge College, MacEwan University, Medicine Hat College, NAIT, Norquest College, Northern Lakes College, Olds College, Portage College, Red Deer College or Athabasca University in the last five years. Please contact an Academic Advisor in the School of Business for more information

How do I get my results?

Once a transfer credit decision is made, the Office of the Registrar will contact you to inform you of the results of your transfer credit application, usually within 10 business days. If additional information is required, you may be contacted for additional materials. This can slow down the process so it is important to submit as much information as possible in the initial transfer credit application package. If your transfer credit is approved When course credit is granted, a "CR" will show on your SAIT transcript. The credited course is not calculated in your grade point average (GPA). If you’re currently registered in the SAIT course the Office of the Registrar will drop you from the course. If you receive credit for a course for a future semester, you are responsible for dropping yourself from the course in the future. If your transfer credit is denied You can look at applying for PLAR or apply to write a Challenge Exam. You may also choose to appeal the decision of the academic chair through the Appeal Process.

Can I appeal the decision?

If you’re unsuccessful in obtaining transfer credit and wish to challenge that decision, you can submit a formal request to appeal the decision within five days of receiving the result. AC.3.18.2 Transfer Credit Procedure

Transfer your experience

Student smiling while walking outdoors

Get credit for what you already know and can do through Prior Learning Assessment and Recognition (PLAR).

PLAR assessment can be based on relevant informal (volunteer, self-study, massive open online course), non-formal (non-credit education or certifications) or experiential learning (applicable work).

How PLAR assessment works

Identifies how your practical experience matches learning outcomes in your post-secondary program
Assesses how closely your skills and knowledge match those learning outcomes
Recognizes how your experience meets or exceeds learning outcomes through post-secondary credit
Recommends areas where you would benefit from additional learning

How do I apply for PLAR?

1. Determine your eligibility

Many students have other forms of learning which can be demonstrated to help you apply for course credit. Not all SAIT courses are available for PLAR credit — email rpl@sait.ca to inquire if the courses in your program are eligible for PLAR.

2. Prepare your evidence

If the courses in your program are eligible, you’ll need to provide evidence of your experience which should include, but is not limited to: Proof of informal or non-formal and education that is applicable however outside of the 5-year transfer credit timeline. Current resumé that reflects your experience, including a detailed job description for the specific course which credit is sought. Performance assessment from an employer, supervisor, vendor or validator that attests that you have met 80% of SAIT’s learning outcomes by giving specific examples of how they were met. Product assessment including examples of the work you have produced such as drawings, blueprints or workplace samples which can be submitted to validate meeting the learning outcomes. Portfolio assessment which can include all of the above if the learning that occurred in each example is below the 80%, thus combining evidence to gain the 80% required. Another approach is students may be asked to answer the learning outcomes in an essay style, approx. 250+ words per high-level outcome to state how you have met the outcome. Any other documentation that will help strengthen your request for credit. Any other documentation requested by the assessor. Evidence of your experience may be required for each SAIT course you are seeking credit for.

3. Submit your application

Complete the Transfer Credit Application form. Pay your fees. A non-refundable base fee of $150 is charged for the assessment which includes the first-course credit if granted. An additional fee of $150 per course credit granted applies, up to the maximum fee of $600. This fee is per program. Additional fees may apply after credit is assessed and further credit is granted. Submit your completed form and portfolio by email to rpl@sait.ca. AC.3.18.3 Recognition of Prior Non-Formal and Informal Learning Procedure

Challenge exams

Student writing a challenge exam

If you have significant relevant work experience or have taken courses previously and no formal transcripts are available, you may be able to write a challenge exam as proof of your knowledge in the course content. Challenge exams may also be available for courses where experiential, non-formal and informal learning is not an option. A non-refundable fee applies for each challenge exam.

A challenge exam can also be offered to a current SAIT student working towards a SAIT credential. The decision to create a challenge exam for a course, and consequential fee for it, is at the discretion of the school/department delivering that course. Apprenticeship courses are not eligible for challenge exams and cannot be challenged at SAIT.

Am I eligible to take a challenge exam?

You must satisfy all course pre-requisites before taking a challenge exam for a course and the exam cannot be used to administer partial credits for a SAIT course. You cannot write a challenge examination for a course if you have already failed, or passed unless the student passed that course: More than 5 years ago, in the case of a course that is part of a certificate program, or More than 7 years ago, in the case of a course that is part of a diploma or an applied degree program, or More than 10 years ago, in the case of a course that is part of a baccalaureate program. You may attempt only one challenge examination per course and are subject to the same 50% residency requirement. AC.3.1.1 Grading and Progression