Articulation and Transfer Opportunities at OCtech

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Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College works closely with public and private high schools in its service area to ensure that students have the preparation they need for college-level work and to succeed in the academic program of their choice. OCtech also works with other institutions of higher education to facilitate students’ transfer of credits, both into OCtech and from OCtech to other colleges both in South Carolina and the United States.

Students wishing to transfer from OCtech to another college should contact that college for information about transferability of credits. Because the transfer of credits is always the decision of the receiving institution, OCtech cannot guarantee transfer of all courses; however, articulation agreements are generally accurate guidelines for students. Students should consider these guidelines, which are available in the Office of the Vice President for Academic Affairs. Students
wishing to transfer to OCtech from another college must furnish official transcripts to the Registrar’s Office.

Through OCtech’s website, students may access SCTRAC (The South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center). SCTRAC is an online tool which makes it easier to transfer academic credit and evaluate how higher education coursework will transfer among South Carolina’s public colleges and universities.

The following is a partial listing of senior institutions that accept credits from OCtech: Charleston Southern University, The Citadel, Claflin University, Clemson University, Coastal Carolina University, Coker College, College of Charleston, Columbia College, Francis Marion University, Lander University, Limestone College, The Medical University of South Carolina, Newberry College, Presbyterian College, South Carolina State University, University of South Carolina and its regional campuses, Voorhees College, Winthrop University, Wofford College and others. See the OCtech website transfer page for complete details.

Cross Registration Policy with OCtech, SC State University and Claflin University (CHEC -Community Higher Education Council)

  1. Undergraduate students may participate:
    1. If they are in good standing at their home institution, and
    2. If they have paid full-time tuition and fees at their home institution (and therefore will not have to pay extra tuition for credit courses taken at the host campus),
    3. If after declaring full-time status at their home institution, may register for not more than one (1) free course during fall and spring semesters per institution at the other participating CHEC member institutions.
    4. Provided the course at the host institution is not offered concurrently at the home institution (i.e. not offered at a reasonably scheduled time),
    5. If they meet the prerequisite requirements of the host institution,
    6. If the required approvals are obtained, and
    7. If they are legal residents of South Carolina. Out-of-state students who desire to enroll must pay the difference between the in-state and out-of-state fees.
  2. Courses are available under this program only on a space-available basis; registration occurs at the time designated by the host campus.
  3. Special fees, such as laboratory and book fees, must be paid to the host institution and are not covered under the cross-registration policy.
  4. All courses taken at the host campus will be transcripted, sent to and recorded by the home institution. The grades will be included by the home institution in academic calculations.
  5. Any exception to these policies must be approved in writing by the Vice President for Academic Affairs of both the home and the host institutions.

Cross Registration is available during Fall and Spring semesters only.

Transfer Students

OCtech admits students with advanced standing by transfer of credits from other regionally accredited colleges and universities. An official transcript of the work attempted at all postsecondary institutions attended is required to be on file with the Registrar as well as an application for admission. When official transcripts are received at OCtech, the Registrar will review the transcript and award appropriate transfer credit based on the following procedure:

  1. The college transfer guide, SC TRAC, and college catalog are used as resources to determine parallel coursework completed at other postsecondary  institutions and OCtech.
  2. In order to transfer credit, a grade of “C” or better must have been earned in the course from a nationally or regionally accredited college or institution of higher learning.
  3. Generally, credits over seven years old may not be accepted; however, they may be received by appealing this decision to the Dean of the Academic Program under consideration.
  4. Applicants may transfer as much as 75% of the program requirements, but must complete 25% of their coursework at OCtech.
  5. Placement testing may be waived for transfer students who have completed college English, math, natural, social or behavioral sciences courses at
    accredited colleges with an earned grade of C or better.
  6. When questions arise concerning the course title or content, the academic program coordinator at OCtech of the curriculum for which the student is
    enrolled is contacted to review the transcript. Credit is then awarded based upon the recommendation of the OCtech academic program coordinator.

Transfer Credit Appeal Procedure

OCtech desires to award transfer credit to students to the fullest extent possible within the guidelines of the Transfer Credit Policy of the College. When official transcripts are received, the Registrar will review all transcripts and award transfer credit as appropriate.

The student may appeal the decision of the Registrar to a review committee composed of the Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs and individual Academic Deans. The decision of the review committee is final.

A written request and justification for an appeal should be addressed to the:
Transfer Credit Review Committee
Associate Vice President for Academic Affairs
Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College
3250 St. Matthews Road
Orangeburg, SC 29118-8299

Any student wishing to transfer credits from OCtech to another post-secondary institution should contact the Director of Admissions or other appropriate personnel of that college to determine the requirements of that institution as well as what courses are transferable. Students are encouraged to obtain in writing the requirements and commitments of that college.

Transfer Policy for Public Two-Year and Four-Year Institutions in South Carolina (Revised 12/2009)

The following policy details the guidelines for transfer of credits between all public two-year and four-year colleges and universities in South Carolina. The policy can also be found on the website of the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education.

The South Carolina Course Articulation and Transfer System serves as the primary tool and source of information for transfer of academic credit between and among institutions of higher education in the state. The system provides institutions with the software tools needed to update and maintain course articulation and transfer information easily. The student interface of this system is the South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center (SCTRAC) web portal: www.SCTRAC.org. This web portal is an integrated solution to meet the needs of South Carolina’s public colleges and universities and their students and is designed to help students make better choices and avoid taking courses which will not count toward their degree. Each institution’s student information system interfaces with www.SCTRAC.org to help students and institutions by saving time and effort while ensuring accuracy and timeliness of information.

Admissions Criteria, Course Grades, GPA’s, Validations

All four-year public institutions will issue a transfer guide annually in August or maintain such a guide online. Information published in transfer guides will cover at least the following items:

  1. The institution’s definition of a transfer student.
  2. Requirements for admission both to the institution and, if more selective, requirements for admission to particular programs.
  3. Institutional and, if more selective, programmatic maximums of course credits allowable in transfer.
  4. Information about course equivalencies and transfer agreements.
  5. Limitations placed by the institution or its programs for acceptance of standardized examinations (e.g., SAT, ACT) taken more than a given time ago, for academic coursework taken elsewhere, for coursework repeated due to failure, for coursework taken at another institution while the student is academically suspended at his/her home institution, and so forth.
  6. Information about institutional procedures used to calculate student applicants' GPAs for transfer admission. Such procedures will describe how nonstandard grades (withdrawal, withdrawal failing, repeated course, etc.) are evaluated; and they will also describe whether all coursework taken prior to transfer or only coursework deemed appropriate to the student's intended four-year program of study is calculated for purposes of admission to the institution and/or programmatic major.
  7. Institutional policies related to "academic bankruptcy" (i.e., removing an entire transcript or parts thereof from a failed or underachieving record after a period of years has passed) so that re-entry into the four-year institution with course credit earned in the interim elsewhere is done without regard to the student's earlier record.
  8. "Residency requirements" for the minimum number of hours required to be earned at the institution for the degree.

South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center (SCTRAC)

All two-and four-year public institutions will publish information related to course articulation and transfer, including but not limited to items A through D mentioned above, on the South Carolina Transfer and Articulation Center website (www.SCTRAC.org). Course equivalency information listing all courses accepted from each institution in the state (including the 86 courses in the Statewide Articulation Agreement) and their respective course equivalencies (including courses in the "free elective" category) will be made available on www.SCTRAC.org. This course equivalency information will be updated as equivalencies are added or  hanged and will be reviewed annually for accuracy. Additionally, articulation agreements between public South Carolina institutions of higher education will be made available on www.SCTRAC.org, will be updated as articulation agreements are added or changed, and will be reviewed annually for accuracy. All other  transfer information published on www.SCTRAC.org will be reviewed at least annually and updated as needed.

Statewide Articulation of 86 Courses

The Statewide Articulation Agreement of 86 courses approved by the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education for transfer from two- to four-year public institutions is applicable to all public institutions, including two-year institutions and institutions within the same system. In instances where an institution does not have courses synonymous to ones on this list, it will identify comparable courses or course categories for acceptance of general education courses on the statewide list. This list of courses is available online at www.che.sc.gov as well as on www.SCTRAC.org.

Statewide Transfer Blocks

The Statewide Transfer Blocks established in 1996 will be accepted in their totality toward meeting baccalaureate degree requirements at all four-year public institutions in relevant four year degree programs. The courses listed in each Transfer Block will be reviewed periodically by the Commission’s Academic Affairs staff in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Academic Programs to ensure their accuracy, and the Transfer Blocks will be updated as needed. For the Nursing Transfer Block, by statewide agreement, at least 60 semester hours will be accepted by any public four-year institution toward the baccalaureate  completion program (BSN) from graduates of any South Carolina public associate degree program in nursing (ADN), provided that the program is accredited by the National League for Nursing Accrediting Commission or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education and that the graduate has successfully passed the National Licensure Examination (NCLEX) and is a currently licensed Registered Nurse.

Any student who has completed either an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree program at any public two-year South Carolina institution which contains the total coursework found in the Arts, Humanities, and Social Sciences or the Science and Mathematics Transfer Block will automatically be entitled to junior-level status or its equivalent at whatever public senior institution to which the student might have been admitted. However, as agreed by the Advisory
Committee on Academic Programs, junior status applies only to campus activities such as priority order for registration for courses, residence hall assignments, parking, athletic event tickets, etc., and not used in calculating academic degree credits.

For a complete listing of all courses in each Transfer Block, see www.sctrac.org

Assurance of Transferability of Coursework Covered by the Transfer Policy

Coursework (i.e., individual courses, transfer blocks, and statewide agreements) covered within this transfer policy will be transferable if the student has completed the coursework with a "C" grade (2.0 on a 4.0 scale) or above. However, the transfer of grades does not relieve the student of the obligation to meet any GPA requirements or other admissions requirements of the institution or program to which application has been made. In addition, any four-year institution
which has institutional or programmatic admissions requirements for transfer students with cumulative grade point averages (GPAs) higher than 2.0 on a 4.0 scale will apply such entrance requirements equally to transfer students from regionally accredited South Carolina public institutions regardless of whether students are transferring from a four-year or two-year institution.

Any coursework covered within this transfer policy will be transferable to any public institution without any additional fee and without any further encumbrance such as a "validation examination," "placement examination/instrument," "verification instrument," or any other stricture, notwithstanding any institutional or system policy, procedure, or regulation to the contrary.

Assurance of Quality

All claims from any public two or four-year institution challenging the effective preparation of any other public institution's coursework for transfer purposes will be evaluated by the staff of the Commission on Higher Education in consultation with the Advisory Committee on Academic Programs. After these claims are evaluated, appropriate measures will be taken to ensure that the quality of the coursework has been reviewed and approved on a timely basis by sending and
receiving institutions alike.

Transfer Officers

Each institution will provide the contact information for the institution's Transfer Office personnel, including telephone numbers, office address, and e-mail address, on its website and on www.SCTRAC.org. Transfer office personnel will:

  1. Provide information and other appropriate support for students considering transfer and recent transfers.
  2. Serve as a clearinghouse for information on issues of transfer in the state of South Carolina.
  3. Provide definitive institutional rulings on transfer questions for the institution's students under these procedures.
  4. Work closely with feeder institutions to assure ease in transfer for their students.

Statewide Publication and Distribution of Information on Transfer

The staff of the Commission on Higher Education will place this document on the Commission's website under the title "Transfer Policies." In addition, information about transfer, including institutional policies, course equivalencies, and articulation agreements, will be published and distributed by all public institutions through transfer guides and be made available on www.SCTRAC.org. Furthermore, course catalogs for each public two-and four-year institution will contain a section entitled "Transfer: State Policies and Procedures." This section will:

  1. Include the Transfer Policy for Public Two-Year and Four-Year Institutions in South Carolina.
  2. Refer interested parties to www.SCTRAC.org as well as to the institutional Transfer Guide and Commission on Higher Education's websites for further information regarding transfer.

Advanced Placement and Credit

Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College complies with South Carolina state law and the South Carolina Commission on Higher Education policy that “students shall receive advanced placement credit for each corresponding course” offered by Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.

  1. Advanced Placement Credit - Students who score a “3” or better on the College Board Advanced Placement (AP) Examinations may receive advanced placement credit.
  2. International Baccalaureate Credit - Students who score a “4” or better on any higher-level International Baccalaureate (IB) course examination may receive advanced academic credit

Advanced credit is awarded for AP examinations and IB examinations; however, credit may or may not be applied to all degree requirements of the College. Specific information on advanced placement and International Baccalaureate examination credit may be obtained in the College Registrar’s Office. Information regarding specific credit towards degree requirements may be obtained from the Vice President for Academic Affairs or the student’s curriculum Program
Coordinator.

Credit for Non-Academic Work of Non-Traditional Students

OCtech classifies non-traditional students as those who are age 20 and over or those who enroll within two or more years after high school graduation. Non-traditional students may receive course credit upon application to the College based on qualifications in any or all of the following four categories:

  1. Military Training Credit
    OCtech awards exemption credit to an applicant who has completed specialized military occupational training as a member of the Service Members Opportunities College.

    The coursework must be applicable to the student's academic curriculum and the training must closely parallel coursework offered by OCtech. Exemption credit is awarded based on the guidelines established by the American Council of Education Guide to the Evaluation of Educational Experiences in the Armed Services.

    The College Registrar reviews appropriate military documentation and, upon conferral with the appropriate academic Program Coordinator, awards applicable credit to the student. Credit for military experience is listed as awarded credit on the student’s transcript. The Student Success Center can provide guidance to students in the preparation of appropriate documentation.
  2. Credit by Exemption Exam
    Exemption Exam Policy - Course exemption exams are given each semester during the add/drop period only. The application for an exemption exam may be obtained from the Student Services Office. The cost of the exam will be the actual credit-hour cost of the course.

Students must adhere to the following guidelines:

  1. The student must apply in writing for the examination no later than the end of the regular registration period. This does not include the late registration period at the College.
    1. The application is to be addressed to the Academic Dean of the Division in which the course is offered.
    2. The application must present, either by content or reference, sufficient evidence to clearly indicate that the applicant has previously received training or taken work which is closely equivalent to that given at OCtech in the particular course for which an exemption is requested, and upon which an examination could be warranted.
  2. The request for an examination must be approved by the Program Coordinator in which the course is taught, and the Academic Dean in which the course is offered.
  3.  A grade of "C" or better on the examination will entitle the examinee to receive full credit for "hours taken," "hours earned," and grade points, as well as a grade for the course equaling the examination grade.
  4. If the examination is passed successfully, the faculty member administering the examination will submit a signed report to Student Records indicating the following:
    1. Student's name
    2. Course title and number
    3. The letter grade for the course
    4. Credit hours
  5. An exemption examination may not be requested for a course previously taken at Orangeburg-Calhoun Technical College.

Students must adhere to the following procedures when requesting an exemption exam:

  1. The student must register and pay for the course.
  2. The student must apply in writing to the Academic Dean of the course for which the exemption exam is requested.
  3. The appropriate Academic Dean must receive the application by the end of the registration period. The application must present, either by content or reference, sufficient evidence to clearly indicate that the applicant has previously received training or taken work which is closely equivalent to that given at OCtech in the particular course for which the exemption exam is requested.
  4. The request for an exemption exam must be approved by the Program Coordinator and Academic Dean for which the course is offered.
  5. A grade of "C" or higher on the examination will entitle the examinee to receive full credit for the course. The grade will be tabulated into the student's
    grade point average.
  6. If the examination is passed successfully, the faculty member administering the exam will assign a grade and forward to the Student Records Office.
  7. If the student fails to pass the exam with a grade of "C" or better, he/she will remain in the course for the duration of the semester and the faculty member will assign an appropriate grade on the grade roster at the end of the semester based on the student's performance in the course for the entire period.

Credit for courses by exemption exam will be listed on the student’s transcript with the appropriate letter grade earned on the exam, provided the student earned a grade of "C" or better. Exam results of grade "C" or better are forwarded to the College Registrar for inclusion on the student’s transcript.

  1. College Level Examination Program (CLEP)
    Non-traditional students may receive exemption credit for successful completion of subject area CLEP examinations. CLEP credit is awarded for courses that parallel those taught at Orangeburg- Calhoun Technical College. Credit is awarded based on recommended minimum subject exam scores as outlined in the College Level Examination Program Technical Manual.

    CLEP scores are reviewed by the College Registrar who, upon conferral with the appropriate Academic Dean, awards credit for applicable coursework. Awarded credits are listed on the student's transcript for coursework earned by CLEP exam.
  2. Experiential Learning Credit
    For selected courses, OCtech may award credit for properly documented experiential learning that demonstrates mastery of OCtech course objectives. No more than 25% of program completion requirements may be comprised of experiential learning credit. Students should direct inquiries regarding credit for experiential learning to the appropriate Program Coordinator or Academic Dean.

    PURPOSE: To provide students of OCtech the opportunity to receive credit based on experiential learning.
  1. ELIGIBILITY
    Students who seek advanced standing from the College must be at least 20 years old with a minimum of two years’ applicable experience, and currently enrolled in a program of study at the College leading to an associate degree, diploma, or certificate.
  2. ADVANCED STANDING INITIATED
    Upon request by a student for the awarding of advanced standing credits through documentation of experiential learning, the Program Coordinator will:
    1. Determine that the student meets the "Eligibility" criteria.
    2. Assist the student in selecting a specific course within the student's curriculum that best matches the student's experience.
    3. The Student Success Center can provide the student with the Experiential Learning application form and explain the specific documentation which must be satisfactorily completed by the student in order to receive credit.
  3. REQUIRED DOCUMENTATION
    The student must provide the following documentation in support of the experiential credit application:
    1. A copy of the curriculum description sheet with the applicable course designated.
    2. A copy of the catalog page wherein the course description is contained.
    3. A four to five page double-spaced written description of the student's experience. Each aspect of the course description must be specifically addressed within the written description.
    4. Written documentation of the experience either through employment records, including a letter from the student's supervisor; certificates of completion, including employment training seminars, etc.; military records; portfolio; or any legitimate source of documentation as may be verified and accepted by the Program Coordinator.
    5. Completed Experiential Learning application form.
  4. SUBMISSION
    The required documentation must be submitted to the Program Coordinator in a bound format for ease of review and to ensure that no pages will be lost. It is suggested that each page be placed in a transparent sheet protector and then all pages may be placed in a three-ring binder. The Program Coordinator will facilitate submission of documentation to the appropriate Dean.
  5. APPROVAL PROCESS
    ​​​​​​​The Program Coordinator will review the application and documentation with the student. After submission, the following process will be followed:
    1. The Program Coordinator will sign off on the student’s application agreeing to the applicability of the student’s experience.
    2. The Academic Dean will then review the completed documentation and application, and, if appropriate, will sign the application form.
    3. The Dean will then forward to the VP of Academic Affairs for final approval.
    4. The completed application form with all signatures will be sent to the College Registrar for credit to be awarded.
    5. The bound packet, if requested, will be returned to the student.
  6. CREDIT
    No more than 25% of the student's curriculum requirements may be satisfied through experiential learning. Any credit earned may not be transferred to another institution. Since OCtech operates as an open-door admissions college, the approval or rejection of advanced standing has no effect on the decision to admit an applicant. Applicants and students may not earn through examinations more than 60 percent of the required coursework in their
    curriculum of study. Students enrolled in an associate degree program are required to complete 25% of coursework at OCtech. Students enrolled in a one-year diploma or certificate program are also required to complete 25% of coursework at OCtech.