1. What is the difference between transferability and applicability?

Transferability refers to a course being accepted at another college or university. Applicability refers not to whether a course is transferable, but whether it can be applied to a student’s given major or program at their given institution. Because of HCC’s regional accreditation, most college-level courses are considered transferable. With careful planning, all of these transferable credits can be applicable as well.

2. How can I make sure that all of my credits will transfer and count in my program of study?

To make transferring and applying credits more seamless, students are encouraged to plan early. In HCC’s advising office, we find it beneficial if a student can answer the following two questions – “Where do you want to go?” and “What do you want to do?” Generally, if a student can identify a transfer school early and knows the major they want to pursue after leaving HCC, it helps in planning the best pathway and most applicable courses. All college degrees have three major components: General Education requirements, Program/Major requirements, and Free Electives. Some majors are more rigid, and do not have room for many free electives (i.e. Education and Engineering), while others have more flexibility and more room for free electives when transferring (i.e. Liberal Arts degree programs).

3. Some schools have a deadline for admissions, and others have rolling admission. What is the difference?

When filling out an application for another institution, a student will want to know if the school has a deadline to submit an application or the school accepts applications on a rolling basis. For colleges that have a deadline, a student must have applied to that particular college by the deadline posted, or they will not be considered for admission for a particular semester. For example, if a college has an application deadline of February 1st for the fall semester, a student must have applied by February 1st if they want to attend that college in the fall semester. Some colleges even have priority deadlines, where students are given an early acceptance if they apply by the early deadline. College applications may also be accepted on a rolling basis. This means that students can apply at any time leading up to a given semester and colleges will accept students as long as there is space available.

4. Do I need to have a certain number of credits to be considered a transfer student when applying to a four-year college?

In order to apply as a transfer student, colleges will generally require a certain number of transferable credits (i.e. 24, 28, or 30 credits). Once a student has accumulated over the amount required by the four-year college, he or she only needs to submit a transfer application with college transcripts. This puts them into a separate transfer applicant pool, which is often less competitive. A student generally does not have to submit high school transcripts, SAT’s or ACT’s, or any of the other freshman admissions criteria. If a student has not accumulated the number of transfer credits needed, then the student will apply as a freshman and must submit all admissions requirements needed for this application. Students are always encouraged to stay and earn an associate degree, which makes transferring easier and more seamless.

5. Do I need a certain GPA to transfer?

For the most part, a student needs to have a minimum college GPA of at least a 2.0 (“C” average) to be in a position to transfer to a four-year college or university. While a 2.0 may be the minimum GPA a student needs to transfer, there may be higher GPA’s needed to enter certain programs at a four-year college. Many of these more competitive majors include Education, Engineering, Health Science, and Nursing.

6. If I don’t graduate from HCC after two years, are there any options to still earn my associate degree?

Yes! For those students who are close to graduating at HCC, but transfer before receiving their associate degree, there is an option called Reverse Transfer. Reverse Transfer gives students the opportunity to send transcripts from their four-year school to HCC. As long as the credits and classes from the four-year college fulfill the remaining degree requirements at HCC, the student can be awarded the associate degree. If you are in a position to earn an HCC associate degree in this manner, complete the Reverse Transfer Application.

7. How will other colleges take my AP (Advanced Placement and/or IB (International Baccalaureate) credit? How do I send my transcripts for these courses and any course completed at HCC?

Students are in a position to earn college-level credits with minimum AP scores of 3 or better and minimum IB scores of 4 or higher. Each college can, however, be different in the minimum scores required to earn credit for these exams. Students are encouraged to consult with their intended college’s website to view minimum scores required to earn credit. In Maryland, if a student earns an associate degree with credits earned from AP and/or IB credits, these requirements will also be met at the four-year college in Maryland, even if the minimum scores are not met at the four-year college (the student would not, however, earn credit in this situation). Please refer to the HCC catalog for information on how HCC awards AP and IB credit.

8. If I earn a degree at HCC, will all of my credits transfer? Will my General Education courses be completed?

With proper planning, students who earn an associate degree at Hagerstown Community College should be in a position to transfer many of their credits to four-year colleges with proper planning. While most, if not all, will transfer, students should be more interested in the applicability of the credits in a chosen major. Students who have a 2.0 GPA and more than 56 college-level credits should be accepted and have their lower-level General Education classes satisfied at any four-year public college in Maryland, according the COMAR (Code of Maryland) Regulations. While students can be accepted at the public colleges in Maryland, they are not guaranteed admission to a student’s given major if specific GPA and competitive requirements exist.

9. Are there any resources available to help me plan my transfer to a four-year college?

HCC’s transfer webpage has multiple resources to assist students in transfer planning. These include links to Dual Admissions programs, transfer equivalency databases, articulation (transfer) planning sheets, and transfer advisor visits. The website in Maryland to help facilitate transfer is called ARTSYS. In addition, HCC advisors are able to work with students to plan the best pathway to maximize both transferability and applicability of credit.

10. I see that HCC has agreements with other colleges (i.e. dual admissions programs). What are these programs and how does this make transferring more seamless?

HCC has signed Dual Admissions agreements with numerous colleges and universities that allow a student to be admitted to both HCC and the college that HCC has the agreement with. In other words, the student is already admitted to the four-year school where they plan to transfer after HCC. In doing so, the student has access to resources and advisors at both institutions to help facilitate a seamless transfer. Transcripts are sent from HCC to the four-year institution each semester for advisors and transfer representatives to discuss courses and verify the student is on track to graduate without loss of credit. Please note that even though HCC does not have Dual Admissions agreements with all four-year colleges, students can still transfer and apply credits at all regionally accredited colleges and universities.

11. Can I meet with any four-year college representatives while at HCC?

Yes! HCC has a number of ways to connect and discuss transfer plans with regional colleges and universities. Each semester, HCC hosts a Transfer Fair, where 30-40 schools are represented. Students looking for general transfer information have the opportunity to meet with many representatives in one location. The Transfer Fairs are held in the Student Center. In addition, many of the local four-year colleges and universities come weekly/monthly (Student Center Lobby) to discuss specific student transfer questions. Please review the transfer visit schedule.

12. How do I send my transcripts from HCC to my four-year school?

Students needing to request an official transcript from HCC should visit the Records Office page. Students must request a transcript through HCC's authorized third-party service: Transcripts Plus. The cost to send an official transcript is $5.25. In addition to completing a transcript request, students must also upload and complete a consent form also located on the Records Office page. Students can access their unofficial transcript on Self-Service and WebAdvisor.