Transferring Credits from Another College

An official transcript from the previous college is required to award transfer credit. Students will be notified by mail from the Registrar of the transfer credits awarded and generally, transfer credits will not exceed 36 credits. A minimum of 24 credit hours of course work must be completed at NECC in order to qualify for an associate’s degree and a minimum of 12 credits to qualify for a certificate.

Transfer credit may be awarded for college level courses earned with a grade of C or better at another accredited institution. Grades given for transferred courses are not computed in the quality point average (GPA) at Northern Essex Community College.

Courses that do not have an equivalency at NECC will be transferred in with the appropriate course prefix followed by the number of credits and the course title that appears on the transcripts from the previous institution.

Transfer Credit Appeals Process

Students wishing to transfer in credits from other institutions should first present official transcripts for review by the college Registrar or their designated Academic Counselor. If a student disagrees with the awarding of transfer credits by the Registrar or Academic Counselor the steps below should be taken:

  • The Registrar or Academic Counselor refers the student concern to the Dean of Academic Advising, Transfer and Articulation who will consult with the appropriate Division Dean or Assistant Dean.
  • If there is no resolution at the Division Dean or Assistant Dean level, the issue will be referred to the Vice President of Academic Affairs for final resolution.
  • The Dean of Academic Advising, Articulation, Testing, Transfer and TRIO will then inform the student of the Vice President’s final decision

Exception to the “C” Grade required for Credits being transferred in

A student must meet the requirements listed below in order to transfer in grades that are below a “C”.

Massachusetts Transfer Block

Transferring and Awarding of Credits Designated as Satisfying the Mass Transfer Block

All students transferring into Northern Essex Community College from any of the Massachusetts Public State Institutions will be awarded credits for the Mass Transfer Block as a unit as long as the following criteria have been met:

  • The Transfer Block must be designated and identified on the student’s transcript by the sending institution
  • The student’s cumulative Grade Point Average for the Transfer Block must be a minimum of 2.0
  • The Transfer Block must have all the categories of courses and credits defined in the Mass Transfer Policy
Mass Transfer Block
English Composition/Writing 6 credit hours
Behavioral and/or Social Sciences 9 credit hours
Humanities and/or Fine Arts 9 credit hours
Natural or Physical Science 7 credit hours
Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning 3 credit hours
Total 34 credit hours

“D” grades will be accepted only as a part of the Mass Transfer Block and students may be required to take no more than 6-8 credits or two additional courses towards general education requirements. Career or program specific course requirements are outside of the general education course categories and must be completed in order to obtain a certificate or degree. If an academic program or a prerequisite course requires a grade higher than a “D” to graduate or to take the next level course, the student will be required to repeat the course and earn the required grade. Students who transfer into the college with the Transfer Block are not guaranteed acceptance in any specific program.