This a strange time for everyone. The COVID-19 pandemic has made our daily lives unrecognizable, and for college students, it’s no different. College campuses have closed all across the U.S. and have been forced to adopt online education.
If your college has made a smooth transition to distance learning, or it already has a robust online offering, then you’re in luck! But we know this isn’t the case for everyone.
Even if your college already offered online classes, they might not be flexible, and considering you have so much more time on your hands now as you’re stuck indoors, you might want to add more classes to your schedule than your college allows, and even get ahead so you can graduate early.
Fortunately, earning college credit outside of your home university has been possible for a while. Follow the steps below to earn more college credit during the Coronavirus lockdown so you can still graduate on time, or even early. It can also save you a ton of money in tuition!
Typically colleges accept between 15 - 90 credits from other institutions. This varies significantly from college to college so it’s important that you know exactly how yours works.
If you can’t find their transfer policy online, contact either your academic advisor or the central registrar’s office, they should be able to point you to the relevant information.
The easiest credits to transfer are always general education and free elective credits, so check whether you have any outstanding requirements here. If you’re in your freshman or sophomore year you probably have a lot of these credits still to earn so you’re in a great position!
Note down the areas of study and the name of the class and course code at your home college. You then need to find classes online that match these as closely as possible. For example, if you have 3 Math Gen Ed credits to complete and the class at your college is called College Algebra and has course code MTH122, you need to search for an accredited online course that is similar.
You want to look for an equivalent that has a code starting with 1, not 2-4 as it won’t be of equivalent level.
There are a few places that are tried and true ways of earning college credit that you can transfer into your degree. At this time of quarantine and self-isolation, some are more suitable than others.
Double-check with your academic advisor that the course you plan to take will be accepted as transfer credit, before you pay for it. Make sure you also know the process you need to go through to transfer those credits once you’ve completed them.
This part is up to you! If the study from home is new to you, we’ve got some tips that will help you stay productive and on task in what can be a distracting environment, especially if you’re not used to studying online.
These methods are applicable not just during this time of enforced online studies, but can also be used in conjunction with our programs as a way to earn college credit online while traveling. If you find that online learning is just as effective as on-campus classes, and you’re able to stay productive, then maybe taking your online classes abroad on an Edumadic Program will not seem like such a crazy idea!
