Transferring Your Credits

Grand View also awards credit for off-campus educational programs that have been evaluated by:

• The American Council on Education (ACE)
• The Armed Services
• The Association of Executive and Administrative Professionals (AEAP)
• The Building Owners and Managers Association (BOMA)
• The Insurance Institute of America
• The Life Management Institute (LOMA)

In addition, you may earn college credit through the successful completion of:

• College Level Examination Program (CLEP) tests
• DSST Exams
• Proficiency Examination Program (PEP) tests
• Grand View departmental exams
• Experiential learning (life experience) portfolios

Grand View's Testing Equivalencies

Up to 32 hours of credit by examination and/or portfolio assessment may be counted toward the Grand View baccalaureate degree.

The Associate in Arts degree (AA) satisfies the Grand View University General Education Core requirements for the baccalaureate degree except for the composition and quantitative reasoning courses (unless fulfilled by transfer coursework), Core Seminars II and III, and the required number of outcome iterations (number determined by class status on entry to the University as defined above).

You may be required to take a placement test for math or English placement based on what you bring in for transfer credits. Your admissions counselor will notify you if you are required to do placement testing or feel free to reach out to them should you have any questions regarding placement testing.

*Placement tests are automatically loaded into blackboard for all students, regardless if they need to take them. Please check with your admission counselor or wait until registration to find out if you must complete a placement test.

Writing Placement

You will have five hours to write a single essay response to a provided prompt. Essays will be read by at least two faculty members in the English Department. Based on faculty assessment, you will be placed in an English course to best meet your needs. Do not use outside assistance or resources (other than a dictionary) to complete the Writing Placement.

1. Log into myGVU and select Blackboard on the left-hand side under Common Apps.
2. Log in to Blackboard using your username WITHOUT "@grandview.edu."
3. Under the Courses tab, click on the Writing Placement course. Please read the instructions before you begin.
4. Complete the "Prior Credit Form" - enter your answers and click "Save and Submit."
   • If you have completed college credit, then you may exit Blackboard.
5. If you have not completed college credit, select Academic Honesty Policy and read the document. If you have questions, contact Josh Call at jcall @ grandview.edu or (515) 263-2904.
6. Click Reviewed after reading and agreeing to the Academic Honesty Policy.
7. When you are ready to begin, click Online Writing Placement Test and Begin. This test is timed; you will have five hours to take the test after you click Begin.
8. When you are finished, click Save and Submit.

Math Placement

You will have 60 minutes to complete the test. Based on assessment of the scores, you will be placed in a math course that will best meet your needs. Do not use outside assistance or resources to complete this test.

1. Log into myGVU and select Blackboard on the left-hand side under Common Apps.
2. Log in to Blackboard using your Grand View username WITHOUT "@grandview.edu." 
3. Under the Courses tab, click on the Math Placement course. Please read the instructions before you begin.
4. From the left menu, click on the Test Homepage link.
5. Complete the "Prior Credit Form" - enter your answers and click "Save and Submit."
   • If you have completed college credit, then you may exit Blackboard.
6. If you have not completed college credit, carefully review the additional information about the placement exam to determine if you would like to take the placement test or use your math ACT score for placement.
7. If you decide to take the placement, select Academic Honesty Policy and read the attached document. If you decide not to take the placement, you may exit Blackboard.
8. Click Reviewed after reading and agreeing to the Academic Honesty Policy.
9. Once you are ready to take the test, click FALL (TERM) Mobius Placement Test and Begin. You must start and finish the test in one sitting; you cannot continue taking the test at another time. This test is timed; you will have 60 minutes to take the test after you click Begin. Do NOT click "Grade" during the test.  This will stop your test inappropriately and you will need additional technical assistance to finish.
10. When you are finished, click Grade. You should end on a thank-you page with your score. On the thank-you page, click Quit and Save to finish the process.
11. Should you have technical difficulties during the test taking process, contact our Help Desk (515) 263-6100 or helpdesk @ grandview.edu.

Multiple agreements have been established between DMACC and Grand View to streamline the transfer process, including Transfer Resource Initiative (TRI), a collaboration to offer students who plan to transfer the benefits of being a Grand View student while taking classes at DMACC. Learn more by clicking the button below.

DMACC Transfer

Transfer from an Accredited Institution

Grand View University follows the Transfer Credit Practices published by the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO). The transfer of credit from one institution to another involves at least three considerations according to AACRAO. Grand View will take into consideration, when evaluating transfer credit, the following:

1.      The educational quality of the learning experience,

2.      The comparability of the nature, content, and level of the learning experience, and

3.      The appropriateness and applicability of the learning experience to the programs offered at Grand View.

The department chair of the courses being evaluated has the ultimate approval of transferability of the courses. Official transcripts must be submitted from all institutions attended whether coursework was completed or not. Transcripts must be mailed or sent electronically directly from the originating institution to Grand View University.

Only credits and grade points earned at Grand View will be used to calculate a student’s cumulative grade point averages. Credits with grades of D- (D minus) or above that transferred from an accredited institution can be used toward graduation and may be used to meet requirements and prerequisites for specific courses, but not necessarily toward students’ majors. Students awarded Latin honors must receive at least 45 credit hours from Grand View from which the grade point average will be calculated. The maximum number of transfer credits accepted from junior/community colleges is 75 semester credits. All transfer coursework is accepted at the course level from the originating institution.

Important: Courses at Grand View and the community colleges change every year as do the equivalencies listed in our transfer planning guide. This is only a guide, and not a transfer equivalency contract. This guide will be updated as frequently as possible, but you are always encouraged and advised to contact your admission counselor or academic advisor to determine how particular courses will transfer to Grand View.

Transfer from a Non-Iowa Community College

Grand View University accepts all AA and AS degrees that were earned from any accredited community college in the United States.

Transfer from a Non-Accredited Institution

Grand View University may refuse to recognize credit from an institution that is not accredited by a regional accrediting organization or may accept credit for approved Core and/or major courses successfully passed with a C- (C minus) or above. Credit may be given for courses equivalent to the core courses required of every Grand View graduate.

Associate of Arts or baccalaureate degrees from an institution which is not regionally accredited will not automatically satisfy the Grand View General Education Core requirements; however, credit may be given for courses equivalent to the core courses required of every Grand View graduate.

At the discretion of the Registrar’s Office and the major department, courses may be counted toward the major. Additional coursework may be considered for elective or vocational-technical credit. . These credits count toward hours required for graduation but do not meet any specific degree requirements. The transferability of coursework follows the principles outlined in Transfer from an Accredited Institution.

No grades from non-accredited institutions are averaged into the cumulative GPA.

Transfer of Coursework Completed Outside of the United States of America

To receive credit for coursework completed outside of the United States of America (U.S.A.), the student must have the transcript evaluated by a transcript evaluation agency in the U.S.A., at the student’s expense. The evaluation must be completed on a course-by-course level. Evaluation by a transcript evaluation agency provides a guide for evaluating international course work; however, Grand View University retains the right to determine transferability of courses and degrees. Students may need to provide Grand View with additional information about coursework, if requested. To receive transfer credit for English composition, international students must take an equivalent course from an accredited institution in the United States or pass the Grand View Composition requirement. In some cases, transfer credit can be granted if the course work is transcripted by a college or university in the U.S.A. that sponsored the study abroad or semester at sea experience, but this situation will be evaluated on a case-by-case basis.