Admissions / CAAFYE / Forms/ Policies
Forms/ Policies
General Education Waiver Chart for Transfer Students
Matriculated students who wish to earn credits at another accredited institution for transfer back to Ramapo, must meet with an academic advisor in the Advisement Center and complete an Off Campus Study request form. This form verifies that the course(s) will be accepted by Ramapo and provides a guide as to how the credits would be applied to Ramapo requirements. In preparation for the meeting it is important to bring the list of courses being considered for approval.
Students with 64 or less credit hours may request permission to transfer in courses from any two- or four-year accredited institution of higher education. Students who have earned 65 or more credit hours may request to take and transfer in courses from any four-year accredited institution of higher education. Junior and senior level students may not take and transfer in courses from county ore two-year colleges and will be denied permission to take and transfer in courses from two-year institutions.
Note: Before taking classes off campus, review Ramapo College’s residency requirement, described at the beginning of your degree evaluation and in the Catalog.
Process:
Students should:
- Identify courses off campus by school and course ID. Typically it is easier to transfer general education requirements rather than major requirements. Only in rare circumstances will a student be approved to take upper level requirements in a major off campus.
- Meet with an advisor to fill out Off Campus Study Request Form. Maintain the student copy for future reference. Other institutions may request proof that Ramapo gave you permission to take credits off campus.
Take the class(es), earning at least a "C" grade in order for the credits to transfer. - Official transcripts must be requested from the other institution to be sent to Ramapo’s Office of Admissions.
- Once the updated transfer evaluation is received, students are advised to review the degree audit to be certain that it correctly reflects your transferred credit.
PLEX
Student Guide to Credit through Individual Assessment of Prior Learning
Often referred to as "life experience credits," the Individual Assessment of Prior Learning Program (PLEX) is administered through the Advisement Center. This site is designed to acquaint you with the general philosophy, purpose, and criteria of the program. The Advisement Center offers two Prior Learning Experience (PLEX) orientations per year, at the end of each semester. If after reading this page you wish to learn more about the applicability of PLEX to your degree program, please call the Advisement Center at 201 684-7441 to reserve your place at the next PLEX orientation.
- Frequently Asked Questions about PLEX
- Rationale and Criteria
- Application for Assessment
- Cost of Assessment
- Standardized Tests
- CLEP
1. Frequently Asked Questions about PLEX
Preliminary Information:
What is this assessment? Many of today's students are experienced adults who are older than the traditional college student. While they may never have attended college, they may have taken part in management training programs, adult education courses, independent learning, community service through which they acquired knowledge comparable to that gained in a classroom, or on-the-job-training. Because Ramapo College believes that learning is valid wherever it may occur, we offer this opportunity to earn credit toward a degree through assessment of that learning.
Who is eligible for this program? Although students may begin the assessment process early in their Ramapo careers, the formal award of credit will not be placed on a transcript until they have successfully matriculated and completed 30 credits at Ramapo (or, in the case of students who transfer in more than 45 credits, 15 credits at Ramapo.)
What credit can I receive? The goal of the assessment procedure is to assess knowledge or competency. College-level knowledge is not demonstrated by a list of places of employment or activities. The years spent engaged in a particular activity are not in themselves significant. Time is important only where it is accompanied by growth, development, and a deepening of knowledge. To be credit-bearing, an experience must successfully demonstrate the attainment of knowledge which corresponds to a specified portion of the Ramapo curriculum. Information about Ramapo's curriculum can be found in the Ramapo College Catalog's course descriptions.
Can I earn credits through testing? In fact, one should seek out testing first. Where standardized tests are available in a particular subject area, special assessment will not be undertaken since it is not only more cumbersome but more costly.
How many credits can I earn through assessment? These credits are treated like transfer credits. Therefore, the College will grant a maximum of 80 credits in any combination of the following:
transfer credits
standardized test credits (CLEP, TECEP, AP)
assessment of prior learning (PLEX)
For example, should you transfer to Ramapo with 70 credits from another institution, the most you could earn through assessment would be an additional 10 credits. On the other hand, a student with no transfer credits could earn up to 80 credits by this method. Please keep in mind, however, that although credits earned through assessment count toward graduation, they will not necessarily fulfill specific requirements. Students should also intend to complete their assessment reviews well before they plan to graduate since the portfolio review process can take several weeks.
Many adults feel that some of their non-college experiences are equivalent to what is taught in college and that they should receive credit for it. As we have indicated, we do not award credit for raw experience itself. Rather the awarding of credit is generally for the verifiable learning outcomes of experience. In other words, we are willing to award credit for what a person knows as a result of a non-college experience. For example, a man may have had 12 years of experience as a salesman. We will not award credit simply on the basis of those 12 years of experience. We will, however, ask the man to demonstrate what he has learned about salesmanship beyond his first year on the job. It could be that he has not had 12 years of learning experience, but rather one year's learning 12 times. His learning must also be comparable to courses offered in the Ramapo College curriculum.
Criteria
The knowledge you have attained must meet the following criteria:
- The learning should be publicly verifiable. You should be able to demonstrate to an expert in the field that you possess the learning which you have claimed. The expert should be able to objectively measure and evaluate the learning that has occurred.
- The learning should be equivalent to college-level work in terms of quality.
- The learning should have a subject matter or knowledge base. Do not expect to receive college credit for the application of a manual skill or a narrowly-prescribed routine or procedure.
- The learning should have a general applicability outside of the specific situation in which it was acquired.
We also hope that you are able to demonstrate that you know the relationship between your own goals and your program of study. Keep in mind that not every experience, however personally enriching, will yield learning that will merit college credit.
If you believe you qualify for assessment, you should visit the CAAFYE for information about the portfolio. The portfolio is a formal written communication that you must design to request assessment and to provide supporting information justifying your request. Preparing a portfolio will require time and care. For that reason, we have designed a workshop to assist you. Participation in the workshop will be required of all those who wish to apply for assessment. Workshops are held at the end of each semester. The CAAFYE also provides a workbook at the cost of $5.00 that will familiarize you with portfolio preparation and with the assessment process itself. When you are satisfied that you wish to apply for assessment, sign up for the workshop by calling the CAAFYE at (201) 684-7441.
All fees are subject to change without notice.
Assessment Fee: |
In-State |
Out-of-State |
Up to 12 credits |
$100.00 |
$130.00 |
Over 12 credits |
$150.00 |
$190.00 |
Charge per credit requested |
$14.00 |
$16.00 |
Basic Information:
Payment for a test is made directly to the testing agency. No tests are given on the Ramapo College campus.
Scores are sent to the Ramapo College Admissions Office. Our college CEEB code is 2884.
You must fill out an off-campus study form prior to taking a test. The form is designed to determine if you are eligible to receive credit from these tests and how the credit would fulfill Ramapo requirements. Note that many tests, while granting credit, do not fulfill requirements in the majors.
Testing programs and their Ramapo evaluations are subject to change. Off-Campus Study Forms are valid for a limited time.
Ramapo College offers the CLEP test option. Please visit the Testing web site and follow the specific instructions for registering for a CLEP test. Note the fees.
Basic Information
In order to receive credit for a language, a student must first satisfy Ramapo's English requirement by receiving credit toward graduation for ENGL 180, College English.
Students must use nationally standardized examinations when available. At present, CLEP (College Level Examination Program) tests exist for French, German, and Spanish. Students can be tested for many other languages through NYU's School of Continuing and Professional Studies.
Additional credits may be earned in the civilization, literature, art history, politics, etc. of a country through the established procedures of the Prior Learning Experience Program.
Basic Information for the Degree Evaluation – CAPP Audit
The four years plans and major requirements are generic. Your degree evaluation is your specific, tailored version of the generic requirements. It keeps track of your matriculation date and general education waivers, as well as course substitutions. We suggest printing your degree evaluation and either a copy of the major requirements from the Catalog or your recommended four year plan. When in doubt, follow your degree evaluation. Review it carefully with your advisor.
HOW TO READ THE DEGREE EVALUATION
UNDERSTANDING THE DEGREE EVALUATION
Organization of the Degree Evaluation:
- The first section displays your individual program, with your major and your individual statistics. More detail follows below.
- Areas display the requirements in your program. The Areas and Groups have titles, so you can easily see which requirements they cover.
The sequencing is as follows:
a. General Education Areas
b. School Core Areas
c. Major Areas
d. Concentration Areas
e. Minor Areas
f. Major GPA
e. Electives - Groups are subdivisions of Areas. If an area has many courses, some may be split into separate groups for clarity.
MET/NOT MET: The degree evaluation indicates when you have completed all the requirements of each area and group by printing Met or Not Met. (On the screen, Not Met shows up in red so you can easily identify your remaining requirements.)
1. THE FIRST SECTION: This displays your Program Information (Degree, School, Major, Concentration) and also your Individual Statistics.
.
The individual statistics section has two separate required/used columns. The first is by credit hours, the second by courses. Under the CEP requirements for graduation, everyone needs a minimum of 128 credits. They also need a minimum of 32 courses. Most courses in the CEP are equal to 4 credits. The CEP requirements are listed by courses rather than credits; the evaluation reflects both.
Example: You have earned 51 credits, 48 are from Ramapo and 3 are from another institution. You have a Ramapo Cumulative GPA of 3.31. Your individual statistics would look like this:
| Courses | Met | Required Credits | Used Credits | Required Courses | Used Courses |
| Total Required: | No | 128 | 48 | 32 | 15 |
| Required Institutional: | Yes | 48 | 48 | 14 | |
| Maximum Transfer: | 80 | 3 | 1 | ||
| Program GPA: | IGNORE THIS ENTRY! |
||||
| Overall GPA: | 2.0 | 3.31 | This is your Ramapo Cumulative GPA |
||
GPA Information
This evaluation prints out numerous Grade Point Average (GPA) statistics. A Program GPA and an Overall GPA appear in the first section. Other areas in the audit show GPAs for the courses listed directly above them. THE ONLY GPA statistics that concern Ramapo students are the Overall GPA and the Major GPA. Ignore all others. The Overall GPA is your Ramapo Cumulative GPA for all courses taken in residence at Ramapo. This is the GPA which must be above 2.0 to graduate, and also the GPA used for entrance into gated majors, scholarships, etc. The GPA in your major does not appear in this section. It appears near the end of your evaluation, just before the listing of your electives.
Remember, the Program GPA is not your major GPA, nor your cumulative GPA. Ignore it.
AREAS show academic requirements in your individual program.
General Education Areas:
The first areas listed are your General Education Requirements. Each General Education requirement is listed as a single Area. If you have been waived from any General Education requirements or if a requirement is also incorporated in you major, the Area will not show. Example: A computer science major does not have a Gen Ed Math requirement showing as an individual General Education area because the major requires Calculus I and thus the Gen Ed Math requirement is automatically covered in the major’s area.
School Core Area: This area reflects School Core requirements based on your declared major. Each major comes from a School which has it's own set of requirements that add context to the major.
Major Area: The requirements of your chosen major are listed here. Some majors also have groups or concentrations attached to them.
3. Groups:
Some majors' areas are subdivided into groups. These groups help to clarify the evaluation. An example of this is the separate categories in the Psychology Major. The major has 6 categories to complete and each is listed as a separate group.
Concentrations:
Your concentration must be declared or your evaluation will not know what to track. Many majors have concentrations. These are: Business Administration, Biology with Physical Therapy, Clinical Lab Science, Communication Arts, Music, Theater, and Visual Arts. You can run a "what if "evaluation until your concentration is officially declared. Use the "Add More" function.
All Teacher Education requirements, if declared, will also display as a concentration, listed as a separate section between the majors and the minors.
Minor Areas Your Minor requirements display here.
MAJOR GPA: (major name here)
The courses that are computed in your major GPA are listed here. Your Major GPA is listed after the last course in this area.
Electives:
Any courses you completed that have not gone into other requirement areas but count toward your graduation total of 128 credits are listed here.
UNDERSTANDING YOUR DEGREE EVALUATION
As you access your evaluation on the WEB, the Degree Evaluation Display Options allow you to select an audit that displays only General Requirements or Detail Requirements.
The General Requirements only shows requirements you have met. It is not helpful for your advisement purposes. Use Detailed Requirements.
The Detailed Requirements audit shows all the courses you could select to fulfill requirements. If there were only one course required, but eight choices, it would list all eight courses and indicate which you had selected and which you did not. This can get very lengthy, and thus attributes are used for many requirements that have a large number of choices.
Attributes are assigned to courses that satisfy requirements. These attributes are printed in the course descriptions, so you can easily identify the courses that count for specific areas.
Linked courses. Where individual courses are listed, underscoring indicates a link that will bring you directly to the course description in the Catalog. From there, you can also link to the current schedule of classes.
Example from Detailed Requirement Audit: As you read a list of requirements in an area, many have multiple choices. The following is an example of an area with two literature requirements, each with a choice. There are 4 choices for the first, and 2 for the second. It would look like this:
| Group: | LITR required courses (2courses) Not Met. | |||||||
| Description: | Take 2 courses, one from each of two areas. | |||||||
| Met | Condition | Subject ID Attribute | Term | ID | Title | Credits | Grade | Source |
| No | LITR 201 | |||||||
| No | OR | LITR 203 | ||||||
| Yes | OR | LITR 208 | 200540 | LITR 208 | Shakespeare | 3 | B | H |
| No | OR | LITR 220 | ||||||
| No | AND | LITR 202 | ||||||
| No | OR | LITR 322 | ||||||
When you have completed all the requirements of a specific section it will say Met next to the title. Group: LITR required courses (2 courses) Met or Not Met
The Yes or No under the Met column indicates whether or not you have taken the course listed to the right.
The Condition column indicates the choices you have with the courses listed to the right in Subject ID column... The first line under condition is always blank and means “take this course” In this case, LITR 201. The following 3 lines under condition have OR listed. This means you can take this course, LITR 201 OR take LITR 203, OR take LITR 208 OR take LITR 220.
The YES next to LITR 208 shows that you have finished this choice of 4 courses. It shows you took it in the Fall of 2005, the title was Shakespeare, you earned 3 credits, received a ‘B’ and the Source was your Ramapo History.
Each time you see an AND under the condition column, it means it is the beginning of a new requirement, in this case the choice between LITR 202 and LITR 322. An OR shows you additional choices for the same requirement
Terms in the degree evaluation go by a six digit code. The first four digits indicate the year; the next two the semester (10 = winter, 20 = spring, 30 = summer and 40 = fall). Thus the 200540 shows that Literature 208, Shakespeare, was taken in the Fall of 2005.
The Source area next to a course indicates the status of the course.
| H | Student History at Ramapo |
| T | Transfer |
| Con | Continuing (currently enrolled) |
| R | Registered |
Areas do not show as met until a ‘Con’ or ‘R’ course is completed and passed.
Waivers and Substitutions
As you compare both the major sheet and your degree evaluation, you will see that the areas from which you have been waived do not appear on your degree evaluation.
Occasionally, some courses, perhaps transferred from another school, do not automatically fulfill specific requirements. If this is the case, you will still need to see an advisor in CAAFYE to have the adjustment made.
Take time to review your degree evaluation. If you feel that you have completed an area that is not showing as met, ask your faculty advisor or an advisor in CAAFYE.
