TRANSFER STUDENTS

A student who wishes to enroll at Marshall, but who has attended another accredited post-secondary institution with or without earned credit, is classified as a transfer student. Marshall does not at any time or under any conditions disregard college or university credits attempted or earned elsewhere in order to admit an applicant solely on the basis of the high school record.

All transfer students must fulfill the graduation requirements of Marshall University to receive a degree. Academic policies in effect at previous institutions do not apply. Marshall University is governed by the West Virginia Higher Education Policy Commission policy bulletins.

Admission Requirements:

Transfer applicants must have an overall 2.00 GPA (C average) on all college work attempted and must be eligible to return to the institution or institutions from which they wish to transfer.

Application Procedure:

1. Request official transcripts from the Registrar's Office of all collegiate institutions attended to be sent directly to the Marshall Admissions Office. (Transcripts marked "Issued to Student'' or submitted directly by students cannot be accepted.)
2. Pay a non-refundable transfer evaluation fee of $50.00 before an application is processed and credit evaluated.
3. Transfer applicants with fewer than 26 semester hours credit must also submit an official high school transcript and ACT or SAT scores. The high school transcript will also be evaluated according to freshmen admission standards (see section on Admission as Freshmen).
4. Transfer students who have earned a 2.5 GPA and are currently enrolled at another collegiate institution may be provisionally admitted pending receipt of the final transcript. Students with less than a 2.5 GPA and currently enrolled at another institution must submit a final transcript before admission can be granted.
5. The evaluation of transfer credit must be completed before students may register for courses.

Transfer students from West Virginia state colleges or universities:

Credits and grades earned for all baccalaureate level courses at any baccalaureate degree-granting institution in the West Virginia state-supported system of higher education are transferable to Marshall University.

Transfer Students from Community Colleges or Branch Colleges:

Seventy-two hours of credits and grades completed at community colleges or branch colleges may be applied toward graduation at Marshall University.

Evaluation of Transfer Credit

Transfer students should apply to Marshall and submit their credentials at least two months before course registration to give ample time for an evaluation of their credentials.

All credentials submitted in support of an application for admission become the permanent property of the University.

• Coursework taken at another institution transfers at the level at which it was taken. This is something important to consider since Marshall students must have a minimum number of upper division credits, (300/400 level credit) determined by their college, in order to graduate. If, for example, a student takes ENG 220: American Literature to 1877, at Ohio State, and this course converts at Marshall to ENG 321: American Literature to 1877, the student will get credit for ENG 321 at Marshall, but those credits will count as lower division (100 to 200 level) credits.
• Grades earned for coursework taken at other institutions are computed into the overall GPA, (includes courses taken at MU and other institutions), but have no impact on the Marshall GPA (includes only MU coursework), except for D/F repeats.
• The Marshall Plan (see further information under "Academic Information") applies to transfer students. Students who believe they may have taken coursework at other institutions that would satisfy part of the Marshall Plan should bring documentation (course syllabi, catalog descriptions) to their dean's office for review.
  

TRANSIENT STUDENTS
(Students Visiting from Other Institutions)

Students enrolled in a degree program at another collegiate-level institution who would like to enroll at Marshall for one term or two summer terms to use Marshall credit toward their degree can be admitted as a transient student. Transient students must:

• Submit an application to the Admissions Office;
• Have their home college send a letter of good academic standing to the Admissions Office;
• Have attended the home college during the previous calendar year.
  

POLICY REGARDING CLASSIFICATION OF
STUDENTS AS RESIDENTS AND NONRESIDENTS
FOR ADMISSION AND FEE PURPOSES
(Board of Trustees Series No. 34)

Section 1. General

1.1 Scope - Policy regarding residency classification of students for admission and fee purposes.
1.2 Authority - West Virginia Code (18B-1-6 & 18B-1-7 18B-10.
1.3 Filing Date - June 1, 1990
1.4 Effective Date - July 2, 1990
1.5 Repeal of Former Rule - Revises and Replaces Policy Bulletin No. 3 dated February 2, 1971; Policy Bulletin No. 34, April 8, 1986. Repeals Policy Bulletin No. 37, adopted May 1, 1974.

Section 2. Classification for Admission and Fee Purposes

2.1 Students enrolling in a West Virginia public institution of higher education shall be assigned a residency status for admission, tuition, and fee purposes by the institutional officer designated by the President. In determining residency classification, the issue is essentially one of domicile. In general, the domicile of a person is that person's true, fixed, permanent home and place of habitation. The decision shall be based upon information furnished by the student and all other relevant information. The designated officer is authorized to require such written documents, affidavits, verifications, or other evidence as is deemed necessary to establish the domicile of a student. The burden of establishing domicile for admission, tuition, and fee purposes is upon the student.
2.2 If there is a question as to domicile, the matter must be brought to the attention of the designated officer at least two weeks prior to the deadline for the payment of tuition and fees. Any student found to have made a false or misleading statement concerning domicile shall be subject to institutional disciplinary action and will be charged the nonresident fees for each academic term theretofore attended.
2.3 The previous determination of a student's domiciliary status by one institution is not conclusive or binding when subsequently considered by another institution; however, assuming no change of facts, the prior judgment should be given strong consideration in the interest of consistency. Out-of-state students being assessed resident tuition and fees as a result of a reciprocity agreement may not transfer said reciprocity status to another public institution in West Virginia.

Section 3. Residence Determined by Domicile

3.1 Domicile within the State means adoption of the State as the fixed permanent home and involves personal presence within the state with no intent on the part of the applicant or, in the case of a dependent student, the applicant's parent(s) to return to another state or country. Residing with relatives (other than parent(s)/legal guardian) does not, in and of itself, cause the student to attain domicile in this State for admission or fee payment purposes. West Virginia domicile may be established upon the completion of at least twelve months of continued presence within the state prior to the date of registration, provided that such twelve months' presence is not primarily for the purpose of attendance at any institution of higher education in West Virginia. Establishment of West Virginia domicile with less than twelve months' presence prior to the date of registration must be supported by evidence of positive and unequivocal action. In determining domicile, institutional officials should give consideration to such factors as the ownership or lease of a permanently occupied home in West Virginia, full-time employment within the state, paying West Virginia property tax, filing West Virginia income tax returns, registering of motor vehicles in West Virginia, possessing a valid West Virginia driver's license, and marriage to a person already domiciled in West Virginia. Proof of a number of these actions shall be considered only as evidence which may be used in determining whether or not a domicile has been established. Factors militating against the establishment of West Virginia domicile might include such considerations as the student not being self-supporting, being claimed as a dependent on federal or state income tax returns or on the parents' health insurance policy if the parents reside out of state, receiving financial assistance from state student aid programs in other states, and leaving the state when school is not in session.

Section 4. Dependency Status

4.1 A dependent student is one who is listed as a dependent on the federal or state income tax return of his/her parent(s) or legal guardian or who receives major financial support from that person. Such a student maintains the same domicile as that of the parent(s) or legal guardian. In the event the parents are divorced or legally separated, the dependent student takes the domicile of the parent with whom he/she lives or to whom he/she has been assigned by court order. However, a dependent student who enrolls and is properly classified as an in-state student maintains that classification as long as the enrollment is continuous and that student does not attain independence and establish domicile in another state.
4.2 A nonresident student who becomes independent while a student at an institution of higher education in West Virginia does not, by reason of such independence alone, attain domicile in this state for admission or fee payment purposes.

Section 5. Change of Residence

5.1 A person who has been classified as an out-of-state student and who seeks resident status in West Virginia must assume the burden of providing conclusive evidence that he/she has established domicile in West Virginia with the intention of making the permanent home in this state. The intent to remain indefinitely in West Virginia is evidenced not only by a person's statements, but also by that person's actions. In making a determination regarding a request for change in residency status, the designated institutional officer shall consider those actions referenced in Section 3 above. The change in classification, if deemed to be warranted, shall be effective for the academic term or semester next following the date of the application for reclassification.

Section 6. Military

6.1 An individual who is on full-time active military service in another state or a foreign country or an employee of the federal government shall be classified as an in-state student for the purpose of payment of tuition and fees, provided that the person established a domicile in West Virginia prior to entrance into federal service, entered the federal service from West Virginia, and has at no time while in federal service claimed or established a domicile in another state. Sworn statements attesting to these conditions may be required. The spouse and dependent children of such individuals shall also be classified as in-state students for tuition and fee purposes.
6.2 Persons assigned to full-time active military service in West Virginia and residing in the State shall be classified as in-state students for tuition and fee purposes. The spouse and dependent children of such individuals shall also be classified as in-state students for tuition and fee purposes.

Section 7. Aliens

7.1 An alien who is in the United States on a resident visa or who has filed a petition for naturalization in the naturalization court, and who has established a bona fide domicile in West Virginia as defined in Section 3 may be eligible for in-state residency classification, provided that person is in the state for purposes other than to attempt to qualify for residency status as a student. Political refugees admitted into the United States for an indefinite period of time and without restriction on the maintenance of a foreign domicile may be eligible for an in-state classification as defined in Section 3. Any person holding a student or other temporary visa cannot be classified as an in-state student.

Section 8. Former Domicile

8.1 A person who was formerly domiciled in the State of West Virginia and who would have been eligible for an instate residency classification at the time of his/her departure from the state may be immediately eligible for classification as a West Virginia resident provided such person returns to West Virginia within a one year period of time and satisfies the conditions of Section 3 regarding proof of domicile and intent to remain permanently in West Virginia.

Section 9. Appeal Process

9.1 Each institution shall establish procedures which provide opportunities for students to appeal residency classification decisions with which they disagree. The decision of the designated institutional official charged with the determination of residency classification may be appealed in accordance with appropriate procedures established by the president of the institution. At a minimum, such procedures shall provide that:
9.1.1 An institutional committee on residency appeals will be established to receive and act on appeals of residency decisions made by the designated institutional official charged with making residency determinations.
9.1.1a The institutional committee on residency shall be comprised of members of the institutional community, including faculty and student representatives, and whose number shall be at least three, in any event, an odd number. The student representative(s) shall be appointed by the president of the institutional student government association while the faculty representative(s) shall be selected by the campus-wide representative faculty organization.
9.1.1b The student contesting a residency decision shall be given the opportunity to appear before the institutional committee on residency appeals. If the appellant cannot appear when the committee convenes a meeting, the appellant has the option of allowing committee members to make a decision on the basis of the written materials pertaining to the appeal or waiting until the next committee meeting.
9.1.2 The residency appeal procedures will include provisions for appeal of the decision of the institutional committee on residency appeals to the president of the institution.
9.1.3 Residency appeals shall end at the institutional level.

Adopted: West Virginia Board of Trustees, February 2, 1971
Revised: February 8, 1973; November 13, 1973; October 2, 1981
Revised: October 8, 1985; April 8, 1986; February 14, 1990