When a student transfers from an institution with a different academic calendar (semester, quarter, or trimester), it’s important to know which eligibility rules allow for credit conversion and which do not.
The 24/36-Hour Rule
Credits are never converted.
For purposes of the 24/36-Hour Rule, all credits are taken at face value exactly as they appear on the transcript from the awarding institution.
- If a student earns 25 semester credits at a semester school, those are counted as 25 credits toward the 24/36-Hour Rule.
- There is no conversion into quarter or trimester credits, regardless of the system the student later transfers into.
The Progress Rule
Credit conversion is possible here — but only in limited circumstances.
- Upon transferring to the certifying NAIA institution, when certifying the first term after a student transfers into an NAIA institution with a different academic calendar system, credits from the previous academic calendar are reviewed under the rules of the prior system (e.g., semester credit hours used to determine Progress Rule for semester system).
- In the instance that a student has an academic history of both semester credits and quarter credits, the total accumulated credits will be converted to the academic calendar the student last identified with.
- Once the student completes their first term of attendance at the new NAIA institution, the Progress Rule is evaluated using only the total earned credits as awarded on the new institution’s transcript.
How the Conversion Works
The same principles used to convert terms of attendance are applied to credits during this initial transfer evaluation:
- 1 semester credit = 1.5 quarter credits = 1.2 trimester credits
- 1 quarter = ⅔ semester
- 1 trimester = ⅚ semester
Example:
A student earned 30 semester credits before transferring to a quarter-system NAIA school.
- For the Progress Rule in their first quarter term, the student will be certified for the Progress Rule based on the semester credits and semester calendar system.
- After the first quarter is complete, only the official transcript at the NAIA institution will be used moving forward — no more conversions.
Terms of Attendance
While credit hours are generally taken at face value for the 24/36-Hour Rule, terms themselves are always converted to match the calendar system of the student’s current NAIA institution.
- 1 semester = 1.5 quarters = 1.2 trimesters
- 1 quarter = ⅔ semester
- 1 trimester = ⅚ semester
Fractions of terms also matter. For example, if a student has less than half of a term left at the start of a term, their eligibility for that term has ended.
Key Takeaways
- 24/36-Hour Rule: Never convert credits. Use the transcript as-is.
- Progress Rule: Credits will be evaluated based off of the academic calendar system the student previously identified with. Conversion applies only if the student has different types of academic credit (semester and quarter credits), the conversion will be to the academic credits the student previously identified with. For the first term at the new institution; after that, use the NAIA institution’s transcript credits.
- Terms of Attendance: Always convert to the system of the current NAIA institution.
