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FAQs: Credit Questions

I received an AP credit in English. Does this count towards my English major?

No. Your AP English credit does not count as 1 of the 12 credits you need to complete English major. However, it does count towards your total college credits (1 of 34 needed to graduate).

My English JYA credits appear in my transcript as ungraded work. Will they count towards the major, even though the departmental requirements state that 11 of the 12 required units must be graded units?

Yes. This is a constant source of confusion for students. As long as your JYA credits approved English credits, they will count towards your English major.

What about English credits taken over the summer at another institution? Do they also transfer as ungraded work; do they count towards my major?

Yes. But this work must be approved by the associate chair of the department. In order to get approval make an appointment to see the associate chair; come armed with the catalogue course description and a copy of the syllabus.

Can any of the English credits I have earned at other schools, either JYA or during summer session, count as a 300-level credit?

Generally speaking, no. However, the associate chair will take into consideration certain cases where the student can demonstrate that the coursework in question was comparable to that undertaken in a 300-level English class at Vassar.

Can a Vassar course I have taken outside of the English department count towards my major?

Only if the course in question is either cross-listed with the English department or if it has been approved by the curriculum committee to count as an English credit. The quickest way to find out if the course will count towards your major is to ask the instructor, since she or he is responsible for petitioning the department for such approval.

Before declaring my English major, I took an English course which I NRO’d. I did well in the class and received a letter grade for it on my transcript. Can this course count towards the major?

Unfortunately, no. Even if you received an "A" for the course, the non-recorded option counts towards the quota of your allowable nongraded units. Your transcript may show a letter grade for the course, but our records will indicate it was elected as NRO.

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