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Retroactive Credit

Degree seeking students who enter the university with advanced preparation in Calculus, Music Keyboard Musicianship or German, French or Spanish, may receive retroactive credit as indicated below.

Institutional Policy Regarding the Awarding of Retroactive Credit:

  • Only degree seeking students who have been admitted to UW-Green Bay are eligible to receive retroactive credit. (The only exception is for high school students enrolled in UW-Green Bay Modern Language courses.)
  • Retroactive credits are granted toward a UW-Green Bay degree; policies of other colleges would determine whether they would accept these Retroactive credits for transfer into their program, college or university.
  • All credit awarded through retroactive credit options must equate to a specific UWGB course or courses. Credit cannot be awarded as general elective credit.
  • Credit cannot be awarded for a course that already appears on a student’s transcript.
  • Retroactive credit awarded may not be used for grade point average calculation and does not count as credits in residence for the purposes of honors or degree program requirements.
  • To receive credit a student must comply with all institutional policies and procedures relating to the awarding of retroactive credit.
  • Courses will be recorded on the student’s transcript as retroactive credit. The awarding of retroactive credit is limited to the specific courses listed below.

French, German, Spanish, or other World Languages offered at UW-Green Bay

Degree seeking students may earn up to 14 credits as identified below for their previous world language study in French, German, Spanish, or other world languages offered at UW-Green Bay by completing courses beyond the 101 level. With a grade of “B” or better, credit will be given for all world language courses preceding the one in which the student has enrolled (of the eligible courses listed below), to a maximum of 14 credits. With a grade of “BC” or “C,” half credit will be given for the courses preceding the one in which the student has enrolled, to a maximum of seven credits.

For example, with four years of high school Spanish, students who complete SPANISH 225 Conversation and Composition I, with a grade of “B” will receive 14 retroactive credits for SPANISH 101, 102, 201, and 202 in addition to the three earned credits for SPANISH 225; students who complete the course with a “C” will receive seven retroactive credits for SPANISH 101 (2 of the total 4 credits), SPANISH 102 (2 of the total 4 credits), SPANISH 201 (1.5 of the total 3 credits), and SPANISH 202 (1.5 of the total 3 credits).

Students with previous world language knowledge should select appropriate courses by either (1) counting a year of high school work as roughly equivalent to a semester of college work; or (2) taking the UW System Language Placement Test. If a student has studied Spanish for three years in high school, he or she should probably enroll in the fourth course in college (i.e., SPANISH 202) but might also consider 201; or (3) discussing their world language knowledge with a language advisor in the case of heritage learners. If more than two years have elapsed since the last language study, students should consult with a language faculty program coordinator to determine proper placement.

To determine if a student meets the above criteria for retroactive credit, the Registrar's Office will review the official posted grade rosters and where appropriate, the courses and corresponding credits will then be recorded on the student’s transcript.

High school students enrolled in UW-Green Bay Modern Language courses are eligible to earn retroactive credits. This is the only retroactive credit option available to CCIHS, ECCP, or high school special program students.

College CourseB or Better
11 Retroactive Credits
BC or C
5.5  Retroactive Credits
French 202French 101 – 4 crs.
French 102 – 4 crs.
French 201 – 3 crs.
French 101 – 2 crs.
French 102 – 2 crs.
French 201 – 1.5 crs.
German 202German 101 – 4 crs.
German 102 – 4 crs.
German 201 – 3 crs.
German 101 – 2 crs.
German 102 – 2 crs.
German 201 – 1.5 crs.
Spanish 202Spanish 101 – 4 crs.
Spanish 102 – 4 crs.
Spanish 201 – 3 crs.
Spanish 101 – 2 crs.
Spanish 102 – 2 crs.
Spanish 201 – 1.5 crs.

Retroactive credit will not be awarded based on a student’s performance on any sort of test. This includes, but is not limited to, AP, CLEP, or Challenge exams. Retroactive world language credits may only be earned by satisfactorily passing a course at UW-Green Bay or through an approved CCIHS program as described above.

Retroactive credits earned at any UW System institution or from St. Norbert College courses will be honored and granted to transfer students. Retroactive world language credits awarded by other institutions will not be granted to students who transfer to UW-Green Bay. Students may request an exception to this policy by submitting a written appeal to the language coordinator of the department they wish to receive credit from.

Math (Math 203 Calculus & Geometry II)

Students coming with a background in Calculus can be placed in MATH 203 Calculus & Geometry II and may receive retroactive credit for MATH 202: Calculus & Geometry I. If a student receives a grade of “C “or better then retroactive credit can be awarded for MATH 202 Calculus & Geometry. Credits for calculus at UW-Green Bay may also be awarded for satisfactory performance on an AP exam. More details are available here.

Retroactive credit for MATH 202 is not awarded to students who transfer to UW-Green Bay and have completed coursework deemed to be equivalent to MATH 203. If the student completes Math 209 or 305 at UW-Green Bay, they may submit an approved Retroactive Credit Form to the Registrar’s Office to be awarded credit for MATH 202 only.

Music Keyboard Musicianship

Students successfully completing MUS APP 21 Keyboard Musicianship II, MUS APP 31 Keyboard Musicianship III, or MUS APP 41 Keyboard Musicianship IV may be eligible to receive retroactive credit for preceding courses in this sequence.

In order to receive retroactive credit for one or more Keyboard Musicianship courses a student is required to earn a grade of “BC” or better; courses taken on a Pass/No Credit basis will not be eligible for retroactive credit. Retroactive credit will be given in Keyboard Musicianship for all of the courses in the sequence preceding the one in which the student has enrolled, to a maximum of 3 credits.

To determine eligibility for retroactive credit students must consult with a member of the Music faculty who will advise them regarding which Keyboard Musicianship course they should take. If a student meets the criteria above, the instructor must complete the Retroactive Credit Form and submit it to the Registrar’s Office. The appropriate courses and corresponding credits will then be recorded on the student’s transcript.

The awarding of retroactive credit for Keyboard Musicianship courses began in fall 2012.

Below is a chart depicting how retroactive credit would be awarded.

Course Successfully CompletedCrRetroactive Credit ReceivedCr
MUS APP 21 Keyboard Musicianship II1MUS APP 11 Keyboard Musicianship I1
MUS APP 31 Keyboard Musicianship III1MUS APP 11 & 21 Keyboard Musicianship I & II2
MUS APP 41 Keyboard Musicianship IV1MUS APP 11, 21 & 31 Keyboard Musicianship I, II & III3

Transfer students who have completed coursework deemed to be equivalent to any of the classes listed above must meet with a member of the Music faculty to determine if they are eligible for retroactive credit.

Last updated: May 26, 2021