Equivalencies

Equivalency rules define how courses and exams from other institutions translate to credit at your institution. When students submit transcripts, Stellic uses these rules to automatically match courses and calculate transfer credits.

How equivalency matching works

When students upload transcripts:

1. OCR processing - The system reads course information from the transcript

2. Rule matching - Courses are compared against your existing equivalency rules

3. Credit calculation - Matching courses receive automatic credit awards

4. Flagging for review - Unmatched courses are flagged for staff evaluation

Evaluation outcomes

Outcome	What it means
Credit awarded	Course matches an equivalency rule and transfers with specific credit
No credit	Course matches an equivalency rule that specifies no credit should be awarded
Requires review	No matching rule exists; staff must evaluate manually

Types of equivalencies

Type	Description	Example
Direct equivalency	Course matches a specific course at your institution with the same credit value	BIO 101 at Source School → BIO 101 at your institution
Departmental equivalency	Course earns credit within a department without matching a specific course	PSY 250 at Source School → Psychology Elective (3 credits)
Elective credit	Course counts toward total degree credits without fulfilling a specific requirement. Configure by mapping to a catch-all course (e.g., GEN 999) via course-based rules or tags.	MUS 101 at Source School → General Elective (3 credits)

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Creating equivalency rules

School-based rules

Define how courses from specific source institutions transfer to your institution. Set up matching criteria and credit assignments that apply automatically when transcripts are processed.

→ Create course equivalency rules

Exam-based rules

Configure equivalencies for standardized exams (AP, IB, CLEP, etc.). Set score thresholds and corresponding credits that apply automatically when students submit qualifying scores.

→ Create exam equivalency rules

Evaluation methods

When no equivalency rule exists, staff evaluate courses using:

Method	Description
Curriculum analysis	Faculty review course descriptions, learning outcomes, syllabi, credit hours, and prerequisites to assess rigor and alignment
Articulation agreements	Formal agreements with partner institutions that pre-establish equivalencies (common between community colleges and four-year universities)
External evaluation services	Third-party organizations assess specialized coursework (international transcripts, military training) and provide recommendations

Key decision factors

When evaluating courses without existing equivalency rules, consider:

• Academic standards and accreditation requirements

• Curriculum alignment with existing course offerings

• Credit structure differences (quarter vs. semester systems)

• Coursework recency, especially in rapidly evolving fields

• Source institution's accreditation status

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Best practices

• Review rules regularly - Partner institutions update curricula; your rules should reflect current offerings

• Document decisions - Record rationale for equivalency determinations to ensure consistency

• Collaborate with departments - Faculty input improves matching accuracy for major requirements

• Monitor outcomes - Track transfer student success to identify problematic equivalencies

• Stay informed - Watch for changes at partner institutions, especially high-volume transfer sources