2024-2025 College Catalog

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Transferring

About Transferring

Students who earn the Associate of Arts or Associate in Science (A.A. or A.S.) degrees at Rock Valley College before transferring may be granted junior standing by many baccalaureate institutions considering the general education requirements are completed. Transfer students should check early with their transfer institutions and advisors to ensure they are meeting ALL requirements specific to each individual institution. A few colleges/universities may do a course-by-course examination of work from Rock Valley College, and could expect students to complete some general education courses at their institution. Students should work together with Academic and Transfer Advisors, Career Services, or Career & Technical Education Faculty along with transfer institutions to build a transfer degree program appropriate for them. As a general rule, earning an A.A. or A.S. degree is an excellent strategy for transfer.

Students who decide to transfer to another college in Illinois before they earn an A.A. or A.S. degree will find that IAI-approved courses will be accepted by most baccalaureate institutions. Transferring without completing the general education core curriculum may mean that students must complete the general education requirements at the four-year institution.

Transferring from RVC

The Academic, Career, and Transfer Advising Office at Rock Valley College offers information about transferring to baccalaureate institutions. For successful transfer, the following guidelines are recommended for all students who plan to transfer:

  1. Investigate possible career paths at the Career Services, Advising, and Placement Office at (815) 921-4100, through labor market information and career interest surveys.
  2. Plan RVC course selection with general education and introductory transfer courses in mind. The Academic, Career, and Transfer Advising Office, (815) 921-4100, can assist in course selection. Transfer guides for many baccalaureate institutions are available. Because transfer requirements change frequently, verify all transfer information directly with the college/university. For more information, go to RVC Transcripts.
  3. Review examples of transfer program course guides available in various department offices and/or on the college website.
  4. Visit the Academic, Career, and Transfer Advising Office, (815) 921-4100, to see available resources: internet access, college- career search programs, applications, college catalogs, and more.
  5. Research possible colleges/universities’ academic programs, entrance requirements, costs, deadlines for applications and transcript submission, and housing requirements.
  6. Study since admittance to a college/university is based in part on the Rock Valley College grade point average (GPA) – it pays to study. Many students are competing for limited seats in popular areas of study; your GPA can either limit or broaden career options.
  7. Visit campuses as time and resources permit. Virtual tours are available on the Internet. Many college representatives also come to campus for “College Night” and throughout the year. The “college visit schedule” is available at the Academic, Career, and Transfer Advising Office web page.
  8. Apply for graduation at Records and Registration at the beginning of your last semester at Rock Valley College. Even students who are not planning to attend the graduation ceremony need to apply for graduation.
  9. When applying, send the RVC transcript to the transfer institution via Self Service at RVC Transcripts. Request transcript to be sent after each semester a grade is posted at RVC.