Sophia Learning and SNHU Courses: A Guide to Transferring Credits

For students seeking flexible and affordable pathways to complete their general education requirements, Sophia Learning offers a compelling solution. With its self-paced, on-demand format, Sophia allows learners to complete courses on their own schedule, from virtually any device. This article explores how Sophia Learning's courses can be used to fulfill general education requirements, particularly for students attending Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU).

What is Sophia Learning?

Sophia Learning provides access to over 70 ACE® and DEAC-recommended online courses. These courses have been reviewed for credit at more than 1,000 colleges and universities. Sophia's learning model focuses on an engaging online teaching method, in-depth material, and a structure designed to promote effective learning. With Sophia, students can learn anytime, anywhere, without fixed start or end dates.

Benefits of Sophia Learning

Flexibility: Sophia's on-demand, self-paced format allows students to complete courses on their schedule.
Affordability: Sophia offers a low-cost membership model where students can take up to two courses at a time. There are no additional fees for materials, textbooks, or eBooks.
Transferability: Sophia's courses are ACE®-recommended and have been reviewed for credit at 1,000+ colleges and universities.
Accessibility: Sophia courses are available anytime, anywhere, and can be accessed from any device.
Support: Sophia provides learning coaches to support students every step of the way.

Transferring Sophia Credits to SNHU

Sophia Learning has partnerships with over 100 colleges and universities that have agreed to accept their college-level courses, ensuring a seamless transfer process. Outside of these partner schools, Sophia has sent transcripts to more than 1,000 colleges and universities for review, including Adams State University.

To determine if Sophia courses will transfer to SNHU, follow these steps:

Check with Your Advisor: Consult with your academic advisor at SNHU to determine which Sophia courses will transfer for college-level credit.
Review SNHU's Transfer Policies: Each school has different transfer policies, so discuss the process with your advisor to understand how to submit your transcripts and earn your transfer credits.
Start with a Free Trial: Sign up for a free trial to sample any Sophia course through the first assessment. This allows you to confirm which credits may transfer.
Verify Transfer Credits: Once you've started, the advising staff at SNHU can help you figure out if Sophia courses will transfer toward your program.
Complete Courses and Earn a Passing Grade: Once you’ve verified your transfer credits from Sophia with your academic advisor, complete your courses and earn a passing grade.

General Education Requirements for SNHU with Sophia Learning

As of approximately May 2024, the following Sophia Learning courses can be used to fulfill general education requirements for all degree plans at Southern New Hampshire University (SNHU). This list is based on experience from previous students regarding which courses are the easiest and quickest to take.

Note: Sophia only allows two courses to be open at one time, so only complete one course at a time that has touchstones (written assignments).

Full Time is 2 courses per 2 month term at SNHU and max of 3 courses per term once you done a couple of terms. At that rate, it would take 8 to 10 months to do 30 credits worth of courses.

Here are the General Education Requirements:

3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
6 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.

Read also: Is Sophia Learning Worth It?

As of 12/1/2024 SNHU will not be accepting Introduction to Statistics as MAT240 Applied Statistics.
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
It makes the degree plans easier to figure out if statistics was placed here since a lot of degrees require stats. ** This will work for MAT243 if you also bring in IT140.
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
Take any course from the required prefixes.

Read also: Sophia Learning Courses
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
Computer Science major requires Precalculus with limits (MAT142) and Calculus (MAT225).
3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
6 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.
For example business degrees require both microeconomics and macroeconomics. So 3cr of microeconomics goes in ESPE section and 3cr of microeconomics can go in electives.

Note: These courses are the easiest with no touchstones. Pick these if you didn't already use them for another section.

3 credits required: Take any course from the required prefixes.

Note: This course has 2 touchstones. It is recommended to fulfill all other General Education requirements first, esp.

Requesting and Submitting Transcripts

Once you complete a course successfully, you can request an official transcript through Parchment or Credly for ACE transcripts. Sophia can send an official transcript directly to the student’s college or university at no charge.

Parchment: Access your transcript via Parchment. Create an account, follow the guided steps to order a transcript, and pay a small delivery fee to have the transcript sent to your school.
Credly: If the transfer school requires an official transcript from the American Council on Education, you can access this through Credly’s digital credential platform.

When the time comes, check with SNHU's registrar for their credit transfer policies. Sophia course completions do not expire and will be available to submit for transfer when you’re ready.

Who Can Use Sophia Learning?

Anyone over the age of 13 can start and use Sophia courses to earn future transfer credits or deepen learning in a particular subject. If you’re interested in trying out college-level courses as a high school student, Sophia offers self-paced online gen ed courses for any student 13 years or older. Try any Sophia course for free (through the first challenge of a unit). These courses are designed to transfer to 100+ partner colleges and have been reviewed for credit at 1,000+ other colleges and universities.

Sophia Learning vs. Traditional Accreditation

Sophia doesn’t offer degree programs, so accreditation doesn’t apply. Instead, their focus is on offering convenient, affordable online courses that accredited colleges and universities may accept as transfer credits to help you earn your degree. The courses have been recommended for college credit by the American Council on Education’s Learning Evaluation Service and have been approved by the Distance Education Accreditation Commission (DEAC) for Approved Quality Curriculum (AQC) status.

Key Considerations

Consult with Advisors: Always check with your school’s advisor about the transfer credit policy. Your admissions or academic advisor is an asset for planning your course schedule. Consult with them to determine what courses you should take and when you should take them to ensure you’re progressing toward your degree and meeting your academic goals.
School Search Tool: Use the Sophia School Search Tool to see if your preferred college or university is on their list of partner schools. If SNHU isn't listed, it doesn't mean credits won't transfer, but it requires further verification with your advisor.
Membership Renewal and Cancellation: Your Sophia membership will automatically renew. If you are not satisfied within 30 days of payment and have not completed and certified any courses, you can cancel your membership.

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