Dabney S. Lancaster Community College & APU Education Partnership

Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (DSLCC) and American Public University (APU) have a partnership in education for transfer credit, enabling DSLCC students who have graduated on or after May 1, 2010 to apply their completed coursework towards an APU online degree program.

The table below demonstrates various APU degree programs and the number of credit hours you will receive towards completing your degree based upon your associate degree obtained at DSLCC. As you can see, most APU bachelor’s degrees are 120 – 123 credit hours, and your DSLCC degree will get you half way there!

* Students must select remaining courses at APU at the upper level (300-499)

Next steps:

• View a message from our Dean of Community College Relations & Outreach
• Download your admissions checklist
• Apply today at no cost

We want you to make an informed decision about the university that's right for you. For more about our graduation rates, the median debt of students who completed the program, and other important information, visit www.apus.edu/disclosure.

• Why Choose APU?

  Academic Quality meets Affordable Tuition

  American Public University (APU) is a distinguished leader providing quality and affordable online education to motivated students worldwide. APU is a member of the regionally accredited American Public University System. Here’s why more than 100,000 students make us their school of choice today.

  • No application fees
  • Textbooks are provided at no cost to all undergraduate students earning academic credit
  • Affordable tuition that is 20 percent less than the average four-year public university’s in-state rates according to the College Board’s 2010-2011 study
  • Save time and money by transferring previous education and training credits
  • Financial aid and military benefits accepted
  • Nationally recognized for quality online education and effective practices 
  • Experienced faculty who are respected practitioners in their field of study
  • 96% of APU seniors say they are satisfied or very satisfied with their education
  • 97% of APU seniors say they would recommend APU to friends and colleagues

  To get started, complete our no-fee application now.

• About Dabney S. Lancaster Community College

  Dabney S. Lancaster Community College (DSLCC) is a two-year public institution of higher education and one of 23 community colleges in Virginia. The college is supported by the Commonwealth of Virginia; the counties of Alleghany, Bath, Botetourt (northern portion) and Rockbridge; the cities of Buena Vista, Covington, and Lexington; and the town of Clifton Forge. DSLCC provides opportunities for the extension of knowledge, skills and personal enrichment in an environment that maintains high academic standards and respect for each individual. The college strives to keep programs and services financially and geographically accessible for all students.
  
  For more information, visit http://www.dslcc.edu.

Video Spotlight

APU Feature Video
Just what is online learning all about? Hear from our faculty and students about how APU achieves academic excellence each day through online learning and take a tour of our virtual campus and classroom.

Tuition & Fees

Prior to June 2011 course start dates

As of June 2011 course start dates

Fee Schedule

... as of August 2010

*For detailed information on late registration, please review the "Registration" section of the student handbook.
**TCE fee waived for all United States Active Duty Military, Guard, and Reserve personnel.

 Next steps:

• View a message from our Dean of Community College Relations & Outreach
• Download your admissions checklist
• Apply today at no cost

Block Transfer Awards – Student FAQ

Q. What degrees at APU may I enroll in under a block transfer agreement?
A. This will vary depending upon what each partner community college offers, so please check the list that is specific to your college.

Q. What degrees must I have earned in order to be eligible for block transfer?
A. This may vary with each community college partnership depending upon the structure of their programs, but normally it will be students who earned an Associate of Arts degree or an Associate of Science degree. Any Applied Science degrees would likely not be eligible as they usually include a very low number of General Education courses.

Q. Does it matter when I earned the Associate degree from my community college?
A. Yes, only students who earned the degree after the date specified in each agreement are eligible. This is to ensure the degree is based on the requirements that were reviewed for the agreement.

Q. Am I eligible for a block transfer agreement even if I already enrolled at APU prior to the effective date of the agreement?
A. No, transfer agreements only apply to students who enroll in a degree program at APU on or after the effective date of the agreement, but you may be eligible if you are changing your major now into an eligible program.

Q. I went to more than one college in the past, and earned my Associate degree at my community college using credit transferred. Am I still eligible for the block transfer even if I didn’t take all of my courses towards my Associate degree at the community college where I officially earned the degree?
A. Yes, our block transfer agreements will be based solely on the final degree earned, and we will not distinguish between students who completed all of their courses at the partner schools and those who attended multiple schools in the past.

Q. If I attended multiple colleges, or even just took extra courses and earned more than the number of hours required for my Associate degree, can I get more credit than the agreed upon block?
A. No, as students are transferring based on their common degree requirements, they cannot receive individual course transfer credit outside of the block agreement.

Q. Do I need to have a certain GPA or a minimum grade on all courses in order to be eligible for the block transfer?
A. No, we will be screening for the degree earned only, and not for a minimum GPA. If you earned any grades below C for some courses, but were still eligible for the A.A. degree, it will not matter, as no course specific work is looked at during a block transfer.

Q. If I transfer to APU under a block transfer agreement, can I also submit other documents for credit review such as AARTS , training certificates, or CLEP?
A. No, if you transfer under a block transfer, you are not eligible for any other transfer credit. As the credit was transferred as a block without any course by course review, there would be no way to prevent credit being earned here for a course for which you had already received credit in the past, or if credit for that same course had already applied towards your previous Associates degree.

Q. What happens if I transfer to APU under a block transfer agreement but then later change my major?
A. If the new major is not eligible for block transfer, the block transfer would no longer be valid, and a new standard TCE evaluation will need to be done. However, if you are changing to an APU degree that is also included in the block transfer agreement with your community college, you may still be eligible for a block transfer award, although it may be specific to your new major.

Q. If I want to transfer in under a block transfer agreement, can I also enroll in a minor and/or certificate with their APU degree?
A. No, if you select to add a minor or certificate to your degree program, you are no longer eligible for block transfer, as you would be is using up most of your elective hours with the certificate and/or minor requirements.

Q. What is the standard block transfer award?
A. The numbers could vary a bit by partner colleges, as some community colleges have a minimum hours requirement for all of their Associate degrees that is higher than 60, but generally a block transfer would include 34 hours of General Education and 26 hours of electives. Some block transfers that are mapped out between specific programs may include some hours towards ‘major’ courses, and award less elective hours then.

Q. What if I have taken a course, like Calculus, and now Calculus is required as a prerequisite to another course I need to take here, but I am being blocked from registering?
A. Since the block transfer grants the same 60 hours to every student regardless of which courses each student actually took, we can not give credit for specific courses. You may follow the prerequisite waiver policy though, and have our Registrations office at Registrar@apus.edu help you have the prerequisite confirmed. The prerequisite can then be waived so you can take the course you want, but you will not get credit specifically for Calculus.

Q. As a block transfer student, will I be blocked from online course registrations that have ENGL101 as a prerequisite?
A. No, since this prerequisite is common to all of our B.A. programs, the block transfer functionality will automatically recognize that the ENGL101 course is now waived for these students, allowing them to continue to register themselves online.