Understanding Escrow Credits
All Idaho nursing schools operate under the Idaho Statewide Nursing Articulation Agreement, which is designed to facilitate the progression of nurses from one educational level to the next.
This agreement provides for escrow credits, which are a means for nurses to be granted academic credits for previous nursing knowledge without having to take additional coursework. At LC State, these credits are held in “escrow” until the RN successfully completes the BSN program. At that time, the student’s Academic Advisor calculates how many credits are needed to fulfill institutional policies for graduation in the following three categories.
- 120 Total Credits. This includes the total of all coursework completed including coursework transferred to LC State.
- 32 Institutional Credits. This includes the number of credits which must be completed at LC State.
- 36 Upper Division Credits. This includes 300 and 400-level coursework completed at every institution.
For example, if a student transfers in 90 credits from a prior degree and completes 30 credits in pursuit of his or her BSN, that student will have earned 120 total credits. Since the student has earned just 30 institutional credits, rather than the required minimum of 32, he or she will be granted two escrow credits to accommodate the difference.
There is an administrative fee of $20.00 per escrow credit to have these credits appear on the student’s transcript. In the example used above, this student would pay $20.00 each for two escrow credits, or $40.00.
A maximum of 30 semester nursing credits are held in escrow until the required graduation check (semester before graduation). Students may also receive credit through direct transfer and challenge processes.
Additional information may be found in the NHS Student Handbook. The BSN Program endorses the guidelines for educational mobility from the Idaho Statewide Nursing Articulation Plan.