Transfer Credit

All students transferring from another school are required to spend a minimum of 100 hours in the program at NYIM, regardless of their previous preparation and training, and may not transfer more than 250 hours into the program.

   When students apply to a New York State registered program from another program that is recognized by a jurisdiction, or a national accrediting body, or a nationally recognized massage therapy association acceptable to the Department, the program may accept up to 25% of the 1000 hour curriculum no matter how many hours the person completed in the other program; that is, the registered program may accept 250 hours of the 1000 minimum requirement for a registered program. The hours that are accepted should be done based on a review of the syllabus of the courses, challenge examinations, or some other measure that the school develops to determine that the hours are equivalent in depth and breadth of content.

     It would also be possible for courses taken in college, universities, or nursing and other professional programs that are recognized by the jurisdictions in which they are located, or by an accrediting body, to be accepted, but the total number of courses for which the person may receive credit cannot exceed 25% of the 1000 hour curriculum.

    While the registered program may accept some of the credits or hours earned in another program, no experience may ever be used to meet the curriculum requirements. The Department does not accept any form of apprenticeship learning and does not equate experience with academic courses for the purpose of Massage Therapy licensure. We also want to note that courses taken in any school that claims to teach massage or bodywork therapy in New York State that does not have a registered massage therapy program may not be used to meet any of the education requirements. Such schools are illegal in this state.

 Since the massage therapy statute and regulations require "classroom" learning, distance learning in any form is not acceptable for the 1000-hour massage therapy curriculum.

To be considered for a transfer credit, NYIM must receive official transcripts from all previously attended schools.  Credits are accepted only from facilities licensed by the New York State Department of Education or the equivalent licensing authority of another state.

 In order to properly evaluate previous course work, NYIM requests a course catalog from your previous school to compare course content and ensure that it is comparable to that of NYIM’s program.  Courses completed with a grade of “C” or better are transferable as long as the content is the same.  One credit hour is equal to fifteen clock hours of staff supervised instruction.  Facilities that use credit hours must submit their conversion factor so credit hours can be evaluated against NYIM course hours.  New York State currently does not allow for the transfer of online course credits. 

The Admissions Committee will determine the number of transferable credits based on transcripts and catalog comparisons.  All decisions made by the Admissions Committee are final, and credit evaluations are done BEFORE a student begins training.  Transfer credit may reduce tuition. However, tuition refunds will not be issued after the student has been enrolled in the program for three days.

If the student has an outstanding balance at a previous school, NYIM will not consider the transfer request until that balance has been satisfied.  Once the Admissions Committee has determined transfer hours, the student will be required to pay for the necessary training on a pro-rated basis.  The amount will depend on the hours needed to complete training, including the required minimum 100 hours and the $150 registration fee.  Although it is the student’s choice to transfer credit, we strongly recommend our course work, as it is geared to the New York State Education Department and the Board of Massage requirements.  NYIM reserves the right to require more hours than mandated by New York State.

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