Miller, House Democrats Reintroduce Legislation to Save College Students’ Time and Money When They Transfer Between Schools
WASHINGTON—Helping college students smoothly transfer between schools will save money for both students and taxpayers, while increasing the likelihood that transferring students will graduate on time. To help students who move between public institutions of higher education complete their studies without wasting time and money retaking courses, senior House Democrats reintroduced legislation today that allows students to keep more of their credits and protects their academic standing at the new school.
The Transferring Credits for College Completion Act of 2014 (H.R. 4348) aims to ease the process of transferring within a state's public colleges and universities—including for community college students seeking to move on to four-year institutions—by allowing students to maintain many of the credits they have already earned and paid for, particularly for core education courses and completed associate degrees.
“Every year millions of those students transfer schools, only to lose part or all of their hard-earned credits. This is unacceptable. We’ve made a promise to keep college accessible and affordable for all students and that includes students who may not be earning their degree at a single institution,” said Rep. George Miller (D-Calif.), senior Democrat on the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and lead sponsor of the bill. “When students lose credits during the transfer process, students and taxpayers are forced to pay for repeated classes and students waste time, making them significantly less likely to complete their studies and graduate. This common-sense legislation will remove many of the obstacles that students face by improving course transfer across institutions of higher learning.”
Recent studies show that one-third of all first-time students switch schools at least once, while many transfer multiple times. Unfortunately, for too many students seeking to enroll in another institution, it is unclear what courses, if any, will transfer. The transfer process can be confusing at best, with conflicting requirements that may complicate college completion. As a result, students may be forced to retake classes and pay all over again for coursework already completed, simply because their credits didn’t transfer.
For example, nearly 15 percent of students transferring from community colleges lose 90 percent or more of their credits, which essentially means that they need to start over. Under this bill, using average public tuition rates across the country, an in-state student attending a public two-year college could transfer their associate degree to an in-state public four-year college, receive junior status at their new school, and save nearly $18,000 compared to a student who is forced to start over, making a big dent in their college costs.
“In light of soaring college costs, we should do everything we can to help students complete their studies and graduate, without wasting time and money,” said Rep. Rubén Hinojosa (D-TX), and an original co-sponsor of the bill. “This bill encourages public colleges and universities to work together to provide students with a smooth transition, helping them reduce their debt and complete their education more quickly.”
First introduced in in 2012, the bill draws on state policies that have been proven to increase graduation rates and lower costs for students and taxpayers by increasing transparency and creating guaranteed pathways to graduation. This legislation is a necessary response to our country’s changing student population, in which more students are taking different pathways to a college degree, and is based on successful state-level programs. In addition, the federal government is providing more support than ever before to students trying to pay for college, disbursing more than $140 billion a year in loans and grants, making efficient college completion increasingly valuable for taxpayers.
The legislation will require that all institutions participating in federal student aid programs report on graduation rates of transfer students. Additionally, it requires that by 2017, all public institutions participating in federal student aid programs establish common, statewide transfer agreements that:
- Provide for a minimum 30-credit common general education curriculum across all public institutions within the state, with common course numbering; and
- Guarantee that an associate degree fulfills the first two years of a related program at any public four-year institution within the state, allowing community college students to transfer with junior standing.
Additional original co-sponsors of the legislation include Representatives Rubén Hinojosa, Jared Polis, Marcia Fudge, Tim Bishop, and Raul Grijalva.
For more on the Transferring Credits for College Completion Act of 2014, click here.
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