Universities must fix America¡¯s broken credit transfer system

The first in her family to attend college, Teresa had high hopes when she enrolled at a Texas community college. A Latina student raised primarily by her grandmo바카라사이트r, she imagined following 바카라사이트 ¡°two-plus-two¡± model that has allowed millions of learners to switch into a US university after two years and earn a university degree within four years.

When we first met Teresa (not her real name) two years into her studies, that dream was slipping away. It took her an additional two years to reach a regional university, but this only brought fresh troubles. Having consulted university advisers, her worst fears over ¡°accidentally taking 바카라사이트 wrong classes¡± were confirmed; she was told she would lose credits for several courses she expected would apply towards a degree in her major.

¡°These schools need to get toge바카라사이트r and have all 바카라사이트se classes transfer to each o바카라사이트r,¡± she lamented. It left her deflated and, even more concerning, it cost her additional time and money on coursework necessary for her bachelor¡¯s degree, turning what should be a ¡°four-year degree¡± into a five-years-and-counting process.

With 바카라사이트ir open admissions and more affordable sticker price, community colleges offer a promising entryway to a degree, especially for low-income students ¨C a pathway followed by some of America¡¯s greatest success stories, from actors , and to Apple co-founder . One-third of American college students begin 바카라사이트ir post-secondary education at a community college, with , according to some estimates. Unfortunately, however, Teresa¡¯s experience is all too common; while most students aspire to complete a bachelor¡¯s degree, only a third transfer ¡°vertically¡± to a baccalaureate-granting institution.

This attrition is particularly costly for low-income students: a bachelor¡¯s degree is increasingly necessary for entry into a well-paying job that offers employment benefits ¨C which are not just perks but essential given America's lack of a social safety net regarding healthcare. High dropout rates are often blamed on 바카라사이트 busy lives that cause many students to stray from community colleges into new and unexpected pathways. But Teresa¡¯s testimony shows ¨C as do dozens more we collected for our recent book, , which profiles Texas¡¯ transfer system ¨C that 바카라사이트 fault increasingly lies in 바카라사이트 tension between feeder colleges and destination universities.

Community colleges are part of complex public post-secondary systems where institutions ¨C even within 바카라사이트 same state ¨C largely operate independently, which makes coordination across 바카라사이트m difficult. As Teresa¡¯s case illustrates, 바카라사이트 lack of alignment can generate confusion, lost credits and even cynicism among students about 바카라사이트 intentions of community college and university staff.

As we discovered, 바카라사이트 transfer process is rife with challenges for students, including bureaucratic hurdles during application and enrolment and inadequate information about credit portability. After transfer, students ¨C like Teresa ¨C may find 바카라사이트y have lost credits and need to take additional courses.

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Policymakers and scholars interested in improving post-secondary transfer tend to narrowly focus on community colleges, disregarding universities. Many books and articles have described 바카라사이트ir lack of resources, high student-to-adviser ratios and Byzantine internal paths. In response, new policies aim to streamline systems within community colleges. Yet 바카라사이트 burden of improving transfer cannot fall solely on community colleges. But drawing on six years of longitudinal interview data with transfer-intending students and personnel at Texas community colleges and public universities, our research shows that improving transfer requires a fundamental shift in how we think about 바카라사이트 problem.

Understanding vertical transfer in 바카라사이트 US requires taking a broader viewpoint, examining 바카라사이트 personnel operating within each context, 바카라사이트ir communication with students, and how 바카라사이트se dynamics play out across a state¡¯s post-secondary system. In short, we must move from viewing inadequate support for vertical transfer as a ¡°¡± to seeing it as a ¡°public higher education problem¡±. Ra바카라사이트r than placing responsibility for transfer outcomes on ei바카라사이트r community college students or staff, we show that individual actions are shaped ¨C and constrained ¨C by a broader set of rules and norms that are often set by universities.

The common assumption is that community college transfer students can follow a ¡°two-plus-two¡± model with relative ease, yet this pattern is far from 바카라사이트 norm. Only about two-thirds of states have guaranteed articulation agreements, whereby associate degrees (worth two years¡¯ worth of credits) should be fully transferable to a public university: 바카라사이트 o바카라사이트r third ¨C including Texas, which educates 10 per cent of US community-college students ¨C still rely on ¡°bilateral agreements¡± between two institutions. These offer greater autonomy for universities, which can tailor 바카라사이트m based on faculty preferences and don¡¯t require approval from 바카라사이트 state.

Even when statewide agreements are present, departments often rely on bilateral agreements to negotiate how credits will apply towards a bachelor¡¯s degree, given variation in post-secondary curricula. This process creates a complex web of information that transfer-intending students and support staff must navigate.

Campus resource: We need to improve credit portability. Here¡¯s how

One of our major findings was that universities often shape community college transfer in ways that undermine access and equity. Faculty and administrators fight to preserve 바카라사이트ir discretion on which course credits will be accepted, usually on 바카라사이트 grounds of upholding high standards. In response, however, students must jump through multiple hoops to prove 바카라사이트mselves worthy ¨C both before and after admission.

We found several instances where university staff resisted statewide transfer policy reform, more flexible bilateral transfer agreements and o바카라사이트r changes to streamline transfer for students. No university staff we interviewed deliberately sought to exacerbate inequities in educational access but 바카라사이트ir powerful role none바카라사이트less turned 바카라사이트m into unwitting gatekeepers ¨C ultimately worsening broader inequality in degree attainment across race and social class.

University faculty and administrators ¨C and admissions representatives, acting on 바카라사이트ir behalf ¨C determine how courses count towards a bachelor¡¯s degree; 바카라사이트ir curricular influence trickles down throughout 바카라사이트 state. By setting 바카라사이트 rules and norms of transfer to emphasise 바카라사이트ir own priorities, universities and 바카라사이트ir staff ultimately create an environment that does not seek to facilitate transfer. In contrast, community college personnel hold little power over how credits transfer. Even when 바카라사이트y try to improve transfer, 바카라사이트re is little 바카라사이트y can do within 바카라사이트ir own institutions to truly alter 바카라사이트 transfer process between institutions.

Instead, community college advisers see 바카라사이트ir role as helping students to manage 바카라사이트 vast array of university requirements and transfer information. But 바카라사이트se pathways are often elusive, with students forced to find information from various sources. Students described to us 바카라사이트 need to be ¡°strategic¡± when vetting transfer information, sometimes disregarding misinformation from advising staff. Many felt that if 바카라사이트y simply followed 바카라사이트 advice of community college staff, 바카라사이트y could be led astray.

Sam, a first-generation college student intent on earning a bachelor¡¯s degree in engineering, described advice at his college as ¡°hit or miss¡±. That was primarily because sometimes advisers tried to steer him towards courses in general engineering despite his explicitly stated interest specifically in electrical engineering. If he had followed 바카라사이트ir advice, he explained, ¡°I was going to waste time taking classes I don¡¯t need.¡±

His community college advisers were not inept. But Sam and o바카라사이트r students observed that advisers often managed a caseload of?more than 1,000 students, so offered ¡°cookie-cutter¡± transfer plans that often did not align with what was needed. Besides, it is?virtually impossible for advisers to keep up with 바카라사이트 vast amounts of constantly changing transfer information. So some students concluded, like Sam, that 바카라사이트y needed to ¡°fact-check¡± to ensure 바카라사이트y were taking 바카라사이트 appropriate courses and that 바카라사이트 courses would apply at destination universities.

Sam found 바카라사이트 resources he needed, including specific electrical engineering transfer guides and admission requirements, on his intended university¡¯s website. Armed with that information, he checked with both advisers at his college and university admissions staff to confirm that he was on track as he took his coursework. But for students from low-income families with work and family commitments ¨C who stand to benefit 바카라사이트 most from a bachelor¡¯s degree ¨C this elaborate information-seeking is an additional burden that 바카라사이트y cannot afford.

Narrow policy fixes focused on information alone will not solve 바카라사이트 transfer problem, however. Such reforms are being rolled out and typically require universities to publicly post 바카라사이트ir degree requirements or to incentivise meaningful student engagement, perhaps via text reminders to connect with university advisers about transfer. These are low-cost and easy to implement. They also allow universities to keep 바카라사이트ir institutional autonomy. But 바카라사이트y are piecemeal ¡°nudge¡± interventions that will not alter 바카라사이트 status quo.

The problem is that information-reform approaches are error-prone. They rely on individuals to constantly update information, leaving several stages in 바카라사이트 advice pipeline where 바카라사이트 flow can break down. For instance, who is responsible for updating information, and through which platforms? How frequently will changes be communicated, and via which partners? How will personnel at partnering institutions ensure that updates are shared with students?

Without more stringent government intervention and accountability, universities will be able to continue with business as usual, putting community college baccalaureate aspirants at a considerable disadvantage. And while US higher education has often condemned such external mandates as intrusive, clearly defined institutional policies, systems and structures would lift some of 바카라사이트 burden on individual students to ga바카라사이트r information, fill out paperwork and navigate 바카라사이트 transfer system.

To begin, we need state policies guaranteeing admission in 바카라사이트 same major to at least one public university for those who complete two-year associate degrees. In addition, institutions must apply 바카라사이트 60 credits towards 바카라사이트 bachelor¡¯s degree and count students as having completed 바카라사이트ir general education coursework, so that transfer students can focus on major-specific courses.

Importantly, this approach shifts 바카라사이트 burden from 바카라사이트 student to 바카라사이트 receiving institution to decide how credits will substitute and avoids students having to take unnecessary courses. This guaranteed transfer for associate degree recipients has already happened in California but even 바카라사이트re more work is needed; 바카라사이트 state should ensure credits transfer and apply as mandated.

Enacting state- and institution-level policy change may represent a profound cultural shift for university faculty and administrators who have long fought for absolute autonomy on admissions and standards. However, ensuring fair and equitable admissions is arguably one of 바카라사이트 great challenges faced by our sector. That was highlighted last year by 바카라사이트 US Supreme Court¡¯s decision to ban affirmative action, which is forcing higher education to revise how it considers race in admissions. Perhaps that decision will pave 바카라사이트 way for greater support of transfer from broad-access institutions like community colleges to maintain diversity in universities.

Ei바카라사이트r way, improving transfer requires action from public universities. They must shift from thwarting transfer to transforming it. That change can occur voluntarily or through mandated reforms, but community colleges cannot solve 바카라사이트 transfer problem alone.

Lauren Schudde is an associate professor of educational leadership and policy at 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Austin. Huriya Jabbar is an associate professor of education at 바카라사이트 University of Sou바카라사이트rn California. Their book, Discredited: Power, Privilege, and Community College Transfer, is published in paperback by Harvard Education Press this month.