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State Policies to Improve Student Transfer

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Many students attend more than one institution of higher education before earning a degree. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, one-third of students move from one college to another during their postsecondary career. Students transfer from two-year colleges to four-year institutions, transfer across colleges in the same sector and sometimes transfer from four-year colleges to two-year schools. Among the reasons students transfer are family responsibilities, tuition costs, college fit and availability of online courses. Most community colleges have significantly lower tuition costs than four-year universities; thus a growing number of students who aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree see community colleges as a more affordable place to begin their college career. States can help students successfully earn degrees by implementing transfer and articulation policies that prevent loss of already earned credits and valuable time. Transfer policies also help states save money because fewer tuition subsidy dollars are spent on students who can efficiently transfer between colleges without losing time and credits.

Legislators can strengthen the pathway between community and four-year colleges by developing effective state transfer and articulation policies. Such polices can create a coherent, statewide procedure for transferring; establish a common course numbering system throughout the state higher education system; identify a general education core that is accepted by all institutions; and facilitate direct transfer of a two-year degree to a four-year university. Other strategies states are considering include maintaining a website to host information about the transfer process, establishing a reverse transfer policy and creating transfer pathways. This brief reviews these state policy options and discusses the benefits of such policies to colleges, students and the state.

In This Brief

Download this brief to learn more about:

• Common Course Numbering
• Transfer of Two-Year Degrees to Four-Year Universities
• General Education Core Curriculum
• Transfer and Articulation Websites
• Reverse Transfer Pathways
• The Politics of Transfer Policies

Also included in the brief is a 50-state table on state transfer and articulation policies.