Trends Shaping Higher Education
Reverse Transfer: Giving Credit Where Credit is Due
PHOTO © WAYNE0216
In a recent blog post concerning
education trends he expects to see
in 2017, Todd Zipper, president and
chief executive officer at Learning
House, indicates that he expects
“reverse transfer” to be a trend that
continues well into 2017.
Reverse transfer enables course
and grade data to be transferred from
a four- or two-year institution to any
two-year institution in order to award
associate degrees to eligible students.
Eligible students can then receive a
first associate degree that accurately
reflects their educational attainment
and allows them to compete more
successfully in higher education and
the workforce. Studies have shown
that students who earn an associate
degree before transferring to a
four-year institution are more likely
to complete a bachelor’s degree than
students who transfer before earning
their associate degree.
Zipper points out that the University
of Hawai’i at West O’ahu has
used the reverse transfer program to
award more than 1,400 associate degrees
in the last two academic years,
an increase in the average number
of associate degrees awarded of 18
percent. He also observes that as
recently as this past November, the
Alabama Community College System
and all of that state’s public universities
have adopted reverse transfer
policies.
The National Student Clearinghouse
provides more detailed information
on reverse transfer programs
at reversetransfer.org.