By: John Mullane, President, College Transfer Solutions, sponsored by DegreeSight
Whether you are currently attending college and looking to transfer to a new school or a former college student looking to return and complete a degree, one of the most important questions to ask before enrolling in a new school is, “How many of my credits will transfer and apply to my degree?”
While the cost of college is always a concern, that final cost ultimately depends on how many credits will successfully transfer and how long it will then take to complete a bachelor’s degree.
This will take some extra effort, but in the end it can save you lots of time and money and make a bachelor’s degree more affordable and accessible.
John Mullane, College Transfer Solutions
The Transfer Dilemma
The largest barrier to a transfer student completing a bachelor’s degree is losing credits when transferring to a four-year institution. The more credits they lose, the less likely they are to be able to complete their degree. When schools reject credits, they force students to pay twice to retake courses. This not only costs students more time and more money, but it also drives up the overall cost of a degree.
There are several steps that can be taken to get those rejected credits to transfer. This will take some extra effort, but in the end it can save you lots of time and money and make a bachelor’s degree more affordable and accessible.
The average transfer student loses more than 40 percent of their credits. My previous research, as well as data from the National Center for Education Statistics and the Government Accountability Office, suggests that the average community college student who transfers to a public four-year institution—the most common transfer path—loses an average of 20 percent of their credits. This loss of credits is equivalent to almost an entire semester of coursework and can delay a student’s time to graduate.
One of the major reasons schools give for rejecting credits is that they claim the transfer courses are not comparable or as rigorous as the ones offered at their institution. They also say that if students don’t retake those courses, they won’t be academically prepared for upper-division classes. However, this excuse is simply not true. My previous research has shown that the more credits a student can successfully transfer to a school, the better they do academically and the more likely they are to graduate from that institution.
My research has also shown that tuition cost is not the biggest factor when students decide where to transfer. How many credits a student can successfully transfer and whether or not they can graduate on time appear to be far more important. In some cases, a private college that accepts all of your credits may be more affordable in the long run than a state university that rejects your credits and delays your graduation. Another factor to consider is the lost wages of spending an extra semester or year in school.
The Total Market Is Declining, But Transfers Are Increasing!
While the number of students enrolled in college has been declining, the percentage of students transferring has been increasing. Colleges that do the best job serving transfer students will be the ones to thrive over the next several years. With the coronavirus pandemic creating so much uncertainty about the future and the economy, I expect many students will look to transfer schools to take courses closer to home and save money.
According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, 38 percent of all college students will transfer at least once before completing a bachelor’s degree. The vast majority of students transfer either into or out of a community college. Inefficient transfer-credit systems cause many community college students to transfer before finishing their associate’s degree. For those who start at a community college, only 5.6 percent of students transfer after earning an associate’s degree at their starting institution.
Currently, there are over 36 million American adults who have attended college, earned credits, and dropped out without earning a degree. Community college transfer students represent 49 percent of all students who complete bachelor’s degrees in the United States.
A report from the NSC Research Center shows that the more colleges a student attends, the longer it takes to get a degree. This is a major reason why many students do not graduate on time. Most students take 5.1 years to get a bachelor’s degree. At public four-year colleges, it takes 5.2 years; at public two-year colleges, it takes 3.4 years to earn an associate’s degree.
How to Get All of Your Credits to Transfer
In order to graduate on time, it is crucial to ensure that your credits transfer. There are specific steps you can take to have rejected credits transfer and apply to your degree:
- Submit Complete Transcripts: Make sure the schools have transcripts from every college you have attended. There are also other ways that college credits can be earned—such as Advanced Placement courses in high school and military credits. If you have knowledge and training in certain subjects, you can take a CLEP exam.
- Credit for Experience: Another option is to see if the college will award credit for work or life experience. For example, if you spent the past few years working at a software company and are pursuing a degree in computer science, meet with a professor in that department to see if you can receive credit for that experience. Or, if you have been a manager for 10 years, do you really need to take Principles of Management?
- Use Online Degree Tools: Some institutions offer online degree-evaluation tools that allow you to input your credits, pick a major, and see how those credits would transfer to that school or a consortium of schools.
According to David Cook, the CEO of DegreeSight, who developed a product that allows students to keep track of their full transcripts and oversee the submission of those courses to multiple schools,
“It is incredibly important to make the transfer process as simple and transparent as possible for students if we’re going to help them finish their degree. It’s a win for everybody, reducing fear for students while helping them and their families save valuable time and money.”
Review Your Transfer Evaluation Carefully
When you receive your transfer-credit evaluation, look closely to see how many of your courses and credits were eligible to transfer and how many of those credits actually applied to your bachelor’s degree. By this, I mean:
- How many credits met general education requirements?
- How many credits met major requirements?
- How many credits fell into the “open elective” category—credit that counts toward graduation but is not applied to a specific major requirement and ends up in a bucket of excess credits?
Credits Being “Accepted” but Not Applying to Your Degree…
A bachelor’s degree requires a certain number of general education credits, major credits, and electives. A common trick that colleges use is they claim they will accept up to 60 or 90 credits from transfer students, but then assign many of those credits to “elective” categories instead of the student’s major. For example, courses in biology, engineering, business, or computer science may transfer in as elective credits rather than the same course within your major. This can force you to retake courses, costing you both time and money.
This tactic makes it appear that all your credits were accepted, when in fact you may have to retake courses. The average transfer student loses over 12 credits—almost an entire semester of work. Even students who follow all the proper steps (identify a transfer destination and major early, follow a Transfer and Articulation agreement when one exists, reach out to the four-year school for advising) can still find that not all courses transfer. Many Transfer and Articulation agreements are very broad and contain loopholes that make it difficult for credits to transfer.
When in Doubt, Appeal
After you receive your transfer evaluation, appeal the decision. Transfer evaluations are usually done by the admissions office, which may be responsible for hundreds or even thousands of evaluations. Many students don’t appeal these decisions, or their appeal may consist of just a follow-up conversation or email with the staff member who did the initial evaluation. However, this small effort can save you thousands of dollars.
The next step is to speak with the academic department at your potential transfer school that handles the courses that were rejected. For example, if your business courses were rejected, speak directly with the business department. Colleges are often decentralized, meaning that faculty in each department decide which courses they will—and will not—accept. Departments can also offer “course substitutions,” allowing a student to take an alternate course that fulfills the major requirement.
Many students don’t appeal these decisions, or their appeal may only consist of having a follow-up conversation or email with the staff member or office that did the initial evaluation. But when this can save you thousands, it’s worth fighting for.
Find out if that department has a designated faculty member who handles transfer students. If they don’t, reach out to the department chair directly.
Come Prepared…
Before meeting with faculty or transfer counselors, gather as much information as possible. The more prepared you are, the more likely you will be to get those credits accepted. This preparation also shows that you are organized and responsible.
- Transfer Evaluation: Have a copy of your transfer evaluation showing which courses were accepted and which were rejected.
- Official Transcripts: Bring copies of your transcripts from all previous institutions, highlighting the grades you received in those courses.
- Course Descriptions & Syllabi: Provide course descriptions for any rejected courses. Many colleges have these available on their websites. Some faculty may request the actual syllabus. If you are unable to obtain the syllabus, let the faculty member know—some will accept course catalogs as a substitute.
- Relevant Training/Certifications: If you have any professional training or certifications relevant to your major, bring documentation. These can sometimes count toward elective or experiential credit.
Scan all documents into PDFs that can be emailed in advance or shared on screen if meeting virtually. The goal is to make the faculty member’s job as easy as possible.
Don’t Be Afraid to Make Your Case
During the meeting, discuss your academic performance in the rejected courses as well as your knowledge of the subject matter. Explain how hard you have worked to reach this point in your academic career. You can also reference data showing that transfer students often perform just as well—if not better—academically than students who start at four-year schools as freshmen.
Transfer students do just as well, if not better, academically, as students who start at four-year schools as freshmen.
I have spent over a decade working with transfer students, and I have even witnessed cases where a four-year school wanted to speak directly with the faculty member who taught an equivalent course to verify content coverage.
If the department still refuses to accept your credits after all of this preparation, ask whether there is any other way to demonstrate your mastery of the subject matter. Options include:
- An assessment or challenge exam
- A portfolio showcasing your prior knowledge and experience
Yes, this process can be time-consuming and frustrating, but in the end, it can save you significant time and money and help you achieve your academic and career goals.
“It’s worth it!”
John Mullane is president and founder of College Transfer Solutions, LLC. College Transfer Solutions provides research, policy advocacy, and consulting to help colleges and universities better serve transfer students.
DegreeSight is a company that helps students track their course credits and submit them to multiple colleges at once, helping students save thousands and graduate on time.
000ff;”>College Transfer Solutions, LLC. College Transfer Solutions provides research, policy advocacy, and consulting to help colleges and universities better serve transfer students.
DegreeSight is a company that helps students track their course credits and submit them to multiple colleges at once, helping students save thousands and graduate on time.
