ATLANTA — Southern Regional Education Board states have made progress in the past decade in helping students transfer between public two- and four-year colleges, but they need to monitor policies more carefully so that transfer students have clearer paths to a college degree, a new report shows.
Clearing Paths to College Degrees: Transfer Policies in SREB States details policies SREB states have implemented in the last 10 years to improve student transfer and outlines improvements many states need to make.
"States need to do all they can to raise the number of students — especially from traditionally undereducated groups — who earn college degrees," said SREB President Dave Spence. "Effective college transfer policies are key to helping students who earn credits from two or more institutions apply all of their credits toward a college degree."
States need comprehensive, statewide policies that help students at two-year colleges know precisely which courses will transfer directly to four-year colleges and meet graduation requirements. By eliminating confusion, wasted courses and expenses, the report argues, more students in SREB states will find easier paths to four-year degrees.
The report holds Florida as an example of a state with a comprehensive statewide policy that allows for relatively easy transfers among public colleges.
It also identifies key elements that successful transfer programs in some SREB states use to ensure that students can transfer credits from one institution to another with relative ease. Chief among them are: common course numbering systems that use common titles, numbers and descriptions for comparable courses at public two- and four-year colleges across the state; guarantees of transfer that ensure that students who complete associate’s degrees at two-year colleges will be classified as juniors when they transfer to a public four-year college in the state; and transfer guides, which can be Web-based, that inform students and advisers about course transferability from one institution to another, remaining degree requirements and other details.
For more information on your state’s transfer policies, contact SREB Communications or go to "Latest Reports" at www.sreb.org to access the full report.
SREB, a nonprofit and nonpartisan organization based in Atlanta, Georgia, advises state education leaders on ways to improve education. SREB was created in 1948 by Southern governors and legislatures to help leaders in education and government work cooperatively to advance education and improve the social and economic life of the region. SREB has 16 member states: Alabama, Arkansas, Delaware, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Louisiana, Maryland, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia and West Virginia. Each is represented by its governor and four gubernatorial appointees.
Southern Regional Education Board
592 10th Street NW
Atlanta, GA 30318-5776
(404) 875-9211
