Se Denver News

Washington, D.C. — U.S. Representatives Joe Neguse (D-CO-02), John Curtis (R-UT-03), and Joaquin Castro (D-TX-20), along with Senators Mark R. Warner (D-VA) and Mike Braun (R-IN) introduced legislation to ensure students can receive a degree or certification when they have earned sufficient credits. This bill will remove bureaucratic obstacles that make it more difficult for students to receive a degree or certification. The Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act of 2023 would facilitate the “reverse transferring” of college credits – the process of transferring credits from a four-year institution to a two-year institution in which a student was previously enrolled in order to identify whether they have earned enough credits to receive a degree. 

Specifically, the Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act would allow a college or university to share a student’s academic records with another institution that the student previously attended under the condition that the information is sent with the goal of conferring a degree, and under the condition that the student would like to receive that degree.

“Every student deserves the opportunity to receive a quality education and pursue their career aspirations. The Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act helps to ensure that students can receive credit and earn an associate’s degree or short-term certificate regardless of where they completed their coursework, breaking down barriers to better-paying jobs for students. This is a meaningful step for the future,” said Rep. Neguse.

“I am pleased to join in introducing the Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act. Utah is home to great schools with many students who begin their education at a community college and finish at a university,” said Rep. Curtis. “This bill will improve data sharing between higher education institutions by allowing a student to continue earning credits towards an Associate’s degree at community college, even after transferring to a university, boosting student earning potential and student retention.”

“Texas students shouldn’t have to jump through hoops to get the degrees they earned,” said Rep. Castro. “The Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act will help community college transfer students get better jobs and career opportunities as they work toward a bachelor’s degree. Critically, the bill will also help reduce the number of Texans who leave school with debt but no degree and send a powerful message that all education is valuable, even when life circumstances put a four-year degree out of reach.”

“We should be removing barriers to higher education, not building new ones. This commonsense legislation is a no-brainer, making sure that students are granted the degrees they have rightfully earned through their coursework – no matter where it was completed,” said Sen. Warner.

“Considering the crisis of student debt weighing on our next generations, we need to make it easier for students to seek cost-effective education choices. This bill will enable students to transfer credits from 4 year institutions to community colleges,” said Sen. Braun.

The legislation is co-sponsored in the Senate by Senators Mazie Hirono (HI), John Hickenlooper (CO), and Elizabeth Warren (MA).

The National Student Clearinghouse, an educational nonprofit that verifies enrollment data, has identified over four million individuals that have completed enough credit hours at a four-year institution to be eligible for an associate’s degree, but instead withdrew without a degree or certificate. In Colorado, this is over 60,000 students.

“Over the last decade, we’ve seen a significant increase in the number of transfer students in Colorado who complete courses at two and four-year institutions but have no degree to show for their hard work. This legislation is an important step in the right direction to help hundreds of thousands of students nationwide get the degree they have earned. We commend Representative Neguse and Senator Hickenlooper for prioritizing this effort that will support outcomes for so many students and enable them to better compete for jobs that provide family-sustaining wages,” said Chancellor Joe Garcia, Colorado Community College System.

“This legislation allows colleges to inform students that an evaluation of their credits has been completed and they are eligible to earn a degree, significantly increasing the number of associate degrees awarded,” said Dr. Angie Paccione, executive director of the Colorado Department of Higher Education. “We know that translating these credits to a degree helps ensure these students not only get a return on their initial investment but that we remain competitive in local and global economies— creating a more skilled and credentialed workforce.”

Read bill text HERE.

Original source can be found here