Lessons Learned From National Transfer Reform Efforts

Through decades of higher education evolution, credit transfer has been top of mind for policy makers, institutional leaders and students. From common course numbering to reverse transfer to broader pathways work, policy efforts and national initiatives have sought to ease the process of credit mobility to promote equitable outcomes, particularly for students from low-income backgrounds and persistently minoritized communities. The Education Commission of the States and Sova recently conducted a landscape scan of national transfer reform efforts, priorities and outcomes for the Catalyzing Transfer Initiative funded by the ECMC Foundation. This initiative pulled together seven partner organizations actively seeking solutions to improve transfer outcomes to foster shared learning and collaboration. The partner organizations include the American Association of Community Colleges, the Aspen Institute, the Gardner Institute, HCM Strategists, the Institute for Higher Education Policy, the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association and the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education.