Reverse Transfer Serves as a Success Pathway for College Have-Nots

By Michelle Blackwell, National Manager of Reverse Transfer Initiatives, National Student Clearinghouse

The economic recovery has divided the country along an educational fault line with 99 percent of new jobs created during the recession taken by those with postsecondary education, according to a recent report by Georgetown University’s Center on Education and the Workforce. From January 2010 to January 2016, more than 3.1 million people with some college/associate degree were employed versus 80,000 with a high school education or less. “America’s Divided Recovery: College Have and Have-Nots” report shows a greater need for reverse transfer.

Reverse transfer provides an opportunity to change lives for the better. Many students have earned the credits for an associate degree but have not received it. To help students obtain their first degree, reverse transfer of credits is a game changer.

Nationwide, there are approximately 4.4 million students with some college and no degree, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. In its July 2015 Transfer & Mobility report, the Research Center found that seven of eight students who started in a community college and transferred to a four-year institution did not have an associate degree. The Research Center’s Signature Report on Baccalaureate Attainment found that of the students who transferred from a community college without a certificate or associate degree, 44 percent did not have a bachelor’s degree six years later.

To help these students earn their associate degrees and enhance their employment opportunities, colleges and universities across the nation are accepting reverse transfer of credits. This occurs when a four-year institution transfers student credits back to any two-year institution from which a student has transferred. If eligible, the student is then awarded an associate degree. The importance of reverse transfer has been recognized by many colleges and universities as well as states, including Missouri, Ohio, Texas, Tennessee, Florida, North Carolina, Wisconsin, and many more.

To help students earn their associate degree and enhance their employment opportunities, the Clearinghouse’s Reverse Transfer solution offers colleges and universities a one-stop shop toward success.”

Michelle Blackwell
National Student Clearinghouse

Obtaining an associate degree for credit earned provides students with numerous advantages, including:

• Better jobs and increased income while in college
• Lower unemployment rate than those with only a high school diploma or some college
• Greater likelihood to graduate with a bachelor’s degree

Reverse Transfer, from the Clearinghouse, facilitates the exchange of course/grade level data between institutions so that degrees can be awarded. Reverse Transfer:

• Is highly secure
• Covers interstate transfers and public/private transfers
• Provides greater efficiency for awarding degrees

If you are attending the State Higher Education Executive Officers (SHEEO) Annual Meeting, participate in the Reverse Transfer and Equity session from 11:15 a.m. to 12:30 pm on July 13. Other resources include our Reverse Transfer website, video and more!

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