Studies have explored the relationship between travelling non-linear post-secondary (PSE) pathways and student achievement in multiple jurisdictions. This research aims to overcome some of the major challenges faced by scholars in this area by leveraging a new administrative linkage in Ontario, Canada containing detailed information on students'…

Every academic year, millions of college students change institutions before degree completion, confronting the challenge of validating credits across colleges. Despite state-level efforts to legislate strategies for smoother transfers, actual credit recognition relies on non-state-regulated bilateral partnerships that are more (i.e., articulation…

The purpose of this interpretive phenomenological study was to highlight the experiences of undergraduate STEM vertical transfer students. Through the lens of Schlossberg's Transition Theory, this study sought to better understand how students make sense of the transfer credit process and which support structures facilitated their understanding.…

Beginning the path to a bachelor's degree in community college has the potential to be a more cost-effective higher education option. Previous research on transfer students has focused broadly on curriculum alignment, articulation policies, and academic advising in efforts to reduce credit loss. Credit loss can significantly impact transfer…

The rise in students entering higher education in England with vocational qualifications, or a blend of academic and vocational qualifications, has sparked debate about the correlation between qualifications and degree outcomes. Focusing on Sport and Exercise Science students and mobilising Bourdieu's theory of practice, this paper explores…

The purpose of this report is to examine and compare course outlines at BC Transfer System member institutions, and to provide recommendations for course outline content and format to facilitate request for transfer credit. This project examined course outlines and/or syllabi from 36 BC Transfer System member institutions, along with each…

The American Institutes for Research® and rpk GROUP jointly conducted this study to improve understanding of students' experiences and time investment with the college transfer process, and the role of institutional policies, processes, and technologies. Expanding the understanding of the institutional barriers that exist during the transfer…

One-third of all post-secondary students transfer colleges and roughly two-thirds of public 4-year colleges require a minimum college GPA to be eligible for transfer admissions. Yet, little is known about how these policies influence who, when, and where students transfer. This paper studies the minimum transfer admissions requirements at…

CUNY Transfer Explorer (CUNY T-Rex) was developed to simplify the transfer of credits and represents an at-scale technology tool solution that provides transparent and up-to-date information about transfer credit equivalencies to students, faculty, and advisors. In addition to collaborating with CUNY to develop CUNY T-Rex, ITHAKA S+R undertook a…

The City University of New York (CUNY) and Ithaka S+R developed a supportive credit mobility system to overcome barriers in the student transfer process. Launched in May 2020, the City University of New York (CUNY) Transfer Explorer (CUNY T-Rex) exposes course and credit-for-prior-learning (CPL) transfer rules as well as general education and…

To understand the complex nature of learning recognition and credit transfer in American postsecondary education and examine the systemic barriers to entry many students face as they navigate its institutions, Ithaka S+R conducted a series of qualitative interviews in fall 2024 with state and system-level leaders in Idaho, Illinois, Ohio, and the…

Volume is the dominant metaphor underlying the European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS). Credits are used to 'express the volume of learning based on the defined learning outcomes and their associated workload', with the latter based on volume of student effort. But the convenience of volume can leave the first part overlooked, i.e.…

Reverse transfer has been part of the United States post-secondary landscape for more than a decade, in the form of statewide, system-wide, regional, and institutional transfer agreements. Reverse transfer agreements, as structured in the US, allow a college student in an associate degree program who transfers to a university before completing the…

Purpose. The purpose of this qualitative phenomenological study was to focus on college counselors' perspectives and insights when transferring credits from dual enrollment, advanced placement, and International Baccalaureate programs and the impact on at-promise groups in California. Theoretical Framework. The CIPPO model, which consists of…

Background/Context: Community colleges are positioned as a cost-effective way for students to complete the first two years of a bachelor's degree, yet informational barriers to the transfer process are well documented. To transfer, students must overcome informational constraints, navigate bureaucratic hurdles, and resolve conflicting requirements…