Reverse credit transfer policies and programs are proliferating, and this chapter examines their potential and considers ways to measure and collect data on reverse credit transfer.

Higher education is the surest pathway to a better living and a better life. Yet, the goal of a valuable college credential goes unrealized for too many students, especially students of color and students from low-income backgrounds. Today, more than 36 million Americans have some college credit, but no awarded degree and, the COVID-19 pandemic…

In the past several years, reverse credit transfer programs expanded dramatically at the state and regional levels. Policymakers and institutional leaders recognize the potential of reverse credit transfer to contribute to college completion goals and increase the proportion of adults with a postsecondary credential. More importantly, reverse…

States are taking several distinct approaches to implement reverse transfer policies. Although contextualized by state-specific factors, approaches to policy implementation commonly include determination of a group or regulatory body responsible for policy oversight, technology, funding and identification of students eligible to participate in…

As states have begun to fully implement reverse transfer policies, their reported student-level outcomes data varies widely. Given the infancy of most reverse transfer policy, it is premature to pinpoint any single state action that has served to accelerate or hinder successful degree conferrals. However, taking a deeper look at exemplar state…

Many states are experimenting with mechanisms for making college more affordable while maintaining quality and access. This report examines promising or innovative state programs to improve college affordability and credential attainment. Many of these approaches show innovative thinking and bear watching to see if they result in meaningful…

In its second Signature Report[TM], "Transfer and Mobility: A National View of Pre-Degree Student Movement in Postsecondary Institutions" (Hossler et al., 2012), the National Student Clearinghouse[R] Research Center[TM] found that one-third of all first-time students who began at a four-year institution transferred to or enrolled at a different…

It is widely acknowledged that many postsecondary students no longer follow a traditional path from college entry to degree at a single institution. Increasingly more students attend multiple institutions, transferring once, twice, or even three times before earning a degree. Standard institution-based reporting tends to ignore these students,…

Reducing socioeconomic differences in college transfer requires understanding how and why parental education, occupational class, and family income are associated with changing colleges. Building on prior studies of traditional community college transfer, the authors explore relationships between those factors and two types of transfer among…

In this column the author summarises what is known about student transfer between the vocational education and training (VET) and higher education sectors. Transfer occurs when a student who has enrolled in one sector subsequently commences a qualification in the other. Some students have completed their first qualification, but some have not. The…

Reverse transfer has recently become a topic of interest. There are concerns that some university graduates are having a difficult time finding good jobs and are enrolling in community college programs to make themselves competitive in the job market. To assess the extent of reverse transfer, the Commission conducted an analysis combining…

This article considers national Australian data on reverse transfer--the transfer of students from bachelor programs or higher to sub baccalaureate programs, institutions and sectors. It finds that previous studies have overstated the prevalence and perhaps also the significance of reverse transfer. The data are not good, but the best conclusion…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) conducts surveys of postsecondary students to inform policymakers and the general public on a variety of issues facing higher education in the United States. An American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) researcher prepared this brief using data from NCES's Baccalaureate and Beyond…

In this article, the authors discuss the alternate degree paths for both non-traditional and traditional students and offer ways for institutions to accommodate nontraditional students. Students attend multiple institutions of higher education for myriad reasons. Increasingly common, a student may start a four-year institution and then do a…

This exploratory study uses document analysis to ascertain how the enrollment of reverse transfer students in community colleges has been interpreted over time to fit with the community college mission. Indicates that reverse transfer student enrollment has been justified under a variety of rationales, including providing a second chance for these…