Switching colleges and transferring courses from one school to another crosses a lot of college student minds. 60% of 4-year graduates every year have transferred at least once before completing their degree. College transfer is not just about switching colleges, campuses or schools. Academic credit transfer also covers other forms of petitioning for course credit, its award and how the credits count (or don't) toward degree requirements.
There are many good reasons motivating students to transfer, necessitating questions about how a student's academic work is valued and assessed. Transfer is generally a voluntary process. In some cases, transfer may occur for reasons outside the control of the student such as a school closure or an event like the floods in New Orleans which closed many schools and forced enrolled students to transfer to other schools Many had to also transfer their course work and petition for course transfer not knowing where they would end up earning their degree. From being closer to home to just not being satisfied with a school's academics, the list goes on and on. Most students have the misconception that transferring to a new college is a bad thing, but it can actually help student in the long run. Here are some of the top reasons students transfer to a new college:
Two-year to a four-year: 35% of transfer students are community college students looking to finish their 4-year degree. One of the main reasons why students transfer is because they are leaving a 2-year school and want to attend a 4-year school with the intent of earning a baccalaureate degree. If you are a community college student, be proactive and find out early how to transfer to a 4-year as you plan courses and select your concentration.
Four-year to two-year: 15% of transfer students reverse transfer. This is moving from a 4-year institution to a 2-year institution. Students are motivated by disappointment when the college experience turns out to be not what was expected. Draining financial resources also has a major impact. Some students just want to slow down. Situations change. Reverse transfer students often are trying to save costs and intend on transferring back to the 4-year program.
Sports transfer: This is a category of transfer that has been governed by athletic associations, rather than the academic institutions directly. Student transfers can occur because the coach and student have too much friction, the opportunity for playing is diminished or expectations are not well addressed.
Military transfer: Part of the benefit of the GI Bill and the recruiting benefits for families of Veterans and those in active duty is the ability to take college course work across a network of colleges and universities and earn a college degree across more than one institution. One school acts as the home college, or originating school, where the degree would be earned. The home school acts as the transcripting institution. Course transfer then occurs back to the home institution. If the institution accepts the course work, it is transcribed and matched with degree requirements. The subtle challenge for Military transfer is that some servicemen will change their home institution or change majors, resulting in re-assessment of their prior learning.
Moving away and out of town: A student moving across town, out of county and out of state is a growing challenge for higher education. We are a mobile nation. Some regions and states deal with higher mobility rates than others. We move for various reasons. Some move because of a job opportunity. Others move because of climate. Some move to get away from changes in their personal relationships.
Corporate transfer: Similar to moving, a person can be fully employed and enrolled in college when their job takes them away from a region. Some can be transferred overseas or across the US, stopping their education in mid-course. They also complete corporate university courses, which have been reviewed by American Council on Education (ACE). ACE makes credit recommendations for corporate university courses, and they are accepted by many colleges and universities treating the corporate training as course work transferred into the academic program.
Online and Distant Learning courses: The convenience offered by online courses is another reason why college transfer has mushroomed. Students can take courses anywhere, anytime. The impact on course transfer assessments is problematic since many online programs are not regionally accredited. This affects the perception of college transfer and how credits earned from online courses are assessed, counted or discarded often due to issues of accreditation.
Summer courses: Many students take courses from schools outside their institution over the summer, outside their region and even outside our country when they travel. They then apply for course transfer after completing the summer courses thinking they have saved time and money. Transfer assessment performed by your school requires that you get approval from your academic advisor before taking any classes outside your home institution, but you should also check with the Registrar and the team who validates and articulates transfer credit. The course transfer evaluation process will be impacted by the evaluator’s knowledge of the source institutions to determine the level of acceptability and applicability of course work to the receiving curriculum. It is always best to check course transfer acceptance before you enroll. Published course equivalencies can reveal comparability, but you still need to make sure your advisor accepts the course work from another institution.
Switching majors: When you change your major, you may realize that your school isn’t offering that particular major. When this happens, you’re not going to have any choice but to transfer and switch colleges. Changing your major impacts how course credits are counted and often requires additional course work. Switching from Nursing to Marketing, for example, may mean that some of the health care courses overtax your electives because they aren't relevant to your new major. You will likely end up taking more courses to satisfy the degree requirements.
Restarting and returning to college: When you’re ready to look for a new college that offers your major, you’re going to have to research going back to college from different perspectives such as time, availability and convenience. Make sure you take your time to find a new school and study the programs offered before enrolling. There are over 40 million adults in the U.S. alone with some college level experience that never finished college. There are millions more across the world. As circumstances evolve, such as unemployment and recognition of the need for further education, students return to college to earn a credential and to gain the training they are looking to expand their job opportunities.
Social circumstances: In the beginning of any endeavor, we usually feel uncomfortable with new settings especially when everyone is a stranger. It may be a roommate issue, or the sharing or lack of it in the residence halls to the rules governing dating, cars, drinking, parties and other social circumstances. Some can adapt quicker than others. Attending college will take us out of our comfort zone. You might feel uneasy with the school, the people, the environment and the expectations. That is why 45% of students attending a 4-year program, many away from home, will transfer out or stop-out all together within their first two years of starting their studies. Social circumstances may impact you more than you think. Feeling isolated without friends may be just too much.
Moving back home: Anything from not making friends to the new surroundings or just not liking the campus, might be depressing and make you miss the people back home. Moving thousands of miles away and spending all that money on college may be just too much to take when the confusion and isolation set in. Most students contemplate giving up and moving back home. As the weeks go on, some students learn to adapt. If you find yourself still disliking your school after one year, you should look into transferring to another school to accommodate your feelings and needs.
Not a good fit: Another main reason that students transfer is that they find the school is not what they thought it would be. What is fit? It may you don't feel adequately challenged academically. Fit is subjective. The challenge to stick with it and get through the rough spots may take too much out of you. Whatever you do, don't bad mouth your old school to your next school. Keep a positive view of learning and the circumstances why things did not work out as planned.
Financial reasons: If you find yourself in a financial bind, you may want to look into going to a different school since they all vary when it comes down to money. You’ll be surprised at how much some schools differ from each other. The expensive institutions wrap discounting with various methods. There are many ways to find money to pay for school, not just taking out loans. Make sure you do your research when looking for an alternative school and financial aid options. How much will it cost you to complete is a different question than how much is the tuition. If you think you want to transfer schools for financial reasons, you’re not alone. Just make sure that you think your decision through.
Changing career directions: Many students already have a college degree and are looking to shift their focus from what they have specialized in already. Earning a second college degree in another subject can involve getting credit for some of the course work they previously had taken, like management courses or marketing courses. The practices across schools vary.
Life and work experience: How does life and work experience count toward a student's program area of interest? Courses in a new program of study and major can be skipped when evidence of knowledge is presented. The offset of course credits earned through PLA (prior learning assessment) for instance, are treated like course transfer credits with pass/fail. Grades from PLA are usually not counted, nor included in the overall or major GPA. Whatever courses you can skip will surely help your wallet.
Academic challenge: Many students take two, three and even four years of course work and near the end of their studies when their GPA drops below acceptable levels. This happens a lot in the later semesters and terms when the subjects become more specialized and difficult. What do you do with 100 credits in a Veterinary Program when your GPA falls below 2.0? Some try to find a to improve and stick with the program, others lose credits when they change pathways.
International transfer: Study abroad and students coming to the U.S. to complete their degree are treated like transfer students. Transcripts are reviewed and course work assessed. Course transfer or some level of rigor to review the validity of the source of international education impacts those that assess. Study abroad with cooperating institutions nominate students and formally oversee their educational activities. Course work credit and degree requirements are usually satisfied by a block or term base.
Self-paced, open courseware transfer: This will have a huge impact in the future. Students explore self-paced, online learning courses that are offered by across hundreds of universities on the web today. The open courses enable students to study and learn at their own pace, but have little support services compared to traditional courses or other online courses for which a student pays. Still, these courses do get assessed and the learning is counted as transfer credit.
Testing out of courses: Millions of students annually take advanced placement courses with the idea that some of the courses early in their college career can be skipped when their test scores reveal comprehension and knowledge. Testing out is also supported by the DSST, CLEP and other test instruments prepared by departments and their faculty. The course work is treated like course transfer credits when accepted.