How do articulation agreements help transfer students?
Generally, articulation agreements document a pathway between two or more colleges or universities and their academic programs. Articulation agreements are also called transfer agreements, transfer guides, and transfer pathways by various audiences. What is important to note is that there are three perspectives of articulation agreements: one by student/learner, one by the sender college and one by the receiving institution.
From one sense, articulation agreements attempt to simplify the college transition assuming it leads to continued enrollment in a 4yr institution's program. The sending college benefits by marketing the acceptability of their program and courses - drafting on the senior 4yr institution's brand. The 4yr institution benefits by cutting recruiting costs and finding college ready students ready to fill seats lost to students who were not retained. The student benefits by following very specific course plans avoiding taking courses that are not applicable - reducing the loss of course credits often a result of adhoc enrollment.
Colleges and universities publish articulation agreements after reviewing the curriculum and the level of instruction - then agreeing on how courses completed at a community college for instance, will satisfy course requirements at the future 4yr institution. Academic Departments usually work together to draft and publish the agreements which can take a few months of work to prepare as guidelines.
Transfer agreements usually narrow the range of course options by providing a checklist - or sequence of what courses should be taken to satisfy degree requirements while attending a community college or online school.
From another sense, transfer agreements simplify the complexity of determining what courses to take. They should eliminate the guess work regarding transferability. Following articulation agreements should save students time and money - an important benefit coping with the escalating cost of higher education alternatives.
Transfer Articulation Agreements are generally developed for specialized professional or technical programs offered at colleges (e.g., Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Fine Arts (AFA), Associate of Applied Science (AAS), diplomas, certificates) that can be applied to a specific four year program/major at the receiving university.
Explore the largest database of transfer articulation agreements right here on CollegeTransfer.Net. Instead of hunting for agreements spread across thousands of websites - and often never posted publicly, we have taken the time to collect, codify and publish transfer agreements by institution.
Community colleges are optimal venues to begin one's postsecondary education.
Starting at a community college may be driven by financial reasons, seeking to explore career opportunities, flexible schedules, career interests, or addressing how best to deal with low high school grades, among other reasons. However, in today's competitive job market, many of us are deciding at some point to continue our education beyond a two-year program. Checking out the available articulation agreements with four year institutions before investing a great deal of time in courses is a prudent step to take early in one's college career if you know you will eventually need or want a four year degree.
Continuing beyond a two-year education requires transferring to a four-year or senior institution. One of the most important parts of the transfer process is reviewing courses at each school to determine which are comparable and applicable for transfer. This may be done on an ad hoc basis checking course to course equivalencies, but to make the most efficient use of dollars and time spent on courses it is wise to research and compare any formal articulation agreements that are currently in existence.
Articulation means how courses count toward degree requirements. Some state laws have been passed mandating how courses taken at public two-year institutions must count toward degree requirements at public four-year institutions within that state. The challenge though is that not all regional schools are in one state and many students leave one state for another. These statewide articulation agreements are generally focused on community college to four-year public universities within the state. They oftentimes don't safeguard student courses taken at schools out of state or at other four-year schools and how they would count toward another four-year school's degree requirements. This is especially true when your major or concentration changes.
Which institutions usually have transfer articulation agreements? Most transfer articulation agreements are between institutions within a particular geographic area or between public community and four-year colleges within a state system of higher education. Schools often promote the ease of transferability between themselves as a way to attract students to their institutions. Four-year colleges often have detailed articulation agreements with a particular community college that span a time frame of acceptance, whereby that two-year school is feeding most of the transfer students to the four-year. Dual Admissions programs can also be found where applications to both schools are submitted at the same time, with the agreement that the student may transfer to the four-year college if the associate degree is completed at the community college. Completion is key, or you risk losing credits.
Why should students research transfer articulation agreements prior to choosing a community college? With more than 1,200 community colleges in the United States serving approximately 13 million students, community colleges have become an essential part of postsecondary education. Competitiveness for jobs in the United States has challenged institutions to boost graduation rates and has challenged students to successfully complete a baccalaureate degree. A student's chances of successfully transferring are greatly improved when community colleges and four-year institutions work together to ensure that the majority of credits earned at the community college count toward their degree.
If students follow published articulation agreements and complete the coursework according to plan, they are benefited by completing their coursework sooner and having more financial and career options.
How should students begin researching their options? The first step a student can take is to check the Transfer Agreement Search on CollegeTransfer.Net to narrow down your possible targets. We have thousands of published transfer agreements on file in one place. Many community colleges also provide detailed information one their transfer profile page which you can find by name, location and other characteristics.
Check out the Transfer Profile Search on CollegeTransfer.Net and link to community college career resources, transfer policies, advising centers and more as you narrow down your search.
Consider and reference the State-by-State education resources we have compiled to see if there are overriding academic and enrollment policies that may help you clear hurdles involving getting in, getting credit for prior coursework and getting through the coursework remaining to finish your degree.
In summary, there are thousands of individual transfer guides, transfer agreements and articulation agreements that are promoted by community colleges, senior institutions and education agencies. They generally focus on a specific area of study and help students who complete two years of college (or college level learning) before attending the four-year program. Transfer agreements are really guidelines that highlight an acknowledgement and partnership between schools that is worth following to avoid the often costly process of credit transfer.
Check out our Transfer Agreement Search to find published agreements between institutions.
