Alabama Community College System and Public Universities to Offer Reverse Transfer
All Alabama Community College System and public universities across the state recently announced a new agreement that will allow students to transfer credits from four-year institutions back to a two-year institution in order to earn a degree, through a process commonly known as reverse transfer.
Reverse transfer allows students to receive an associate degree that accurately reflects their educational attainment and allows them to compete more successfully in higher education and the workforce.
“The National Student Clearinghouse will work with these Alabama institutions to ensure students earn their associate degree via reverse transfer,” said Michelle Blackwell, National Manager of Reverse Transfer Initiatives at the Clearinghouse.
“To date across the nation, more than 15,000 students have earned degrees due to reverse transfer partnerships. My Clearinghouse colleagues and I think that 2 million students might qualify for an associate degree via reverse transfer.”
“Many people understand that you can take courses at community colleges, transfer those credits to a university, and apply them toward a four-year degree,” said Jimmy Baker, acting chancellor of the Alabama Community College System. “Our new agreement makes it possible for students to transfer credits in the other direction, too, helping them to attain a recognized credential they can use in the workplace or as they further their education.”
In helping students get degrees from two-year colleges, Alabama’s reverse transfer agreement will improve completion rates, which is a major objective at all levels of education. To be eligible for a reverse transfer, students must have earned at least 25 percent of the credits they need for a degree from a community college and have earned at least three semester hours from the four-year institution as part of the overall associate degree requirements.
“This agreement exemplifies the way that Alabama’s educational institutions can work together for the greater good,” said State Senator Gerald Dial. “It demonstrates our collective commitment to giving our students every opportunity to succeed.”
“The National Student Clearinghouse will work with these Alabama institutions to ensure students earn their associate degree via reverse transfer.”
Michelle Blackwell
National Manager of Reverse Transfer Initiatives, National Student Clearinghouse
