Lost course credits dash college dreams and workforce opportunities

Money, family and work obligations are often cited as major impediments to a student’s pursuit of a college or university degree. Another insidious — and avoidable — setback occurs when students belatedly discover that credits amassed at a community college will not be accepted at a four-year institution.

This denial can crush dreams, which is why we support the Transparency for Transfer Students Act, a measure that U.S. Rep. Joaquin Castro, D-San Antonio, recently introduced to give students an opportunity to make the right decisions about their educational future.

Given the cost of higher education, many students start their advanced education journey at community colleges, which cost less and often better accommodate work schedules and family obligations. According to the American Association of Community Colleges, 30% of community college students transfer to four-year universities to continue their studies but have about 40% of their previous earned credits rejected, requiring them to spend time and more money to repeat courses.

The irony is that federal law requires schools to disclose their credit-transfer policies and the institutions with which they have agreements to accept credits. But the letter of the law doesn’t always match up with the real world.

A Government Accountability Office report in 2017 urged the Department of Education to require schools to be more forthcoming about their credit-transfer policies and estimated that only about 68% of schools actually listed this information. This is a particularly serious problem for community college students who may not receive helpful guidance in selecting credit-courses that would be accepted at a four-year institution.

The Transparency for Transfer Students Act would amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to require two- and four-year schools to post financial aid information and transfer deadlines on their websites and list the schools from which a student’s credits are guaranteed to be accepted.

Students need to know transfer requirements as soon as possible so that they can make an informed decision without any surprises. Otherwise, students are left to piece together information and hope for the best. Transfer students need more years to complete their undergraduate degree than students who start at a four-year university directly out of high school.

Texas has recognized this problem and taken significant steps to remedy it. Dallas College, which is Dallas County’s community college system, provides a pathway for course credit to be accepted at Texas public colleges and universities and for credits from other institutions to be accepted at Dallas College. Every institution must do a better job of helping students realize their dreams.

Castro’s bill won’t remedy all transfer problems, but it should provide students with easier access to the information they need to make smart education decisions. Earning a degree is stressful enough without an educational bureaucracy making it more difficult.

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