November 15, 2017
CWID Data Note 11: Reverse Credit Transfer and Degree Progress
As reverse credit transfer expands around the country, it is important to understand how receiving an associate’s degree after transfer influences students’ momentum and progress toward their baccalaureate degree. In Data Note 11, researchers share findings that suggest reverse credit transfer can facilitate students’ progress toward the bachelor’s degree.
Some 4-year institutions are concerned that receiving an associate’s degree after transfer (commonly called reverse credit transfer) will divert students from their baccalaureate degree pathway or will entice them to seek employment with a credential in hand. Given that reverse credit transfer is a relatively new phenomenon, there is no published evidence on how receiving the associate’s degree influences students’ retention and bachelor’s degree completion. To help build this understanding, researchers Jason Taylor and Sheena Kauppali analyzed data from three states involved in the Credit When it’s Due initiative.
The results showed that students who received their associate’s degree via reverse credit transfer had higher retention and bachelor’s degree completion rates compared to similarly eligible students who did not receive an associate’s degree. The findings suggest that reverse credit transfer can facilitate students’ progress toward the bachelor’s degree.
For more information on the study, read the full data note below.
Credit When It’s Due (CWID) is a multi-foundation funded, multi-state initiative designed to facilitate the implementation of reverse transfer policies and processes that benefit college students who have transferred from the community college to the bachelor’s level and have not secured an associate’s degree at the time of transfer. CCRI is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research this initiative. Learn more about the full initiative here.