College Articulation Agreements: How They Help Transfer Students
Articulation agreements are agreements between higher education institutions that facilitate the transfer of course credits from one school to another. They are most commonly found between community colleges and four-year public colleges and universities within the same state, although they are becoming more common between other types of schools as well. As more students are attending community colleges to start their education and then transferring to four-year schools to earn their bachelor's degree, articulation agreements are becoming valuable tools that ensure smooth transitions.
When planning a college education that involves more than one school, students should consider schools that have articulation agreements in place. The existence of an articulation agreement can ensure credit will be given for all courses taken and will ensure the transfer process is simple and straightforward.
Goals
A general goal of public colleges and universities is to increase the number of people who earn college degrees. There has been a recent shift in emphasis to focus specifically on increasing the number of bachelor's degrees earned. To facilitate this, articulation agreements are being created between community colleges and public four-year schools to increase the likelihood that a student who completes a two-year program will continue with their education and complete a bachelor's degree.
To meet these goals, articulation agreements:
- Stipulate what courses are transferrable and to what programs so that students know ahead of time what courses they should take.
- Encourage community colleges to offer programs that are the equivalent to the first two years of a four-year degree program.
- Make the transfer process less cumbersome and more transparent for students.
Contents
These agreements itemize which courses at a particular school can be transferred to another school or program at a school. In some cases, an articulation agreement will state that an entire associate's degree will be accepted for transfer. Transferrable courses are typically general education requirement courses, also known as core courses, which prepare students for upper-level courses specific to a major.
State-wide Agreements
Some states, such as North Carolina and Florida, have statewide articulation agreements that cover all of their public community colleges and public universities. In other cases such as Colorado, there are articulation agreements that cover a specific program (nursing in this case) across all public colleges. Aside from making it easier for transfer students, these statewide agreements help standardize higher education, thus improving quality across the system.
State Articulation Databases
A number of states provide internet-accessible databases which allow students to research articulation agreements between any two public schools in the state. For example, Alabama maintains the STARS database and California offers the ASSIST database. The ASSIST database allows students to look up course-specific transfer information by selecting the two school's names and the program names. Other state-specific transfer policies and articulation agreement databases can be found on the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers' (AACRAO) list of Transfer and State Articulation Websites.
Private School Agreements
In some cases, private four-year institutions will endorse an articulation agreement that exists between public community colleges and universities. In other cases, private schools and individual community colleges work out their own articulation agreement. These agreements are becoming more common as private schools realize these agreements are needed to compete with public schools for transfer students.
Quick Tips
- Consider staying in-state – There are no federal articulation policies and few agreements that cross state-lines so transferring credits to an out-of-state school is likely to be more difficult.
- Stay the course – Articulation agreements work well when a student transfers within the same major but they do not provide the same benefits for students who change their major.
- Research private school agreements – For students with a private four-year school in mind, choosing a two-year school they have an articulation agreement with can maximize the credits transferred.
- Meet minimum grade requirements – It is critical to meet the minimum grade requirements that an articulation agreements specifies, otherwise the class will have to be re-taken.
Resources
College Board: Transferring from a Community College.
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