Government Policies Encourage Two-Four Transfers
At both the federal and state levels, there has been a recent increased emphasis on higher education accessibility with the goal of increasing the percentage of the population who is college educated. A number of programs have been initiated to meet this goal that impact transfer students. Many of the initiatives that impact transfer students make it easier for students to transfer from two-year community colleges to four-year public colleges and universities, also known as two-four transfers.
Federal Education Policy
At the federal level, a renewed emphasis on higher education has taken place as a way to ensure that the United States remains competitive in the global marketplace. The U.S. higher education system has been losing ground to other countries such as China and India in recent years. One of the White House's goals is to have the highest percentage of students graduating from college in the world by 2020.
In order to achieve this goal, the federal government is putting more emphasis and more money into higher education. Community colleges are one recipient of this increased focus. One of the goals of additional funding to community colleges is to increase the number of students that transfer into four-year schools. Funding for financial aid programs to help low-income students is also being increased, making college more affordable for many. As a result, more students may be able to earn a higher-level degree by transferring in to a four-year school. Others who may have dropped out of college for financial reasons may find it easier to return to school and complete their degree as non-traditional transfer students.
State Education Policy
A number of states have formally addressed the need to increase the number of people who graduate from college. By improving the education of their population, states improve their economy and financial stability in the long-term. To this end, many state governments have been shaping higher education policy in ways which improve the situation for students who want to transfer between state funded colleges and universities:
- Increase in Articulation Agreements - A specific area of focus has been on improving access to bachelor's level degrees for low-income and minority students. An important way to facilitate this goal is to make it easier for students to transfer from a community college into a four-year public university. A significant result of this emphasis is the large number of articulation agreements that now exist between states' public two-year and four-year schools. Almost all state schools now have articulation agreements between themselves and other public schools where students commonly transfer to or from.
- State-wide Articulation Agreements - Some states such as Florida, Colorado and North Carolina have state-wide articulation agreements which apply to all public institutions within the state. These states have standardized their general academic curriculum across schools so that students are guaranteed that their entire associate's degree will be transferrable to a public four-year college. Additionally, in states such as Virginia, Florida and Connecticut, students are guaranteed admission to a public university once they graduate from an associate's degree program at a community college with a minimum grade point average.
- Articulation Databases - Another helpful development is that a number of states now provide databases to make it easier for students to find articulation agreements and course equivalency information. California, Arizona, New Jersey and Alabama are examples of states that have done this. The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) website provides links to state-level articulation agreements and policies.
- Interstate Transfers still difficult - Although many states have greatly improved the ease with which transfer students can move between schools within the state, transferring between schools across state lines remains a haphazard and difficult process. There are a few instances where articulation agreements exist across state lines but these are limited and usually specific to individual schools.
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