Accreditation: What It Means for Transferring Online Coursework Credits
Students who decide to transfer from one institution to another often assume that their earned credits will automatically transfer. What they may not realize, is that the decision to accept transfer credits the sole discretion of each institution which can be highly selective when it comes to accepting credits from outside colleges and universities. This may be of particular interest to students taking online courses at institutions that are nationally accredited as opposes to regionally accredited as this difference in accreditation sometimes raises objections of receiving institutions.
(For more on accreditation, see BrainTrack's College Accreditation 101 section and article on online college accreditation.)
What this means is just because a student is transferring from a reputable, accredited institution, doesn't guarantee that his credits will be accepted by the new school. Many factors go into the decision to accept transfer credits, including the courses taken, the accreditation status of the school and the grades earned in each class.
Students considering a transfer should speak to admissions counselors at each institution to discuss the credit transfer policies of each school and determine the likelihood of course credits being accepted. Students should also be prepared to provide a valid, persuasive argument as to why their credits should be accepted in case they are presented with any questions or doubts as to the quality of their coursework.
Why don't credits automatically transfer between all accredited institutions?
The reason that credits from accredited institutions aren't universally accepted is because all schools possess the right to accept or reject transfer credits, even if the school sending the credit is recognized by an accrediting agency and therefore is eligible to administer federal financial aid programs. This means that policies on which credits are acceptable vary by institution. This right ensures that the college or university does not have to accept credits that it regards to be below its standards or that will dilute its academic approach.
However, some members of the higher education community feel schools unnecessarily reject credits based solely on the source of the sending institution's accreditation rather than on the merit of the course material completed. Some attempts have been made to introduce legislation to mandate acceptance of transfer credits from any accredited school, but none have yet been successful.
The divide between national and regional accrediting agencies.
The philosophical divide that exists between regionally and nationally accredited institutions is largely one-sided in that students at schools with national accreditation have difficulty transferring to regionally accredited schools, and rarely the other way around. Problems with credit transfers can arise when a receiving institution's general policy is to decline transfers from a nationally accredited institution, rather than reviewing a students' coursework or other program materials.
According to Michael Lambert, the executive director of the Distance Education and Training Council, bias against national accreditation springs from an outdated idea of education, as well as anti-competitive practices in the industry. Many regionally accredited universities were founded as non-profits in the interest of providing a public service, while the last 50 years have seen a boom in for-profit schools, many of whom DETC accredits. "The idea that persists is that it's not moral to make a profit in education," says Lambert. "The happy news is, we're getting more accepted every year."
Why do some regionally accredited schools reject credits from nationally accredited schools?
It varies by school, and the reason is difficult to pinpoint, as national accreditors are subject to the same standards of the U.S. Department of Education and the Council on Higher Education Accreditation (CHEA) as regional accreditors.
Lambert acknowledges the right of each institution to guard the integrity of their academic degrees, but objects when a credit transfer is refused only because the source of accreditation is a national agency. "What the students hear sometimes is: 'this is from a nationally accredited school, don't even bother,'" says Lambert. "I would rather have them say, 'We'll take a look at your transcript and decide.'"
Though 70% of students from the 116 schools that DETC accredits who attempt to transfer credits succeed, Lambert says the problem of possible rejection is a reality. "Learning is learning, and it shouldn't matter where you learned it," he says. "The question should be 'Did you learn it?'. If I can come to your college and demonstrate that I know the subject, you can give me a test, why wouldn't you accept my credits?"
Is there a difference in likelihood of credits transferring between trade or professional schools, undergraduate and graduate programs?
Again, the transfer policy is individual to each school. The most difficulties arise when attempting to transfer credits from nationally accredited schools to regionally accredited ones. For-profit institutions and pure-online schools tend to be nationally accredited because they are not specific to one geographic location.
Are schools required to warn students that their credits are unlikely to transfer?
The Higher Education Opportunity Act of 2008 requires institutions of higher education to "publicly disclose, in a readable and comprehensible manner" their transfer of credit policy. Beyond that, it is a student's responsibility to request transfer policies from schools to which they may wish to transfer to see if credits from their current or intended school will be accepted.
How can a student make sure their credits will transfer?
Unfortunately, there is no way to be 100% certain because it is the absolute right of the receiving institution to accept or reject transfers of credit, and there is no guarantee that credits will be reviewed before a decision is made. The best thing for students to do is to become aware as early in their academic career as possible of the institutions to which they may wish to transfer so they can make sure their current credits will be accepted.
Students should also keep in mind that a policy may not be set in stone. If a school rejects credits, some students successfully appeal an unfavorable decision. If you find yourself in a position to appeal, Lambert suggests that students contact the department chair, not the registrar, use facts, be persistent and professional.
For more information on college transfers in general, including FAQs, a glossary, a checklist, planning tips, and trends, please see BrainTrack's College Transfer Guide.
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