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Three higher education associations issued a joint statement Friday on student transfer and the awarding of college credits -- an area that has drawn increasing criticism in recent years. The guidelines from the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, the Council for Higher Education Accreditation, and the American Council on Education is based on an "essential principle" that every college and university determines its own approach to the transfer of credit. The groups said the guidelines should be used as a tool to develop institutional policies but should not be used in lieu of those policies.
Institutions should regularly review their transfer practices -- with an eye toward fairness to students -- while taking into consideration "new sources for learning and alternative assessment methods," the statement said.
"Transfer and award of credit is a concept that increasingly involves transfer between dissimilar institutions and curricula and recognition of extra-institutional learning, as well as transfer between institutions and curricula with similar characteristics. As their personal circumstances and educational objectives change, students seek to have their learning, wherever and however attained, recognized by institutions where they enroll for further study," the groups said. "It is important for reasons of social equity and educational effectiveness for all institutions to develop reasonable and well-articulated policies and procedures for the consideration of credit for such learning experiences, as well as for the potential transfer of credits earned at another institution."
