BOULDER, Colo.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Nearly four in 10 college students will transfer institutions at least once during their college careers. Almost a quarter of those will enroll in an institution in another state, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. Until now, transferring between schools – especially across state lines – has been more difficult and expensive due to lengthy credit evaluation processes and loss of credits already earned.
Now, Interstate Passport, a groundbreaking program designed to expand nationwide, helps college students save time and money through seamless college transfers based on a set of learning outcomes rather than on specific courses and credits. Participating institutions agree on learning outcomes on the front end rather than credit evaluation on the back end of the transfer process.
Institutions participating in the Interstate Passport Network award Passports – which are confirmations of a student’s successful completion of lower-division general education requirements, indicated on a student’s transcript – to all students who achieve the Passport Learning Outcomes. When students with Passports are admitted to other Network member institutions, their lower-division general education coursework transfers as a complete block.
In its inaugural academic year (2016-17), nearly 28,000 students at 16 participating institutions earned Passports. For those who opt to transfer, the process, once admitted, is simplified.
“Students face many barriers when they try to transfer from one institution to another, especially when they transfer to an institution in a different state,” said Patricia Shea, director of Academic Leadership Initiatives for the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE), which is managing the network. “Interstate Passport was created by a team of academic leaders and faculty from colleges and universities in multiple states to make the college transfer process more economical, efficient and seamless for students. It is also designed to improve institution performance metrics by increasing student completion rates.”
“Hawaii, as with many states, is embarking on a guided pathways strategy; and this work is overdue. But this effort will not help the thousands of students who cross state lines to finish their education,” said Peter Quigley, associate vice president of academic affairs for the University of Hawaii System and a co-chair of the Interstate Passport Review Board. “Half of Hawaii’s community college transfer students go out of state. We care about their degree completion and know that Interstate Passport will provide them with an easier and more welcoming transfer process. And, the process of establishing two-to-four-year transfer expectations begins inside each state and helps start much needed conversations at home regarding general education outcomes.”
Even for students who don’t transfer, earning a Passport can be beneficial. Because of its specifically defined learning outcomes, the Passport can become a widely recognizable documented completion benchmark from which employers can gauge a prospect’s skill level and readiness for a job.
Participation in Interstate Passport Network also promises its member institutions a competitive advantage. “We’ve seen declines in students entering our system, which is why we’re so interested in the Interstate Passport Network,” said Paul Turman, system vice president for academic affairs, South Dakota Board of Regents and co-chair of the Interstate Passport Review Board. “Making transfers easier is a huge benefit that will help us attract and retain more students in our state.”
Currently, 24 colleges and universities are members of the nationwide Interstate Passport Network, with more institutions exploring participation. Wider adoption by institutions and states would mean broader availability and more choices for students, and better insight into understanding and improving transfer. To encourage early adoption, the first 100 institutions can join the Interstate Passport Network at no cost for the first five years, after which institutions will pay modest annual dues.
INTERSTATE PASSPORT
Launched in July 2016, Interstate Passport is a program, based at the Western Interstate Commission on Higher Education (WICHE), that facilitates block transfer of lower-division general education attainment based on multistate faculty-developed learning outcomes among participating institutions. Any two- and four-year regionally accredited public and private non-profit college and university can join. Member institutions began awarding Passports in the 2016-2017 academic year. For more information, visit interstatepassport.wiche.edu.
MEMBERS OF INTERSTATE PASSPORT NETWORK
ARKANSAS – University of Arkansas Community College at Batesville; CALIFORNIA – Cerritos College; HAWAII – Leeward Community College, University of Hawaii West Oahu; NORTH DAKOTA – Lake Region State College, North Dakota State College of Science, University of North Dakota; OREGON – Blue Mountain Community College, Western Oregon University; SOUTH DAKOTA – Black Hills State University, Dakota State University, Northern State University, South Dakota School of Mines & Technology, South Dakota State University, University of South Dakota; UTAH – Dixie State University, Salt Lake Community College, Snow College, Southern Utah University, University of Utah, Utah State University, Utah Valley University, Weber State University; and WYOMING – Laramie County Community College.
WESTERN INTERSTATE COMMISSION ON HIGHER EDUCATION (WICHE)
For over 60 years, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has been the leading agency serving higher education throughout and beyond the American West. WICHE is one of four U.S. regional interstate compacts, with a multifaceted portfolio of research, policy, resource-sharing, and student-access programs and priorities. WICHE’s members include: Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, North Dakota, Oregon, South Dakota, Utah, Washington, Wyoming, and entities (including Guam and the Northern Marianas Islands) under auspices of the U.S. Pacific Territories and Freely Associated States. Visit wiche.edu.
