The irony is that federal law requires schools to disclose their credit-transfer policies and the institutions with which they have agreements to accept credits. But the letter of the law doesn’t always match up with the real world.in 2017 urged the Department of Education to require schools to be more forthcoming about their credit-transfer policies and estimated that only about 68% of schools actually listed this information.
Students need to know transfer requirements as soon as possible so that they can make an informed decision without any surprises. Otherwise, students are left to piece together information and hope for the best. Transfer students need more years to complete their undergraduate degree than students who start at a four-year university directly out of high school.
Texas has recognized this problem and taken significant steps to remedy it. Dallas College, which is Dallas County’s community college system,to be accepted at Texas public colleges and universities and for credits from other institutions to be accepted at Dallas College. Every institution must do a better job of helping students realize their dreams.
Castro’s bill won’t remedy all transfer problems, but it should provide students with easier access to the information they need to make smart education decisions. Earning a degree is stressful enough without an educational bureaucracy making it more difficult.