Bill Would Help Community College Students Transfer Credits to Complete Associate Degree
By Owen Daugherty, NASFAA Staff Reporter
A new bill recently introduced by a group of Democratic senators aims to ease the process of transferring earned credits for community college students. The Correctly Recognizing Educational Achievements (CREATE) Graduates Act aims to assist students who transferred from their community college to a four-year institution without finishing their associate degree receive their degree by transferring their earned credits back to their community college, a process coined as “reverse transfer.”
Introduced by Democratic Sens. Bob Casey (Penn.), Cory Booker (N.J.), Tim Kaine (Va.) and Ben Cardin (Md.), the bill is seeking to encourage institutions to implement “reverse transfer” programs to transfer credits from four-year institutions to the community college where the student was initially enrolled, in turn getting thousands of community college students an associate degree, according to a press release announcing the bill.
The release notes that students leave community college without an associate degree for a variety of reasons, whether it be to transfer to a four-year institution in pursuit of a bachelor’s degree, for a new job, or because they can no longer afford to attend.
“In today’s economy, an associate degree can help graduates compete for jobs, earn higher wages and build brighter futures,” Casey said. “Too many students have done all the work, but through no fault of their own, never earn the degree. The CREATE Graduates Act recognizes the accomplishments of hardworking Americans by allowing them to receive their associate degrees and gain access to more employment and economic opportunities.”
NASFAA, along with several other higher education organizations, endorsed the legislation.
Publication Date: 12/13/2021
