The transfer of academic credit is an important and complex feature of American higher education. The United States offers the greatest degree of inter-institutional student mobility and the most extensive system of portability of academic credit in the world. Despite this lengthy history of facilitating student transfer, some obstacles to seamless transfer do persist.
To fully understand the transfer student population, one must recognize that students bring with them varied backgrounds, experiences, and academic portfolios. One thing is certain: The number of students who transfer is increasing, and the complexity of dealing with those students' needs has brought on more questions and concerns for professionals in the field. Today, the "2-plus-2" model is only one of many options. There are also "reverse transfers" (4-year to 2-year), "lateral transfers" (2-2 or 4-4), "swirling students" (co-enrolled in two or more schools simultaneously), to name just a few. And transfer students pose special challenges – and opportunities – to the American ethic that higher education should be accessed by all those who desire.
AACRAO's Transfer Conference will bring together practitioners and managers from admissions, retention, enrollment management, transfer center, and registrar organizations to discuss and debate current issues in transfer. Experts will share their ideas, information, and solutions for working with different transfer student populations. Presentations will explore the European Credit Transfer System and its applicability to the transfer in the United States; relevant findings from the National Survey of Student Engagement interactive database; and perspectives on transfer technology challenges from the state level. Plan for three days filled with compelling presentations and dialogue on transfer issues.
Presentations will cover:
