THEBC/ UEAC
September 26, 2014 By David Burris
SHSU Articulation Coordinator
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
Contents
SHSU Reverse Transfer Transcript Opportunities Spring
2013 – Fall 2014
Current Reverse Transfer Success Rates
Reverse Transfer Success Rate Prior to 2011
Transcript Identifying Information and Selection
Filter
SHSU Reverse Transfer Registrar Notification Email
2014
College Residence Requirements Versus Potential
Reverse Transfer Candidates
Cooperative Reverse Transfer Opportunities
Reverse Transfer Mechanics Summary:
University Challenges
Reverse Transfer Data 2008 versus 2014
Seamless Transfer Program Integrating High Schools,
Colleges, and Universities
Time Compressed Degree Plans
Online Articulation
Reverse Transfer
Joint Admissions
Cooperative Advising
Desirable Advising Goal for College Transfer Students
Pursuing the Baccalaureate Degree
State of Reverse Transfer Prior to and Since 2012
Reverse Transfer Education Program
Texas Community College Instructional Administrators
(TCCIA) Reverse Transfer Contact List Fall 2014
Page
2
3
4
5
5
8
9
10
10
11
15
15
15
16
16
16
16
18
21
23
The next challenge for “Closing the Gaps” is “Time Compressed Degree Plans”
allowing students to seamlessly attain the high school diploma, associate, and
baccalaureate degrees in 6 years or less. The required infrastructure to support
this goal already exists!
1
Reverse Transfer Spring 2013 Thru Fall 2014
Sam Houston State University
College
Residence
hours
Spring 2013
Fall 2013
Spring 2014
Fall 2014
Alamo
St. Philips
Lakeview
North Vista
Palo Alto
San Antonio
Alvin
Amarillo
Angelina
Austin
Blinn (21)
Brazosport (24)
Central Texas
Coastal Bend
CISCO
College of Mainland
Collin County
DCCCD
Del Mar
El Paso Comm Col
Galveston
Grayson
HCCS
Hill
Howard Col
Kilgore
Lamar State
College-Orange
Lamar State College
-Port Arthur
Laredo Comm Col
Lee
15
28
15
15
15
15
21
24
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
42
1
85
70
543
77
37
6
0
28
26
64
12
4
16
2
89
20
45
6
0
16
7
16
54
3
90
70
529
74
36
5
6
20
35
73
7
6
12
2
210
19
29
2
0
9
8
10
38
2
71
45
428
46
22
7
3
24
21
58
6
3
7
1
167
16
26
4
0
10
8
4
40
2
65
48
425
49
26
6
2
15
28
63
6
4
10
3
175
13
32
30
23
16
13
14
7
5
15
5
7
4
2
15
15
6
35
6
29
5
22
3
20
2
LSCS
18
1392
1472
1338
1397
Mc Lennan
15
55
44
27
31
Midland
15
7
14
3
2
Navarro
15
92
90
83
83
North Central Texas 15
0
12
11
College
Northeast Texas
15
6
5
7
Community College
0
Odessa
15
1
Panola
15
9
2
6
7
Paris JC
15
28
9
10
8
San Jacinto (16)
16
178
166
132
120
South Plains College 16
0
6
Southwest Texas
15
5
6
7
Junior College
Tarrant County Coll 15
37
34
25
31
TCCD
Temple
15
47
48
40
26
Texas State
15
2
0
Technical College
Trinity Valley
15
41
34
33
31
Tyler Junior College 15
49
44
43
39
Vernon College
15
8
6
5
Victoria
15
12
15
8
10
Weatherford
15
8
7
7
4
Wharton (24)
24
99
98
82
59
Total
3,314
3,459
2,899
2,897
This table exhibits recent filtered transcripts (tailored to each college) for reverse transfer.
Current Reverse Transfer Success Rates
The number of available transcripts is for reverse transfer misleading. Colleges are not required
to report success rates. Currently less than a third of colleges provide us with useful feedback.
A few tell us they graduate about 95% to 100% of filtered students but not necessarily in a given
semester. Since we have no way of knowing who has been awarded degrees and when we
typically send transcripts to the college for a given student as many as three times. This a choice
made by the college registrars. Some colleges do this on purpose with the hope of eventually
awarding both the associate of science and associate of arts to the same student but in different
semesters.
Not all colleges will participate in reverse transfer. Some colleges who normally participate will
not have the resources to participate in a specific semester.
3
No college has ever returned transcripts for students who graduate to update our records. If they
all sent transcripts it would overwhelm our system unless the transcripts are sent electronically.
We would only be able to handle the volume if notified ahead of time the transcripts were being
sent in a batch and marked with degree conferral using the state standard reporting format so we
could process them electronically.
Reverse Transfer Success Rates Prior to 2011
Prior to 2011 the success rate for reverse transfer degrees varied from 90% to 0% after
colleges applied institution degree requirements. Zero percent was not unusual. Most
colleges have since reduced residence requirements to the minimum SACS requirement. In
addition colleges have eliminated additional institutional requirements such as extra
Kinesiology or English courses. Current success rates (combined fall and spring) appear to
range from 90+% to a low of about 70% for most participating institutions.
The best known success of the reverse transfer program was with Blinn College. They
increased the number of associate degrees awarded by more than 20% for 4 consecutive
years (25% in 2005). During this period Blinn says SHSU received approximately 7% of
their transfer students with 85% going to TAMU and another 7% attending Texas State
University San Marcos. Blinn had to withdraw recently from reverse transfer processing for
several years during their conversion to Banner.
The worse success rate is graduating only 40 students in 5 years from over 4,000 unique filtered
transcripts. Colleges are still having substantial problems processing high volumes of reverse
transfer transcripts.
4
Transcript Identifying Information and Selection Filter
In addition to transcripts, we provide the colleges with a spread sheet to help them match our
records to their records which includes the following fields using Trinity Valley Community
College as an example. This spreadsheet also allows the college to identify students
previously awarded associate degrees but reported to SHSU saving them time.
Nam
e
Name
I
D
ID
Street
SS
N
SSN
Birt
h
Dat
e
Birth
Date
Transfe
r
Instituti
on
Transfe
r
Credits
from
Instituti
on
Transfer
Institution
Street2
Stude
nt
Level
Transfer
Credits
from
Institution
City
Maj
or
Student
Level
State
Transf
er
GPA
Major
Transf
er
Credit
s
Earne
d
Inst
GP
A
Transfer
GPA
Zipcode
Inst
Credit
s
Earne
d
Transfer
Credits
Earned
Over
all
GPA
Inst
GPA
SHSU Email
Over
all
Credit
s
Earne
d
Inst
Credits
Earned
Core
Comple
te
Overall
GPA
Overall
Credits
Earned
Phone Number
| Academic Period: Fall 2014 | Transfer Institutions: Trinity Valley Community Col - 003572 | Transfer Credits from Institution Range: Greater
than or equal to 15 | Core Complete Status: Core Complete Only | Exclude Associate Degrees | Overall Credit Hrs Range: Greater than or equal to
60 | Inst Credits Hrs Range: Greater than or equal to 3 | Transfer Credit Hrs Range: Greater than or equal to 15
(Actual reverse transfer notification email with filter for fall 2014 follows:)
SHSU Reverse Transfer Registrar Notification Email Fall 2014
REVERSE TRANSFER TRANSCRIPTS AND SPREADSHEET
** New ability to select transcripts sent via from those selected on the secure server! **
The reverse transfer spreadsheet for fall 2014 is available now on the secure server indicating
XX students may qualify for the associate degree. Spreadsheets for fall 2014 and the ability
to provide the corresponding transcripts will terminate at the end of December. As usual,
records for fall were filtered as follow:
5
1) College specific minimum residence hours. We used 15 hours if your minimum
value for residence hours is not on file. I would be happy to run the data set again if
your residence requirement has changed.
2) 60 or more combined hours college plus university.
3) Core complete either institution.
4) Currently attending SHSU.
5) No associate degree on file.
We have made a great effort to eliminate transcripts that do not meet minimum
qualifications. If you find transcripts not meeting the above minimum standards, please
provide me the students name and Sam Identification number so we can continue to improve
the filtering process. If you do not have an account on the server, contact me for a copy of
the account request form.
Transcripts will be sent by SPEEDE (EDI) upon request.
** New ability to select transcripts sent via from those selected on the secure server! **
Normally we send all transcripts selected (on the spreadsheet). If desired you may select a
subset of transcripts for transmission. Simply send me a spreadsheet with a single column.
Each cell in the column should contain the Sam-ID of a student whose transcript you desire.
Thank you,
David Burris
David Burris, Ph.D., CCP, CSP
SHSU Articulation Coordinator
936-294-1568
csc_dsb@shsu.edu or david.burris@shsu.edu
{ End of Email }
6
Account Creation on the SHSU Secure Server for College Registrars
College registrars are required to have an account on the SHSU system to access the secure
server and download the reverse transfer spread sheet.
Please complete the attached computer account request form. It takes 5 to 10 working
days to obtain an account which you will receive by email. After setting a password
send me an email so I can increase your privilege level to access the secure server.
The signed account request form may be returned as a pdf or scanned image to by
email. If sent by fax, be sure to send me an email so I know to process it.
The spreadsheet contains information to help you match transcripts from our system to
transcripts on your system. It also contains student contact information. I recommend
contacting students selected for degrees via email (preferred).
Thank you,
David Burris
7
College Residence Requirements
Versus Potential
Reverse Transfer Candidates
College
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
Alvin
Angelina
Austin
Blinn
Brazosport
DCCCD
Galveston
HCCS
Hill
Lamar-Orange
LSCS
McLennan
Navarro
San Jacinto
Trinity Valley
Victoria
Weatherford
Wharton
15 hrs.
18 hrs.
21 hrs.
24hrs.
residence
residence
residence
residence
88
185
188
1503
140
147
32
469
33
19
2735
98
174
302
62
31
25
224
84
176
177
1480
134
137
30
446
31
17
2667
51
167
289
60
30
25
217
80
166
172
1457
131
131
30
416
31
15
2590
49
159
273
56
29
25
201
73
158
162
1444
125
122
27
396
31
15
2506
47
155
259
55
29
23
194
% Loss from 18 to 24
hour residency
requirement.
13.1
10.2
8.5
2.4
6.7
10.9
3.1
11.2
6.1
11.8
6.0
7.8
7.2
10.4
8.3
3.3
8.0
10.6
The Texas Community College Instructional Administrators (TCCIA) asked SHSU to provide
information on the effect of college residence requirements and availability of potential reverse
transfer degree requirements. The results are shown in the above table for 2012. Records
selected for inclusion in this report are based on the indicated total hours transferred, the
combination of hours transferred plus SHSU hours greater than or equal to 60, and no associate
degree on file. The total college hours transferred may reflect more than one transfer institution
making the results higher than they should be for some institutions. To receive a reverse transfer
8
degree the student must meet the minimum residence requirement for the college. We cannot
always tell from electronic transcripts if the course was taken at the college or merely included
on the transcript.
Cooperative Reverse Transfer Opportunities
1) Reverse Transfer Evaluation works best at the system level as opposed to individual
colleges.
2) All colleges must be able to send and receive transcripts electronically with other
colleges, universities, and public school systems. (Close to universal but not quite there.)
3) At present many college and some universities enter electronic transcripts in their internal
transcript system by hand (still wide spread). The process is labor intensive, error prone,
and expensive. Development of a state wide electronic solution for integrating electronic
transcripts directly into major software products like Banner and PeopleSoft would be
helpful.
Colleges may be able to work with a dozen electronic transcripts but a few hundred or a
thousand over whelm their evaluation resources. The reverse would probably be true for
universities receiving a corresponding volume information from colleges without
standardization allowing electronic processing.
4) Transcript evaluation is currently done totally by hand at many if not most institutions.
For reverse transfer to be successful the process must be automated at least partially.
Many colleges require transcript evaluators to get permission for course substitution on a
student-by-student basis from academic deans. Substitutions are not done consistently.
Again, this process must be automated.
5) “Opt-In” as a policy on the Texas Common Application for reverse transfer is not
currently serving the needs of students or the state.
6) Reverse transfer contact list for all colleges wishing to participate in reverse transfer
would be helpful to universities and colleges. SHSU maintains a list of college reverse
transfer contacts but apparently there is not a corresponding university list.
9
7) A major problem for college and universities is the lack of an effective standardized
method to match transcripts between institutions. Even if an institution is very successful
matching one or a few dozen transcripts they choke on 100 or 1,000 transcripts.
8) Provide universities timely and exact feedback on associate degree/certificate award rate.
9) By nature, college registrars are busy people often wearing more than one hat. Reverse
transfer degrees will not be awarded unless they are made a priority by a higher office.
10) Inconsistency: Some colleges award the same student the AA and AS, others just one.
11) Inconsistency: Some colleges award degrees without contacting the individual others
only with permission.
12) One college has previously contacted students within 12 hours of graduation by email
letting them know if they transfer the missing course work anywhere they will graduate.
Reverse Transfer Mechanics Summary:
1)
2)
Ability to import electronic transcripts directly into college transcript system.
Unique identifier used by colleges and universities to identify student using computer software
eliminating need for human intervention. Examples would include use of social security
numbers or a unique identifier assigned by the state staying with the student their entire
educational career.
Software transcript evaluation for degree audit.
Better communications between colleges and universities.
Student friendly legal interpretation of privacy laws, e.g., meant to protect student but not
prevent desirable services such as receiving a degree.
3)
4)
5)
University Challenges
1)
2)
Marking electronic transcripts in an automatable manner to note dual credit, early
college, AP, and related credits on college transcripts. This would make it easier to
identify students who require help as first time students as opposed to true upper
division students. Universities would also like to track the success of these programs
and determine if universities need to provide additional services to these students to
successfully make the academic transition.
Marking electronic transcripts in an automatable manner to record core complete.
10
3)
4)
5)
6)
Marking electronic transcripts in an automatable manner to record associate degree
completion.
It is relatively easy to map the first 36 hour of common core courses between colleges
and universities. It is much more difficult to identify institutionally designated core
courses, especially for those students who are partially core complete unless marked
in an electronically consistent state wide manner.
Use of the state common application for universities to select reverse transfer
candidates is not working as intended. Selection of reverse transfer degree candidates
by universities based on “opt in (as opt out as opposed to opt-out)” has led to
reductions in the number of potential reverse transfer degrees in the neighborhood of
85% by some universities. The decision to limit candidate selection using “opt-in” in
the common application is typically made by systems attorneys.
EDI (SPEEDIE) is currently a choke point. At present, SHSU must write separate
computer code each college individually (as do you) to attain required information. It
might be a good idea to use the EDI servers to enforce the standard formats on text
fields. They would return improperly formatted text back to the sender to be
corrected rather than propagate the non-standard material through the system.
Enforcement of standards would potentially allow using a computer code to process
all institutions uniformly reducing the effort for everyone with respect to processing
transcripts. SHSU marks transcripts following the state standard for Core Complete
as follows:
“Core Complete should be located in the RAP section with a group of 9TX , which is used for TSI and
other Texas related tracking. The Label is TXCORECURR and if complete should be marked FULLCURRIC.
Example: RAP|9TX|TXCORECURR|FULLCURRIC|R|Y ”
Electronic transcripts should be marked in a uniform manner indicating completion of the
associate degree in a similar standardized manner.
Reverse Transfer Data 2008 versus 2014
The following is historical reverse transfer data from 2008. At that time we only provided
filtered transcripts once per year in the spring. This data will allow for some comparison of the
potential for reverse transfer degrees in 2008 as opposed to 2014. The number of transcripts
selected is less than 2008 primarily due to the higher residence hours required by the colleges to
apply for associate degrees. In 2008 prior to dual credit and similar programs students tended
to transfer from colleges with minimal hours, frequently 12 hours or less.
11
Today transfers frequently have in excess of 40 hours. Reverse transfer students typically
graduate today within 0.1 GPA points of native students. The graduation rate is statistically tied
to the number of transfer hours. Students transferring with less than 20 hours have very poor
retention and graduation rates. Students transferring with 40 or more hours are highly likely to
graduate. As a result, SHSU has several million dollars invested in transfer scholarships using
45 hours as a minimum application criteria.
The following table represents the potential for listed colleges to award associate degrees via Reverse
Transfer. Apparently a large number of students transferred to SHSU during this time period with less
than 21 hours and left SHSU within a short period of time without a degree.
12
Note: 30/30/60 indicates they attempted at least 30 transfer hours at the college, have 30 or more hours
from SHSU for a total of 60 or more hours.
Note: 21/3/60 indicates they attempted at least 21 transfer hours at the college, have 3 or more hours from
SHSU for a total of 60 or more hours.
To award a degree SACS requires a minimum of 25% of course work from the colleges. Associated
degrees are typically about 60 hours.
Fall 2008have been contacted.
College
30/30/60
Alvin
Angelina
Blinn
221
Brazosport
DCCCD
Hill
HCCS
Lee
Lon Morris
Lone Star
670
McLennan
Navarro
San Jacinto
60
Trinity Valley
Victoria
Weatherford
21/3/60
19
39
288
47
25
3
61
20
0
8
39
28
4
0
Compare to the number of available transcripts for reverse transfer in 2008 to the numbers available in
fall 2015 on pages 2 and 3. The large increase is primarily due to dropping local graduation requirements
including kinesiology. Reducing residence requirements (typically 20+) to the minimum SACS
requirements ( 15 or 16) adds about 5% to 10% for most colleges.
13
Seamless Transfer Program Integrating
High Schools, Colleges, and Universities
This program allow students to complete the high school diploma, associate, and baccalaureate
degrees in 6 years or less for most degree programs achieving monetary savings of 40% or more.
Many students will be able to complete a master degree in one additional year and still enter the
work force in less time and cost than required traditionally to complete the baccalaureate degree.
These existing programs result in increased enrollment and retention for colleges.
The primary program to accomplish these goals is “Time Compressed Degree Plans. Supporting
programs include “Online Articulation,” “Reverse Transfer,” “Joint Admissions,” and
Cooperative Advising. The program is flexible in that it allows individual students to advance at
a rate their educational and financial circumstances allow. The program supports the goals of
many programs including P-16 and Achieving the Dream.
Sam Houston State University provides the following programs to all colleges and accredited
secondary education institutions via their area college. A list of college/college districts
(approximately 48) may be found at http://www.shsu.edu/prospects/transfer/ . Selecting a college
exhibits current undergraduate degree programs.
“Time Compressed Degree Programs” provides the potential for students to simultaneously
complete the high school diploma and associate degree in 4 years with any state supported
college, the baccalaureate degree in most fields in 2 additional years at Sam Houston State
University (6 or less total years), and master’s degree in 1 additional year (many fields) for a
total of 7 years. High school students (including those enrolled in early college and dual credit
programs) may attain a university transcript via their local college using the Joint Admissions
program after completing 12 college credits (GPA of 2.5 or above preferred, minimum 2.0
required). The university transcript is available online to participating students even if they have
never registered at SHSU. Online Articulation, Joint Admissions, Reverse Transfer and
Cooperative Advising are support programs for Time Compressed Degree Plans.
"Online Articulation" is designed to maximize the amount of course work completed for the
associate degree applicable to the baccalaureate degree for approximately 60 undergraduate majors
at Sam Houston State University transferring up to 66 hours. Articulation information is accessible
by students, parents, and high school/college counselors from the World Wide Web (currently at
14
http://www.shsu.edu/prospects/transfer/ , select your preferred college). Students are guaranteed
these classes will transfer and count to towards the degree they have selected.
“Reverse Transfer” allows students to transfer course work from Sam Houston State University
back to their College to complete degree requirements for the associate degree. This program is
specifically designed to allow students to receive the advantages pursuant to completion of the
associate degree when they leave the college prior to degree completion. State law currently
provides a student core complete at any accredited public college is core complete at SHSU. Any
student core complete at SHSU becomes core complete at any college. This law has the potential
to save students time and money by allowing students to maximize courses completed at the
college without taking courses at either institution which may transfer to the other institution but
may not count towards degree requirements. It is not unusual for it to be to a student’s advantage
to become core complete at SHSU then utilize reverse transfer to complete the associate degree.
“Joint Admission” provides students a mechanism to maximize utilization of facilities and
programs offered jointly by colleges and Sam Houston State University. Programs in Joint
Admission include: 1) The ability to attend both schools simultaneously or alternately, 2) SHSU
ID, 3) SHSU computer/internet/email account, 4) library access, 5) access to sporting events, 6)
free electronic transfer transcript evaluation, 7) student access to their transcript online with degree
plan generation software prior to actually enrolling at Sam Houston State University. After
acceptance under joint admission, the applicants must continually meet all admission requirements
for both institutions to retain their eligibility to participate in the program. Students accepted under
joint admission may simply transfer, alternate enrollment between institutions, or co-enroll at their
discretion. This program is available to all state supported colleges and their local public school
districts through their college.
“Cooperative Advising” allows college and high school counselors the ability to access degree
requirement specific to degree completion via the web http://www.shsu.edu/prospects/transfer/.
Students may also speak to transfer advisors at SHSU’s Sam Center prior to enrolling at SHSU.
A Traveling Advisor Program is also available where SHSU advisors visit students at some area
colleges.
Desirable Advising Goal for College Transfer Students Pursuing the Baccalaureate Degree
To minimize the time and cost to degree completion it is important advisors utilize college,
advanced placement, and dual credit course appropriately. As an example, the most desirable
15
goal for most college students seeking the baccalaureate degree is not “college core complete”
but rather to complete as much as possible of the first two years course for the desired degree at
the senior institution prior to transfer. This goal may be accomplished using Online Articulation
at SHSU. Cooperative Advising is also beneficial aid.
As an example, assume a student transfers to a any university wishing to major in the College of
Business. Business schools typically require 2 accounting classes, 2 course in economics, and 6
to 9 hours of specific mathematics as prerequisites prior to registering for upper division (junior
and senior) level courses. Students transferring college “core complete” but not having
completed the business core should expect to be blocked from upper division registration for 2
long semesters while they complete the prerequisites. The student loses a year of their life in
addition to the cost of courses taken not leading to graduation. Worse, since they are not core
complete it is not possible for them to take full loads during the year they spend taking
prerequisites. They already have credit for the college/university core. This example applies to
degrees in business, education, engineering, the sciences and other degree programs. These
programs were meant to be taken over a 4 or 5 year period with the core spread over this period.
Students cannot transfer core complete then graduate by taking all their major course in 2 years.
As an example, Colleges of Business typically have course sequences requiring the student to
register in specific course for 4 to 5 consecutive semesters. This can only be done when the
business core and lower division courses in the sequence are transferred as part of the 2 year
college curriculum. This is more important than being “college core complete.”
16
State of Reverse Transfer Prior to 2012 and Now
Sam Houston State University has facilitated reverse transfer with colleges for over 7
years. In 2012 we worked with over a dozen colleges and have sent substantially more
than 3,000 filtered transcripts per year to colleges for reverse transfer consideration with
varying degrees of success. Transcripts selected for consideration typically meet the
following minimum criteria: 1) a minimum of 15 to 18 college transfer hours; 2) no
associate degree on file; 3) the student is core complete either from the college or at
SHSU, and 4) the combination of transfer hours plus SHSU credit is 60 or more hours.
Success rates for awarding degrees with this filter ranged from 0% at many colleges to
more than 90% at other colleges.
Interestingly low reverse transfer degree award rates were typically due to institutionally
designated degree requirements, frequently a single 1 hour Kinesiology activity credit or
an English literature course. A few colleges only recognize a university reverse transfer
student as core complete if the transfer core completed at SHSU exactly matches the
college institutional core. ** No longer a major considerations!
Some colleges award reverse transfer degrees to students only if the student responds
they desire the degree when contacted by the college. Other colleges award the
degrees even if they are unable to contact the individual. ** Not a university controlled
policy! The policy of awarding degrees without contacting the recipient is dwindling.
It is not unusual for reverse transfer applicants from SHSU with as many as 36 to 45
college transfer hours and combined transfer plus SHSU hour exceeding 90 hours to
not be accepted by some institutions for reverse transfer degrees. ** No longer a major
consideration as the colleges are reducing or eliminating local graduation criteria!
The number of hours in residence for a reverse transfer degree also varies dramatically
by institution. The trend is towards the SACS minimum of ¼ of the total degree
requirements typically 15 to 18 hours (on 60 to 62 hour associate degrees). The high
end is typically 45 hours in residence, mostly associated with private institutions. ** No
longer a major consideration! The maximum residence hours now is 24 with most
colleges at 15 or 16.
Most colleges have rewritten their policies for awarding degrees. A few colleges are
discussing increasing or adding institutionally required courses in addition to the state
core to make degrees from their institutions more meaningful. Other colleges are
looking for ways to increase their associate degree award rates via reverse transfer by
maximizing transfer flexibility. One example of increasing flexibility is tailoring college
state core hours (institutionally designated) above the common 36 hours to match core
requirements of the students individual transfer institutions. Another would be allowing
17
more substitutions for transfer hours above the common 36 core hours and substitutions
for local institutionally designated courses for graduation, e.g., Kinesiology. These
approaches have been mostly abandoned since the adoption of the new state core
policy. Traditionally most institutions have required approval by an academic dean for
each substitution on an individual basis. Decreasingly an obstacle to reverse transfer
but still a concern for some institutions. The current trend appears to allow automatic
course substitutions without requiring approval by an academic dean for each reverse
transfer applicant.
Flexibility in institutionally designated core requirements beyond 36 hours to match
transfer institution requirements may be a big selling point to students where more than
one college district competes for their enrollment. When the state cut the universities
back to 120 for most degree programs, universities frequently reduced the number of
free electives within university degree requirements and even more so in specific
majors. College core requirements above the common 36 now frequently transfer as
part or all of the university free electives. This prevents the student from completing the
university degree program without taking additional hours beyond the minimum required
for university graduation if they desire to meet specific industry expectations for new
hires in their career field. Additional free electives at the university level also help the
student to tailor their degree in areas they desire to excel. Free electives due to
college/university transfer flexibility are seen in a positive light by students when
recommending their college to siblings, friends and others. Might consider monitoring.
Note a student acquiring 20 or more college hours but not the minimum of 15 hours at
one college will not qualify for the associate degree via reverse transfer (SACS).
The most severe transfer problems state wide may occur with respect to Colleges of
Education. College of Education degree programs must be approved by the state to
include specific content for certification. These programs are subject to change by the
legislature about every 2 years. Many Colleges of Education include courses required
for their certification programs from their university’s core. This essentially eliminates
free electives for education transfer majors as well as other majors. These courses
from the university core are now part of the major core and must be completed even if
the student transfers core complete from a college. ** Still a major consideration!
When the student completes the college core which does not include courses required
for graduation in the chosen university major the student loses several ways. First they
paid for courses and lost time taking courses that transfer but do not count towards
graduation. Second they must pay to take course at the university which are part of the
select major (included in the university core) resulting in loss of time and money. The
importance of the student selecting their intended university and university major while
at the college is essential to the advising function! The importance of these choices at
the college/public school level (dual credit/AP) cannot be over emphasized!
18
Due to changes in state law, the desire to accumulate momentum points and legislative
expectations “reverse transfer” may substantially affect state funding and impact
student/constituent support of college/university policies in the future. The variance in
reverse transfer degree requirements within the state is substantial. A more uniform
approach to graduation and reverse transfer degree evaluation may be to the
advantage of all colleges and universities. ** The emphasis on reverse transfer has
eliminated a lot of problems!
19
SHSU Reverse Transfer Education Program
In February 2012 Sam Houston State University initiated a program to inform transfer
students of the benefits of completing the associate degree via reverse transfer. The
programs major emphasis was oriented towards helping transfer students complete the
associate degree. A sample email sent to transfer students is provided below
explaining the process. SHSU tailored the email to each individual college district.
The following table indicates the number of emails totaling 10,135 sent to SHSU
students from select districts in 2012. Students were selected for the program based on
their most recent transfer institution if they transferred at least 3 hours of credit to SHSU
with no associate degree on file.
College
Alamo
Alvin
Amarillo
Angelina
Austin
Blinn
Brazosport
CISCO
College of Mainland
DCCCD
Galveston
HCCS
Hill
# Students
207
143
11
330
300
1884
188
26
87
239
47
860
47
College
Kilgore
Lamar-Orange
Lee
LSCS
Navarro
McLennan
Panola
San Jacinto
Temple
Trinity Valley
Victoria
Weatherford
Wharton
Grand Total
# Students
61
38
139
3988
263
145
19
495
115
116
48
32
307
10,135
20
This program was discontinued for the following reasons. It may be reinstituted in the
future.
1) To allow sending reverse transfer transcripts in the fall semester as well as the
spring semester to colleges. This change makes it easier for some colleges to
process the work load.
2) Sending transcripts in both the fall and spring should increase the number of
associate degrees, certificates, etcetera awarded.
3) In 2012 many colleges had not yet decided to participate in the reverse transfer
program. It is still not unusual for a specific college to work with a subset of
universities for reverse transfer rather than all universities due to resource
constraints.
4) SHSU students object to excessive email traffic from the university.
Sample Reverse Transfer Email. SHSU tailors this email to meet the specifications of
each college district.
Hello Bearkat! Our records show you have transferred to SHSU prior to completing the
associate degree. Many SHSU students complete the associate degree while simultaneously
meeting baccalaureate degree requirements. “Reverse transfer” is particularly appropriate when
it is inconvenient or impossible to complete more college courses. In some cases, reverse
transfer may help you complete both the associate and baccalaureate degrees while minimizing
total course work. Reverse Transfer works similar to dual credit when you were in high school.
Essentially academic credits for course work completed at SHSU are transfer back to the
college/college district to satisfy associate degree requirements. Course work you complete at
SHSU is applied to both the associate and baccalaureate degrees. There is no loss of course
credits in reverse transfer. Credits are applied to both degrees. The general requirements to
participate and complete a degree via reverse transfer from colleges in the San Jacinto College
are:
1) Core complete at either Sam Houston State University or San Jacinto College. In Texas,
core complete at any state institution means you are core complete at all state institutions.
2) You must have a minimum of 24 hours of transferable course work from San Jacinto
College meeting their minimum GPA requirements for graduation.
21
3) The total of your San Jacinto College transfer credits plus credits at Sam Houston State
University must meet or exceed 62 hours.
4) Credits accumulated at Sam Houston State University must meet associate degree
requirements at the college for hours above the college core requirement as determined
by the college.
Sam Houston State University will monitor your academic progress including total transfer hours
and total combined transfer plus Sam Houston State University hours. When we anticipate you
meet the requirements for the associate degree from the transfer institution, you will be contacted
with instructions on how to apply for the associate degree.
You are free to accumulate additional credits towards graduation applicable to your chosen
major at SHSU from the college at any time as long as you do not exceed SHSU limitations for
transfer students. As a Bearkat, we look forward to helping you reach all desired academic
milestones.
Additional information with respect to “Reverse Transfer Degrees” may be obtained from your
college Registrar’s Office. The college Registrar can also address any special considerations
specific to your situation. A complete list of transfer college articulation pages is located at
http://shsu.edu/prospects/transfer/. The articulation pages show available transfer credit for over
50 majors at SHSU with up to 66 hours of transfer credit. The articulation pages also contain a
link to your transfer college’s home page which includes contact information for the college
Registrar.
Sam Houston State University / A Member of The Texas State University System
22
Texas Community College Instructional Administrators (TCCIA)
Reverse Transfer Contact List FALL 2014
The following list of college contacts is meant to facilitate the ability of universities to
complete “reverse transfer” with colleges. Additions to the list are greatly appreciated.
College
Alamo
St. Philips
Lakeview
North Vista
Palo Alto
San Antonio
Alvin
Amarillo
FICE
003608
000309
000307
023413
009163
003539
003540
Residence
Hours
15
15
15
Myrella Gonzalez Associate Director Center of Student
Information Alamo Colleges mgonzales1@alamo.edu
(210) 486-5041
Stephanie Stockstill <SStockstill@alvincollege.edu>
Diane Brice kdbrice@actx.edu
(806) 371-5028
Angelina
Austin
Blinn
006661
012015
003549
15
15
21
Sandra Cox (scox@angelina.edu)
Tomi Welch (twelch3@austincc.edu)
Brazosport
Central Texas
007857
004003
24
15
CISCO
Coastal Bend
003553
003546
15
15
College of Mainland
Collin County
DCCCD
Del Mar
007096
023614
009331
003563
15
15
15
15
Streeter, Carrie <Carrie.Streeter@brazosport.edu>
Lillian Young Lillian.young@ctcd.edu 254-5261667
Dean of Instruction <Annette.Smith@cisco.edu>
Tammy Adams tadams@coastalbend.edu
++Alicia Ulloa ulloaa@coastalbend.edu 361-3542251
Laura Divine ldivine@com.edu
El Paso Comm Col
010387
15
Galveston
Grayson
006662
003570
15
15
Kristi Urban - kristi.urban@blinn.edu
Andrea Liner – andrea.liner@blinn.edu
Kristi Reddoch – kristi.reddoch@blinn.edu
Todd Fields TFields@collin.edu
Greg Williams g.williams@dcccd.edu
Olivia Bayarena <obayaren@delmar.edu> student
enrollment specialist
Daryle Hendry, Executive Admissions and Registrar,
Dhendry@epcc.edu, 915-831-2580
915-831-3197fax
Scott Branum sbranum@gc.edu
Christy Klemiuk
Director of Admissions and Registrar
klemiukc@grayson.edu
23
903-463-8650
HCCS
010633
15
Hill
Howard College
Kilgore
Lamar State
College-Orange
Lamar State College
-Port Arthur
Laredo Comm Col
Lee
LSCS
McLennan
003573
003574
003580
15
023582
15
Midland
Navarro
009797
003593
North Central Texas
College
Northeast Texas
Community College
Odessa
003558
15
Vic Chancellor Mark Tengler
<mark.tengler@hccs.edu>
Brandi Boley bboley@hillcollege.edu
Chris Gore cgore@kilgore.edu
becky.mcanelley@lsco.edu 409-882-3318
023485
003582
003583
011145
003590
18
15
15
Dianna Miller dmiller@laredo.edu
Evonne Morris emorris@Lee.Edu
<Connie.S.Garrick@lonestar.edu>
Assistant Registrar Holly Surginer
<hsurginer@mclennan.edu>
Director of Admissions/Registrar David Edwards
<david.edwards@navarrocollege.edu>
023154
15
Betsy Gooding bgooding@ntcc.edu
003596
15
Lorinda Tercero
Completion/Transfer Specialist
ltercero@odessa.edu 432-335-6756
Panola
Paris JC
003600
003601
15
15
Jeremy Dorman jdorman@panola.edu
San Jacinto
South Plains
003609
003611
16
16
Joan.Rondot@sjcd.edu ) 281-669-4737
Southwest Texas
Junior College
Tarrant County
TCCD
003614
15
Luis Fernandez lmfernandez@swtjc.edu
003626?
15
Tarrant County College (all campuses)
FICE: 003626
Paris Junior College (all – Greenville, Paris, Sulpher
Springs)
FICE: 003601
Rita Tapp
2400 Clarksville St.
Paris, Texas 75460
903-782-0212
rtapp@parisjc.edu
Andrew Ruiz, Registrar
aruiz@southplainscollege.edu 806-716-2371
24
Temple
003627
15
Vanessa Walker, Assistant Director of Records
Records Office
300 Trinity Campus Circle
Fort Worth, Texas 76102
(817) 515-1551
Vanessa.walker@tccd.edu
Assoc. Registrar: Sarah Artus: sarah.artus@templejc.edu
Registrar: Toni Cuellar – toni.cuellar@templejc.edu
Texas State
Technical College
15 ?
Waco
Harlingen
WestTexas
Amarillo
003634
009225
009932
009933
Trinity Valley
Tyler Junior College
UT Health Science
Center San Antonio
003572
003648
Vernon College
10060
15
Joe Hite
Dean of Admissions and Financial Aid / Registrar
4400 College Drive Vernon, Texas 76384
940/552-6291 ext 2204 jhite@vernoncollege.edu
Victoria
003662
15
Assistant Registrar
Madelyne.psencik@victoriacollege.edu
Weatherford
Wharton
Universities
Sam Houston State
University (SHSU)
003664
003668
15
24
( Terry Brock tbrock@wc.edu )
Registrar: Preisler, Karen karenp@wcjc.edu
15
15
Dr. Colette Hilliard. chilliard@tvcc.edu
Sofia C. Montes
Associate Registrar
UT Health Science Center - San Antonio
7703 Floyd Curl Dr., MC 7702
San Antonio, TX 78229-3900
ph: (210) 567-2149 / fx: (210) 567-2685
003606
DavidBurris, Ph.D., CCP, CSP
Computer Science
SHSU Articulation Coordinator
(936)294-1568 voice (936)294-4312 fax
csc_dsb@shsu.edu or david.burris@shsu.edu
This list is available on the TCCIA web site at http://www.tccia.org/resources.html. Please send
additions and corrections for distribution to:
David S. Burris, Ph.D., CCP, CSP
Sam Houston State University
25
Computer Science Department, Box 2090
1803 Ave I, AB1 212-C
Huntsville, Tx. 77341-2090
SHSU Articulation Coordinator
(936)294-1568 voice
(936)294-1882 fax
csc_dsb@shsu.edu or David.Burris@shsu.edu
Last update: 10/2/2014
26
Reverse Transfer Information – David Burris, Sam Houston State University, csc_dsb@shsu.edu,
(936)294-1568.
Reverse Transfer Mechanics Summary:
1) Ability to import electronic transcripts directly into college transcript system.
2) Unique identifier used by colleges and universities to identify student using computer software
eliminating need for human intervention. Examples would include use of social security
numbers or a unique identifier assigned by the state staying with the student their entire
educational career.
3) Software transcript evaluation for degree audit.
4) Better communications between colleges and universities.
5) Student friendly legal interpretation of privacy laws, e.g., meant to protect student but not
prevent desirable services such as receiving a degree.
Reverse Transfer Spring 2013 Thru Fall 2014
Sam Houston State University
College
Alamo
St. Philips
Lakeview
North Vista
Palo Alto
San Antonio
Alvin
Amarillo
Angelina
Austin
Blinn (21)
Brazosport (24)
Central Texas
Coastal Bend
CISCO
College of Mainland
Collin County
DCCCD
Del Mar
El Paso Comm Col
Galveston
Grayson
HCCS
Hill
Residence
hours
15
Spring 2013
Fall 2013
Spring 2014
Fall 2014
28
15
15
15
15
21
24
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
42
1
85
70
543
77
37
6
0
28
26
64
12
4
16
2
89
20
45
6
0
16
7
16
54
3
90
70
529
74
36
5
6
20
35
73
7
6
12
2
210
19
29
2
0
9
8
10
38
2
71
45
428
46
22
7
3
24
21
58
6
3
7
1
167
16
26
4
0
10
8
4
40
2
65
48
425
49
26
6
2
15
28
63
6
4
10
3
175
13
27
Howard Col
Kilgore
Lamar State CollegeOrange
Lamar State College Port Arthur
Laredo Comm Col
Lee
LSCS
Mc Lennan
Midland
Navarro
North Central Texas
College
Northeast Texas
Community College
Odessa
Panola
Paris JC
San Jacinto (16)
South Plains College
Southwest Texas Junior
College
Tarrant County Coll
TCCD
Temple
Texas State Technical
College
Trinity Valley
Tyler Junior College
Vernon College
Victoria
Weatherford
Wharton (24)
Total
15
15
15
32
13
30
14
23
7
16
5
15
5
7
4
2
15
15
18
15
15
15
15
6
35
1392
55
7
92
0
6
29
1472
44
14
90
5
22
1338
27
3
83
12
3
20
1397
31
2
83
11
15
6
5
7
15
15
15
16
16
15
0
9
28
178
0
5
15
37
15
15
15
15
15
15
15
24
6
1
7
8
120
6
7
34
25
31
47
48
40
2
26
0
41
49
8
12
8
99
3,314
34
44
33
43
6
8
7
82
2,899
31
39
5
10
4
59
2,897
2
9
166
15
7
98
3,459
6
10
132
A complete summary of reverse transfer information provided the THECB/UEAC in September 2014 may
be downloaded off the web at www.shsu.edu/csc_dsb/ReverseTransfer.html . The table of contents
follows.
THEBC/ UEAC
September 26, 2014 By David Burris
SHSU Articulation Coordinator
Contents
Page
28
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
10
11
12
13
14
15
16
17
18
19
20
1)
SHSU Reverse Transfer Transcript Opportunities Spring 2013 – Fall
2014
Current Reverse Transfer Success Rates
Reverse Transfer Success Rate Prior to 2011
Transcript Identifying Information and Selection Filter
SHSU Reverse Transfer Registrar Notification Email 2014
College Residence Requirements Versus Potential Reverse Transfer
Candidates
Cooperative Reverse Transfer Opportunities
Reverse Transfer Mechanics Summary:
University Challenges
Reverse Transfer Data 2008 versus 2014
Seamless Transfer Program Integrating High Schools, Colleges, and
Universities
Time Compressed Degree Plans
Online Articulation
Reverse Transfer
Joint Admissions
Cooperative Advising
Desirable Advising Goal for College Transfer Students Pursuing the
Baccalaureate Degree
State of Reverse Transfer Prior to and Since 2012
Reverse Transfer Education Program
Texas Community College Instructional Administrators (TCCIA)
Reverse Transfer Contact List Fall 2014
2
3
4
5
5
8
9
10
10
11
15
15
15
16
16
16
16
18
21
23
A list of individuals responsible for reverse transfer at over 40 college is
available at http://www.tccia.org/resources.html or mirror site
www.shsu.edu/csc_dsb/ReverseTransfer.html .
2)
The THECB/UEAC document above is available at
www.shsu.edu/csc_dsb/ReverseTransfer.html .
3)
A list of colleges SHSU currently supports with Online Articulation, Joint
Admissions, Reverse Transfer, Cooperative Advising, and Time
Compressed Degree Plans may be found at
http://www.shsu.edu/prospects/transfer/ . SHSU supports over 50
transfer degrees with up to 66 hours per degree. On request, we are
happy to add any public institution to the list.
29