Executive Summary

The Ohio General Assembly, the Ohio Board of Regents, Ohio's universities and community and technical colleges support multiple educational pathways to meet the full spectrum of student needs and educational aspirations. Life circumstances often necessitate the transfer of students and credit hours from one college or university to another. It follows that an improved process for transfer student mobility will increase both student satisfaction and degree completion. Sound public policy must include provisions to maximize credit for prior learning and equitable treatment for transfer students. Inter-institutional cooperation is essential to facilitate transfer and sustain a high level of academic integrity in the system. The following policy was developed to guide the articulation and transfer process. The concepts that follow are included in the policy:

The Ohio Articulation and Transfer policy was developed to facilitate the transfer of students and credits from any state-assisted college or university to another. It encourages faculty recognition of comparable and compatible learning experiences and expectations across institutions. It also encourages students to complete “units” of educational experience as they progress (e.g. transfer assurance guides, transfer modules, associate and baccalaureate degrees).

Admission: The policy generally preserves the college’s or university's practice of making admission decisions on the basis of academic standards, space availability, adherence to deadlines, and payment of fees. However, it does specifically require that Ohio residents with a completed associate degree and a completed transfer module be admitted to all state-assisted institutions provided that their GPA is at least 2.0 for all previous college-level courses. Further, these students shall have admission priority over out-of-state associate degree graduates and transfer students. Although admission to a given institution does not guarantee admission to all degree granting programs, majors, minors, or fields of concentration, incoming transfer students shall be able to compete for admission to specific programs on the same basis as students native to the receiving institution.

Transfer and Acceptance of Credit: The policy distinguishes between the acceptance of credit by the receiving institution and the application of credit to the student's chosen program. Transfer credits will be accepted by the receiving institution and posted to the student's record and transcript. Transfer students will receive transfer credit for all college-level courses they have passed. (See Definition of Passing Grade and Appendix D.) From among the credits which have been posted to the student's record and appear on the student's transcript, the receiving institution, within the provisions of this policy, will determine how credits will, or will not, be applied toward degree requirements at the receiving institution:

Transfer Module: It is assumed that a common body of knowledge, comprised of a subset of the general education curriculum, can be found in the A.A., A.S. and baccalaureate degree programs offered at various institutions, and a Transfer Module can be drawn from this broader general education curriculum. Each institution has identified its Transfer Module according to the guidelines appended. Students enrolled in applied degree programs may choose to go beyond their degree requirements to complete the Transfer Module. Individuals who successfully complete the transfer module at one institution will be considered to have met the transfer module requirements of the receiving institution. Approved transfer module courses, when taken individually, are also guaranteed for transfer among public institutions on a course-by-course basis and are to be applied to the transfer module of the receiving institution.

Transfer Assurance Guide: Discipline-specific guides have been developed, each containing selected courses from the existing transfer module, major, and pre-major requirements. These courses are guaranteed to transfer and be applied to degree/program requirements.

Major, Minor, and Field of Concentration: Application of transfer credit, beyond the Transfer Assurance Guide , for requirements in a specific academic major, minor, or field of concentration will be made on a course-by-course basis at the receiving institution.

Electives: Transfer credit not applicable to the receiving institution's general education curriculum, major, minor or field of concentration (including nontraditional credits not available at the receiving institution) will count as free electives.

Student Responsibilities: In addition to defining institutional responsibilities, the policy encourages students to make informed course selection decisions and transfer plans. In this process students should consult the course applicability system and Transfer Assurance Guides. Further, students are encouraged to seek out information and advice from both the sending and prospective receiving institutions.

Student Appeals Process: A multi-level campus appeals process provides students with an intra-institutional mechanism for their concerns to be addressed. Each institution is required to notify students of the availability of an appeals process and the procedures involved.

Ongoing Implementation: The Articulation and Transfer Commission, which developed the initial Ohio Articulation and Transfer Policy in 1990, was subsequently replaced by the Articulation and Transfer Advisory Council appointed by the Ohio Board of Regents. This Council serves as a continuing forum for articulation and transfer policy and process review. The Advisory Council is a representative body with members nominated by university and community and technical college presidents. Committees are appointed to review and make recommendations on curricular, policy, implementation, and compliance issues.

In support of improved articulation and transfer processes, the Ohio Board of Regents will establish a transfer clearinghouse to receive, annotate, and convey transcripts among state-assisted colleges and universities. This system is designed to provide standardized information and help universities and community and technical colleges reduce undesirable variability in the transfer credit evaluation process.

Another articulation and transfer initiative is underway to permit equivalent career-technical coursework completed at a secondary/adult career technical institution to transfer to a state-assisted institution of higher education.