Students transferring between colleges lose an average of 43 percent of already earned credits, according to a Government Accountability Office study. Starting in July, new federal rules require accreditors to ensure colleges provide written explanations for denied credits and give students a chance to appeal.
The Commission on Colleges and Universities, led by Stephen Pruitt, launched a voluntary Transfer Credit Consortium to standardize general education credits across institutions. More than 230 of the accreditor's roughly 800 member institutions joined within days of the announcement. A faculty panel will meet in November to decide whether colleges must accept 100 percent of each other's general education credits or can make exceptions. Policies should be set by May, Pruitt said.
The Trump administration has signaled that voluntary programs like the consortium must eventually give way to mandatory standards. Scott Filter, director of government relations at the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers, said the industry was already moving in this direction before the federal rule was introduced in April, but the regulation may push some institutions, particularly private colleges, to act faster.
DegreeSight, an AI-powered credit transfer evaluation platform, has seen increased interest from institutions since the Trump regulations emerged. The software shows students which credits an institution will accept and helps advisers make decisions on course equivalency. More than 60 colleges and all University of Georgia System institutions use it. In late September, the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics announced DegreeSight as its official credit evaluation platform, offering member institutions a discount.