Community College Research Initiatives

March 15, 2016

CWID Data Note 2: Reverse Transfer Legislation

The second data note in the Credit When It’s Due (CWID) initiative examined the prevalence and nature of state legislation and institutional reverse transfer programs in 2015.

Reverse transfer policies and programs were spreading across the country in 2015 with the CWID was first being conducted. The initiative included data from 15 states. Throughout the study, researchers examined the prevalence of reverse transfer policies across all 50 states. Data Note 2 provides tables and figures that differentiate between states that have reverse transfer legislation (including pending/proposed legislation) and those states that have reverse transfer programs, but with no legislative policy.

At the time of the study, 13 states had passed legislation or were in the process (8 of those states were in the CWID initiative). With the exception of Alaska, the other 36 states had at lease one reverse transfer program between two- and four-year institutions.

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Reverse Transfer Legislation Map

View the full data note below for more details on the information above, and to see language commonly used in reverse transfer legislation.

Download CWID Data Note 2


Credit When It’s Due (CWID) is a multi-foundation funded, multi-state initiative designed to facilitate the implementation of reverse transfer policies and processes that benefit college students who have transferred from the community college to the bachelor’s level and have not secured an associate’s degree at the time of transfer. CCRI is funded by the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to research this initiative. Learn more about the full initiative here