April 19, 2017
CWID Data Note 9: Increasing Associate’s Degree Attainment
A major goal of reverse transfer policies is to increase associate’s degree attainment. In 2017, CWID researchers provided an update on the number of associate’s degrees conferred in CWID states, and found that the results varied by state.
In Data Note 9, researchers asked:
- How many students earned associate’s degrees via reverse credit transfer during AY2013-14, AY2014- 15, and AY2015-16?
- How did reverse credit transfer policies increase state associate’s degree attainment?
Using data from the Credit When it’s Due Impact Study, researchers found that the percentage increase in associate’s degree attainment ranged from zero in states that did not confer degrees to 23 percent in Hawaii. The three-year trend data suggested that some states experienced an increase over the grant period (e.g., CO, MO, NC, OH) whereas other states experienced a decrease (HI, MI, MN, OR). In the last year of the CWID grant, researchers found that in states such as Arkansas, Colorado, Minnesota, North Carolina, and Texas, the degrees conferred via reverse credit transfer increased annual associate’s degree attainment by 1.0% to 3.0%. Tennessee and Hawaii experienced the largest increase in associate’s degrees attainment due to reverse credit transfer at 6.3% and 15.2%, respectively.
The analysis suggests that reverse credit transfer has the potential to increase state associate’s degree attainment. Given that some CWID states were not yet at full-scale implementation, there is potential to further expand and improve reverse credit transfer policies and increase state degree attainment. To see the number of degrees conferred at all CWID seats, read the full data note below.
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.