Avoid Losing Credit During Transfer

A report from the General Accounting Office (GAO) detailed the ways students lose credits when they transfer between colleges.

Data from this report shows that students lost an estimated 43 percent of their college credits when they transferred out of community college and onto their university. That’s an estimated one-two semesters of full-time enrollment.

$5,000 wasted on average

The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center’s Tracking Transfer report also sheds light on the transfer experience, which allowed institutions to learn more about the academic trajectory of community college students when they transfer.

Overall, very few students who start at a two-year institution eventually complete a four-year degree. The numbers were astounding with just less than 14 percent of community college students going on to completing a bachelor’s degree in six years.

In my 10 years directing Homeschooling for College Credit, I’ve noticed a significant increase in the pursuit of an associate degree among our families. While I think this is a wonderful opportunity for our teens, it’s not without challenges. Namely, not all associate degrees bring the goalpost closer. In fact, I can think of several scenarios where earning an associate’s degree before the bachelor’s degree actually pushes BACK the goalpost and adds more time and cost than was necessary- even when a student is using low-cost credit options.

If you’d like your teen to earn an associate’s degree in high school, you’re not alone. In my 2022 Annual HS4CC Parent’s Survey, 1/3 of you responded that your teen is likely to earn at least 1 degree in high school!

The more types of credit you bring to their program, the more challenging the process becomes. But the cornerstone of saving time and money IS creating a patchwork quilt of courses and credits, so this creates a challenge.

Did you know you don’t have to lose a single credit? Parents who learn how to resourcefully plan those credits transition their teens through dual enrollment, through high school, through two and four year degrees, all while accumulating massive amounts of college credit. In my class, 2- Year Degrees, you’ll learn you how to make sure your teens keep every credit they’ve worked so hard for!

7 Topics in the Course

The Terminal Degree: Understanding how your teens degree may actually prevent transfer of credit, and how to choose the right one.
Accreditation: Mismatch of accreditation is one of the biggest problems but the easiest to check. You’ll learn my simple rule to a complex problem.
Crossing State Lines: Why out of state student lose more credit than in state students, and how to make every credit count.
Public vs Private
University to University
Credit Laundering
Steps and Strategies