Credit When It s Due/ Reverse Transfer FAQ fr students Ohi is participating in a natinal grant initiative, Credit When It s Due, designed t implement reverse-transfer, which is a prcess t award assciate degrees t students wh earned credits that satisfied residency requirements at a cmmunity cllege, did nt earn their assciate degree, and transferred t a fur-year institutin where they are currently enrlled. Thirteen public universities, 5 reginal campuses, and all 23 cmmunity clleges in Ohi are participating in this initiative. 1. Hw des the Credit When It s Due prcess wrk? The Ohi Bard f Regents Credit When It s Due prcess identifies students wh Enrlled in ne f Ohi s public universities t pursue a bachelr s degree in the last semester reprted t the state. Have earned at least 45 cllege-level semester credit hurs at Ohi public universities r clleges. Have earned at least 20 cllege-level semester credit hurs frm a participating tw-year institutin. Have a minimum cumulative GPA f 2.0 at their current university. Have nt received an assciate r a bachelr s degree frm Ohi public institutins. The identified students will be cntacted by their current university t begin the prcess f being cnsidered fr an assciate degree frm their previus cllege. If the student grants permissin fr his r her academic recrds t be shared between the institutins, the student s recrds will be reviewed t see if he r she is eligible fr a degree. The cllege that is cnsidering the assciate degree award will cntact the student t let him r her knw the results f the assciate degree review prcess. A student wh qualifies fr the degree will be awarded the credential. A student wh des nt yet qualify fr an assciate degree will be given infrmatin n what utstanding items may be reslved t receive an assciate degree. 2. Why shuld I get an assciate degree if I am wrking n a bachelr s degree? The number ne reasn is that yu have already earned it! Yu shuld get recgnitin fr what yu have already achieved. In additin, an assciate degree is a sign f persistence n yur way t cmpleting a bachelr s degree. There is n evidence amng emplyers r educatrs that having an assciate degree in additin t a bachelr s degree is perceived negatively. In fact, sme emplyers reprt that an assciate degree hlder demnstrates that the jb applicant has cmpleted smething they started and are a gd bet fr finishing the baccalaureate degree. There are sme cases where having an assciate degree has allwed students t seek emplyment sner while still wrking t btain a bachelr s degree. An assciate degree can als serve as sme insurance in the case that life events happen that delay yur prgress tward a bachelr s degree. 3. Are there situatins where students chse nt t receive an assciate degree?
We have nt identified scenaris where the assciate degree has had a negative impact n the academic, career, r emplyment gals f a student. In pilts f this initiative, sme students have been cncerned abut their eligibility t receive schlarships frm private rganizatins fr their bachelr s degree if they receive an assciate degree, but this issue is rare. We encurage students wh have schlarships frm private rganizatins t check n the plicies f thse rganizatins. In ther cases, there are students wh have chsen nt t receive a reverse degree award because f the impact it might have n curt rders regarding divrce r alimny. 4. Hw will I knw if I will get a degree? The tw-year institutin that is cnsidering the assciate degree award will cntact yu t let yu knw the results f the assciate degree review prcess. Students wh qualify fr the degree will be awarded the credential unless the student ntifies the cllege that they d nt want the award within the timeframe identified in the cllege s cmmunicatin with the student. 5. What happens if I g thrugh the prcess and dn t qualify fr an assciate degree? If yur recrds and transcripts have been reviewed fr an assciate degree by yur cllege, but yu d nt yet qualify fr a degree, the cllege will share with yu what must be dne in rder t qualify fr the assciate degree. Fr example, yur cllege might require yu t take mre curses at yur current university in rder t qualify fr the assciate degree award r t reslve utstanding fees n yur recrd. 6. D I need t enrll in my previus cllege? N. This initiative is nt asking students t re-enrll r take mre curses at their previus institutin. The intentin is fr yu t use what yu have already cmpleted tward the degree. Curses that yu are planning t cmplete in the future at yur current university may be applied later t the degree at yur previus cllege. 7. What if I left my previus cllege many years ag befre starting back at the university? Each participating cmmunity cllege r tw-year institutin will determine hw far back they can cnsider credits fr a particular degree. 8. What is the cst? There is n fee fr yu t be awarded a reverse transfer assciate degree thrugh the Credit When It s Due initiative. Fees fr requesting cpies f yur transcript frm yur current public state university t be sent t yur previus cllege r fees fr petitining fr an assciate degree will be waived fr students identified by this initiative. Hwever, sme institutins may charge small fees fr yu t participate in graduatin ceremnies r related activities. Thse clleges will prvide graduatin infrmatin and prcedures when ntifying students that they have received a degree.
If yu attended multiple clleges befre enrlling in yur current university, yu may need t request that transcripts frm the ther clleges yu attended, including private r ut-f-state clleges, be sent t the tw-year cllege cnsidering yur degree award. The ther clleges may charge fees nt cvered in this initiative fr sending thse additinal transcripts t the cllege cnsidering yu fr an assciate degree. If yu wuld need t send additinal dcumentatin frm third-party agencies fr Advanced Placement scres, credit-by-exam results, r ther infrmatin t be cnsidered fr a degree, yu may have t pay fees t thse third-party agencies. 9. Will this affect my financial aid r schlarships? Getting an assciate degree fr wrk yu have already cmpleted will nt impact yur federal, state, r institutinal financial aid. If yu are receiving a schlarship frm a private rganizatin (e.g. business rganizatin r civic assciatin), yu shuld check their schlarship regulatins t make sure that receiving an assciate degree des nt make yu ineligible fr the schlarship. 10. What if I have utstanding fees at my current r previus cllege? We encurage yu t reslve utstanding fees at yur current r previus cllege t ensure that yur academic recrds can be shared and that yu can be cnsidered fr an assciate degree. 11. Des credit by exam, such as Advanced Placement r CLEP, apply t the degree? Cllege-level credit awarded by a cllege r university based n an exam r prir learning assessments may be applied t a degree based n the degree requirements. Fr example, if yu have scred a 3 r better n an Advancement Placement exams, the institutin will cnfirm the acceptance f the scre. If yu did nt have fficial cpies f yur AP exam scres sent t the tw-year institutin previusly, visit the Cllege Bard (http://www.cllegebard.cm/student/testing/ap/exgrd_rep.html) fr infrmatin n hw t send yur scres t the cllege t be factred int yur degree audit. Yu may have t pay a fee fr having yur scres sent. While there is statewide agreement n recgnitin fr Advanced Placement assessments, each institutin has its wn plicy regarding credit recgnitin based n ther prir learning assessments. Please cntact the tw-year cllege cnsidering yu fr a degree fr mre infrmatin n the prcess fr credit by exam. 12. What abut military credit? All f Ohi s public clleges and universities are members f the Servicemembers Opprtunity Cllege Cnsrtium and will wrk with veterans and current service members t determine what knwledge frm military experience can be assessed and credited tward a degree. 13. Will credit frm develpmental educatin curses cunt tward a degree?
Develpmental educatin credit will nt cunt tward an assciate degree. Develpment educatin can be helpful t yur academic prgress, but credit applied t a degree has t be deemed as credit frm a curse that cvers cllege level material. 14. What if I attended multiple clleges utside f my current university? In the Credit When It s Due prcess, the university which yu currently attend will ask fr permissin t send yur transcript t the public tw-year cllege where yu had the mst credits t cnsider yu fr an assciate degree. If yu grant permissin, the academic recrds frm yur current university and the designated tw-year cllege will be reviewed by the cllege. If the cllege-level credits between the tw-year cllege reviewing yur transcript and yur current university are nt enugh t qualify yu fr an assciate degree, yu may cnsider sending the transcripts f ther institutins, including private clleges and universities, t the tw-year cllege reviewing yu fr an assciate degree. Yu may incur charges frm thse additinal clleges fr having yur transcript sent but yur current public university that is participating in this initiative will nt charge yu fr sending yur transcript. 15. Can I attend the graduatin ceremny? Participating in graduatin ceremnies is an ptin. The timing f yur review and award may determine hw sn yu can participate in graduatin ceremnies. Each participating cllege has its deadlines fr participatin in cmmencement ceremnies. In additin, sme clleges may charge a fee t participate in graduatin ceremnies. 16. What if I was nt enrlled in cllege in the last year, but received cllege-level credit frm numerus clleges in the past? Culd I be cnsidered fr an assciate degree? There are scenaris where yu may be eligible fr an assciate degree award frm a cmmunity cllege yu attended but d nt meet the criteria f this special initiative. The Credit When It s Due initiative nly identifies students wh have recently been enrlled at an Ohi public university. Cntact the participating tw-year cllege where yu received the mst cllege credits fr mre infrmatin abut being cnsidered fr an assciate degree. [Click here fr cntacts at clleges and universities.] 17. If I think I am eligible fr an assciate degree frm a participating institutin but I have nt been cntacted abut this initiative, what can I d t be cnsidered? This initiative identifies students wh meet the fllwing criteria: Enrlled in ne f Ohi s public universities t pursue a bachelr s degree during the last reprted semester. Have earned at least 45 cllege-level semester credit hurs at Ohi public universities r clleges. Have earned at least 20 cllege-level semester credit hurs frm a single tw-year institutin. Have a minimum cumulative GPA f 2.0 at their current university. Have nt received an assciate r a bachelr s degree frm Ohi public institutins.
There are scenaris where yu may be eligible fr an assciate degree award frm a cmmunity cllege r reginal campus yu attended but d nt meet the criteria f this special initiative. Fr example, if yu are enrlled in a private university r are n lnger enrlled in a university, yu may still have enugh t get an assciate degree frm a cllege yu attended. Cntact the participating tw-year cllege where yu received the mst cllege credits fr mre infrmatin. [Click here fr cntacts at clleges and universities.] In mst cases, yu will need t ask the ther clleges and universities yu have attended t frward yur transcript t the cllege cnsidering yu fr an assciate degree. Yu may be charged a small fee fr having yur transcript sent if yu are nt identified as a participant in this initiative. If yu believe yu meet all f the initiative criteria abve but have nt been cntacted abut the initiative, yu may cntact the designated representative frm yur university t determine if yu can prceed with sending yur transcript r if yu shuld wait s that transcript fees are waived. 18. D I have a say in which cllege awards an assciate degree t me? The Credit When It's Due initiative identifies the participating public cllege where yu received the mst cllege-level credit as the cllege that shuld cnsider yu fr an assciate degree award. In the case that yu earned the same number f credits at multiple institutins, the last tw-year cllege with the mst credit will be designated t review yu fr an assciate degree award. If yu prefer that the designated cllege nt award the degree, yu may decide nt t release yur transcript t that cllege r t decline the degree when ntified. Yu have the right t reach ut t anther institutin t cnsider yu fr a degree based n credits that yu have acquired at multiple institutins but their award criteria, prcess, and fees may be different frm thse f this initiative. 19. D I have a say in which assciate degree (example: assciate f arts r assciates f applied technlgy) I receive? Each cllege has its wn assciate degree review prcess, but clleges are likely t review yur academic recrd against the degree requirements which yu are mst likely t meet. After yu sign the release frm t have yur transcript sent t yur previus cllege, yu may reach ut t the cllege and specify the assciate degree(s) fr which yu wuld like t be cnsidered. 20. As a parent r spuse f a student wh may be eligible fr this prgram, hw can I help my family member? Please have yur family member reach ut t the cntact persn at their current r previus institutin. A list f institutinal cntacts can be fund here. In mst cases, clleges and universities cannt legally share student academic recrds and ther educatinal infrmatin with parents f adult children r spuses.