For Immediate Release
Contact:
Matthew Cookson, USNH: 603-862-0904
Matt.cookson@usnh.edu
Shannon Reid, CCSNH: 603-271-2795
sreid@ccsnh.edu
Transferring College Credits to Become Much Easier through NH Transfer
Online database simplifies process of transferring credits to and from colleges
January 8, 2009—Recognizing the need to make the pathway to earning a college degree as simple as possible, the University System of New Hampshire (USNH) and the Community College System of New Hampshire (CCSNH) have partnered to launch NH Transfer, an online database that will help give students a clear understanding of which courses transfer among participating institutions. Having this information could reduce the number of courses needed to earn a degree and save students both time and money.
This new service can be accessed for free at www.NHTransfer.org. It provides an accurate and current profile of the transfer credit practices among the seven community colleges, the four USNH institutions (University of New Hampshire, Plymouth State University, Keene State College, and Granite State College), and two private institutions (Southern New Hampshire University and Franklin Pierce University).
While the NH Transfer web site has been in place and the two public higher education systems have continually been improving transfer procedures, the new web-based system represents a major step forward. Modeled after systems in Maryland and New Jersey, this new articulation system will enable prospective and current students to obtain detailed information about transferring between participating two- and four-year colleges and universities, including course-to-course equivalencies, general education requirements, and recommended transfer programs for each major at the four-year receiving institutions.
“This online database will be a terrific new tool for both current and prospective students who are looking to map out their pathways to a two or four-year degree,” said USNH Chancellor Stephen Reno. “Before even taking a course, they will be able to know which courses will be accepted by another participating college and university, which will avoid taking courses that may not transfer, potentially shortening the time to earn a degree, and reducing costs.”
“With more and more students looking at a college pathway that begins at a community college, this new tool will be very useful and important for them and their families,” said CCSNH Chancellor Richard Gustafson. “It also brings greater efficiency to the process of academic advising, as specific and detailed course transfer information is now available at the click of a button. Students who have come to expect that information and planning tools will be available online will find that NH Transfer will meet their needs.”
The “Course Lookup” feature is expected to be one of the most utilized features of the system. It allows students to see how a course will transfer to other institutions, if it will transfer as an elective or a general education requirement, or is equivalent to a receiving institution course.
In addition to the individual course evaluations between the two and four-year institutions, NH Transfer will include a Transcript Evaluation and a Recommended Transfer Program feature which will help students learn how their community college classes will dovetail with baccalaureate graduation requirements.
The Transcript Evaluation feature will provide an immediate transfer credit evaluation of CCSNH classes. It will evaluate course transferability to a bachelor’s program and indicate whether the course satisfies general education or has an equivalency at the receiving institution.
The Recommended Transfer Program (RTP) feature provides analysis of how CCSNH courses fit into the major requirements for a specific bachelor’s degree at the receiving institution. The RTP will provide a list of the remaining requirements to be taken once the student arrives at the baccalaureate institution. It will also provide a list of any additional community college courses a student could take, before transferring, to satisfy additional baccalaureate graduation requirements.
A third phase of the initiative, Electronic Transcripts, will be introduced in late 2009. This will allow institutions to send and receive transcripts electronically. Institutions will be able to extract the transcript data and post the transfer credit evaluation directly to their student record database.
The New Hampshire Transfer Articulation Initiative, a joint initiative of USNH and CCSNH, is responsible for implementing and maintaining the articulation system on the web site. USNH and CCSNH have shared the cost to put the system in place, and Southern New Hampshire University and Franklin Pierce University are paying a subscription fee to be part of NH Transfer, which launches with about 2,600 “sender” courses from the seven CCSNH institutions in its database. Day-to-day operations management of NH Transfer is the responsibility of Gary Cilley and Matt Scruton from the USNH Office of Research and Planning.
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