I am the spokesperson at UConn, and wish to take this opportunity to address the issue of transferring credits and the unfortunate misunderstandings that have surrounded this issue.
There’s been a great deal of confusion over UConn’s review of its policy governing the number of credits that its students can transfer in from elsewhere. The statement below provides important context to understand the discussion, which stemmed from reviews of a long-outdated policy and the desire to replace it with one that is more current and rooted in best practices of universities of UConn’s size and scope.
This statement, provided to The Mirror and many other area media outlets in recent weeks, may help answer many of the questions and correct many of the misunderstandings:
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We respect and admire the work done by all institutions in the state, particularly its community colleges. Transfer students from Connecticut’s community colleges are an integral part of the UConn fabric. Collectively, these students bring diversity, life experiences and new perspectives critical to a vibrant campus life.In particular, we want to reiterate that this proposed policy does not apply to any particular college or set of colleges. Rather, we believe that students who matriculate at UConn as first-time freshmen should take the majority of their courses at UConn.
Some pertinent information about the discussion:
- If approved, the new policy would affect only those who enrolled in UConn as first-time freshmen and are UConn students at the time they “pick up” additional credits elsewhere. Students who started their careers at CSU, a community college or other institution who then transfer into UConn would NOT be affected.
- The current policies governing the transfer of Connecticut community college degree recipients to UConn have not changed. The existing policies, including the guaranteed admissions program (GAP), remain in effect.
- The change that has been discussed is the following: “Students who matriculate at the University as freshman must earn a minimum of 90 credits in-residence. Freshman can transfer in up to 30 credits, of which no more than 15 can be General Education credits. Courses taken at the University prior to matriculation and through the University’s Study Abroad, National Student Exchange, Advanced Placement, and Early College Experience programs are all deemed in-residence and do not apply to this policy.”
- The truth is fairly simple: UConn currently accepts 90 credits of transfer credit in all bachelor’s programs (usually consisting of 120 credits) for students who matriculate at UConn as freshmen. This policy has existed at UConn since 1938 and a small number of our students, (approximately 70 each year) have taken advantage of this policy, with some students taking as many as 60 or 70 credits at other institutions even though they attend UConn for four years.
- However, the vast majority of our students who transfer in credits earn about eight transfer credits elsewhere, and we believe this trend will continue.
It’s highly unusual for any university to have a policy in which its students (that is, those who started there as freshmen and are enrolled there as their primary school) could satisfy three-quarters of their credits somewhere else and still receive a degree from that institution.
I hope this helps provide a better understanding of the discussion. We always welcome legislators, parents of students, and any member of the public to contact us with questions — My direct number is (860) 486-0871, and I am glad to talk with anyone who’d like to follow up with other questions.