AUTHOR'S / SPONSOR'S STATEMENT OF INTENT
One element of Texas' Closing the Gaps by 2015 plan involves creating seamless transitions among high schools, community and technical colleges, universities, and health-related institutions. As of 2008, there were almost 3.5 million Texas adults who had some college credit, but no degree. Only 951,090 Texans have an associate degree. Unfortunately, many students transfer from a community college to a four-year institution before earning an associate degree, and then leave college altogether before earning a bachelors degree. For these students who gain enough credits to earn their associate degree, they end up leaving college without any degree at all.
Current law enables students to earn their associate degree through reverse transfer. However, the student has to request the university and community college to provide each with the necessary information and permission. Many students are simply unaware of when they have earned enough credits to receive their associate degree and never follow through with the reverse transfer process.
This legislation would require four-year institutions to alert transfer students when they have successfully completed a cumulative total of at least 90 credit hours to earn their associate degree. The institution will then request authorization from the student to release the student's transcript to the community college to determine whether the student has earned the appropriate credits for an associate degree. If the community college determines that the student has earned enough credits, it may award the student with the degree.
This legislation will promote degree completion for students transferring from a community college and help ensure that more students achieve a degree.
As proposed, S.B. 945 amends current law relating to authorizing a public junior college to award an associate degree to a student enrolled in a four-year public institution of higher education who previously attended the junior college.
RULEMAKING AUTHORITY
This bill does not expressly grant any additional rulemaking authority to a state officer, institution, or agency.
SECTION BY SECTION ANALYSIS
SECTION 1. Amends Subchapter S, Chapter 61, Education Code, by adding Section 61.833, as follows:
Sec. 61.833. CREDIT TRANSFER FOR ASSOCIATE DEGREE. (a) Provides that this section applies to a student enrolled in a general academic teaching institution (institution) who:
(1) transferred to the institution from or previously attended a public junior college;
(2) earned at least 30 credit hours for course work successfully completed at the public junior college; and
(3) has earned a cumulative total of at least 90 credit hours for course work successfully completed.
(b) Requires the institution by e-mail or other reasonable method, as soon as practicable after a student who is enrolled in an institution has met the criteria established by Subsection (a)(3), to request authorization from the student for the institution to release the student's transcript to the public junior college that the student previously attended for the purpose of determining whether the student has earned the credits required for an associate degree awarded by the junior college. Requires the institution on receipt of a student's authorization under this subsection to release the student's transcript to the public junior college.
(c) Requires a public junior college, after receiving a student transcript from an institution under Subsection (b) to review the transcript and, if the public junior college determines the student has earned the credits required to receive an associate degree awarded by the junior college, may award the student the degree.
SECTION 2. Provides that the change in law made by this Act applies to a student who not earlier than the 2011 fall semester transfers to or otherwise initially enrolls in a general academic teaching institution after attending a public junior college.
SECTION 3. Effective date: upon passage or September 1, 2011.