Transferring institutions is stressful enough, but it’s even more of a hassle when credits aren’t honored, forcing an individual to retake a class that they have already completed. For this reason, community colleges across the U.S. should universally accept credits.
According to the National Center for Education Statistics, nearly 40% of transfer students lose all of their previously earned credits (an average of 26.6 credits lost), while only one-third of transfer students keep all of their credits.
Community college is generally seen as a stepping stone for transferring to a four-year school or to prepare students to enter a certain field.
Another common view towards community colleges is that students are meant to be in and out, but by not accepting credits from a previous school, it only prolongs the time spent going to school, contradicting the popular assumption.
The possibility of having to retake an entire degree’s worth of classes because it doesn’t follow the specific requirements of a state seems to negate the entire convenience element of community college.
The added financial burden of repeating classes is also a deterrent for students wanting to pursue a degree on time.
In the end, it is a major disadvantage for transfer students because all their hard work has gone unrecognized.
Even if the curriculums are not 100% the same, the grades and amount of classes taken, including hours spent, speak for the level of work students had to put in.
It is likely that there is a lot of overlap of the material covered, which is enough to argue that students from different states are equally just as prepared in their major.
California’s school systems seem to have a fool-proof method to seamlessly get students from high school, to their local community college, and then to a U.C. or a Cal State.
If credits can not become universal, the system should at least require an update to ensure a more seamless transfer process.
Courses from other institutions should automatically be enrolled into the system when they are received by LBCC, and if there are any discrepancies, it should be better communicated to students.
The lack of information regarding out-of-state curriculums is a major issue that needs to be addressed and fixed immediately.
Something the school could offer is a counselor specializing in out-of-state transcripts, which would make it extremely helpful for misguided transfer students to get the correct information they need.
Even offering an “Out of State Transfer Day” for LBCC students that are confused by the process, would allow students who transferred the time to ask specific questions from informed counselors and begin an appeal process if necessary.
Students just want to get to the next step in their educational journeys and should be able to do so without the stress, money and time involved navigating the complicated transfer process.
Long Beach City College needs to do its part in guiding all of its students in the right direction, including the out-of-state ones, in order for them to be prepared for the next stage of their academic careers and success.