Carpino’s College Credit Transfer Solution Passes House

HARTFORD – State Representative Christie Carpino’s initiative to help college students transfer earned credits between community colleges and 4 year public institutions of higher learning in Connecticut passed the House of Representatives on Friday.

“At a time when college costs are skyrocketing, transferring credits within our own state college and university system should not be difficult. Students that have difficulty transferring the credits they have already paid for and worked so hard to earn, are often forced to retake similar classes, which only add to their mounting college debt. This is unacceptable,” said Rep. Carpino.

“I introduced this concept on behalf of every college student in Connecticut that worked hard to do well in their courses, and was then disappointed to learn their credits wouldn’t transfer. Lack of accurate and useable information about the transfer process isn’t fair,” said Carpino.

Carpino authored a bill this session to simplify the process to transfer college credits within Connecticut. She testified at a public hearing before the Higher Education Committee in support of her concept and highlighted the flaws of the current system.

In addition to coordinating all credit transfer information in one central location, the current bill also mandates that incoming community college students be educated about the variety of transfer programs available. The bill also requires annual reporting of data surrounding Connecticut transfer programs so that progress can be measured by the General Assembly.

“A streamlined process to transfer college credits will guarantee our students are not paying to retake similar classes, allowing them to graduate quicker without additional debt. The bill goes a long way in creating a straightforward path to get students out of college quicker and into their chosen career path,” said Carpino.

###