Transfer Applicabilty vs Equivalency

When it comes to transfer credits, equivalency isn't enough. Institutions, students, and policymakers should embrace transfer applicability—the key to ensuring credits don't just transfer but truly count toward completion.

Let's have a reality check: Continuing down the same path higher education has tread for decades isn't working. Despite significant investments in promoting common course numbering, course to course equivalencies, transfer agreements—today, with nearly 825,000 nationwide—students still face:

• Lost credits delaying graduation.
• Higher costs and longer paths to degrees.
• Slowed workforce entry.
• Diminished value of prior learning.
• Significant administrative delays and burden maintaining countless equivalencies, many of which are rarely used.

Consider this: each transfer agreement may involve 20-30 crosswalks between source and target institutions. Hypothetically, that equates to tens of billions of course equivalencies—most of which will never be referenced. Yet, even with such staggering numbers, the core issue remains unresolved.

The solution? Shift the focus from equivalency to applicability. Transfer applicability proactively informs students how their credits apply toward their degrees—clarifying the true value of their prior learning instantly. Institutions become more efficient, students save time and money, and employers benefit from faster, clearer talent pipelines.

Ironically, campaigns advocating "all learning should count" often unintentionally reinforce outdated practices, tying learning rigidly to predefined pathways. Real innovation means breaking this mold—recognizing diverse learning sources and communicating their applicability clearly and early.

It's time to move beyond equivalencies. Embrace transfer applicability and leverage the process automation needed today to effectively manage comparability and precedent. It’s simply better for everyone involved. Check out AcademyOne's AdvancED Platform that enables institutions to address process automation, learner centric services and get ahead of the pack converting prospects into enrolled learners.

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