Administrative Procedures

Transfer Articulation Procedure with Receiving Institutions

1. Purpose

This procedure describes the elements for establishing system-level transfer/articulation agreements with other institutions.

2. Scope

This procedure applies to all system level transfer/articulation agreements or memorandum of understanding for outgoing transfer of students to another education institution. Individual colleges may have other criteria for individual transfer agreements. 

3. Procedure for System-level Transfer/Articulation Agreements

1. The following criteria must be met for KCTCS to enter into a system level transfer agreement with a receiving institution:
    
   1. Receiving institution has earned an institutional accreditation recognized by the U.S. Department of Education. 
      
      
   2. Students are eligible to receive federal financial aid at the receiving institution. The receiving institution must not be placed on Heightened Cash Monitoring 2 by the US Department of Education.
      
      
   3. Agreements need to provide some benefit to KCTCS students such as reduced tuition, scholarships, access to advising, fee waivers etc.
      
      
   4. The receiving institution must provide information on how the institution’s programs meet any relevant state licensing exam requirements as well as job placement rates and cohort average student loan debt on their KCTCS Partnership landing page.
      
      
   5. The receiving institution agrees to maximize application and acceptance of transfer credit and develop separate degree program to degree program transfer pathways that outline academic program specific information, including required and recommended courses at KCTCS and the receiving institution. Transfer pathways must be consistent with the doctrines established in the transfer agreement and reviewed and approved by KCTCS.
      
      
   6. The receiving institution agrees to create a microsite or individual landing page on the receiving institution’s website dedicated to the KCTCS partnership and include approved transfer pathways in an easy-to-follow format. The receiving institution agrees to maintain approved transfer pathways and update them annually. KCTCS will provide KCTCS curriculum updates annually.
      
      
   7. The receiving institution agrees that any transfer marketing and advising communications will encourage the completion of an associate degree prior to transfer.
      
      
2. The following criteria is recommended for inclusion in an agreement:
   
   
   1. Benefits to KCTCS students transferring to the receiving institution, such as priority registration, waivers of application fees, transfer scholarships, etc.
      
      
   2. Admission requirements, including grades students need to have for courses to transfer, relevant deadlines and scholarship information; transfer process and steps; general education details and/or requirements.
      
      
   3. Credit hours required in residency at the receiving institution and/or credit hours required in upper-level courses and maximum number of credit hours that can be transferred.
      
      
   4. The receiving institution agrees to allow for reverse transfer for students who transfer from KCTCS prior to completing an associate’s degree. The receiving institution will enter into an agreement with the National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) to submit Reverse Transfer enrollment/grade information for former KCTCS students. Receiving institution will collect consent from students to share information and will submit files to NSC at the end of each term (fall, summer, spring). KCTCS agrees to evaluate credit for former students as supplied through NSC and will award an associate’s degree provided the student meets all requirements for the credential, including the residency requirement. The acceptance of credit and application toward a KCTCS degree is determined by the policies of the student’s KCTCS home college. Colleges may establish reverse transfer agreements with other institutions independently if a KCTCS system-wide agreement is not in place.
      
      
3. KCTCS will not enter into an agreement with an institution that requires exclusivity.
   
   
4. The draft proposed transfer agreement will be uploaded to the KCTCS Transfer Agreement Workflow in SharePoint and reviewed according to established protocols, which include reviews by the following entities: KCTCS Transfer Peer Team, System Office Registrar, Academic Council, Office of General Counsel, and KCTCS Provost.  Once reviewed by all parties and requested edits/revisions made in collaboration with the transfer institution, the agreement will be signed by the KCTCS Provost and housed in the Transfer Agreement Repository on the KCTCS Provost’s SharePoint site. 

4. Procedure for College-level Transfer Agreements

Colleges will share established transfer agreements with the System Office, and copies of signed college transfer agreements will be housed in the KCTCS Provost’s Transfer Agreement repository with System level agreements. Transfer Pathways that are applicable to all KCTCS students will be managed through the KCTCS transfer pathway review process. College specific transfer pathways that are only applicable to students at the specific College are managed by the College.