Transfer Agreements With Postsecondary Educational Institutions

Purpose:

To establish a formal process for the development of agreements to articulate academic programs offered by J. Sargeant Reynolds Community College (Reynolds) with those of four-year colleges and universities for the purpose of ensuring academic continuity and quality as students progress from one educational level to another.

Definitions:

Articulation Agreement: A formal agreement between two- and four-year institutions outlining the transfer policies for a specific academic program or degree and specification of course-by-course equivalencies. Articulation agreements enable students following the terms of the agreement to optimize the completion of a four-year degree after transfer.

Guaranteed Admissions Agreements (GAA): Agreements between a two- and a four-year institution according to which a student is guaranteed admission to the four-year institution by earning a transferable associate degree (or specified associate degree) and satisfying specified academic benchmarks and criteria. GAA may guarantee general admission to the institution only, or to a specific program of study at the institution. Students transferring under a general admission GAA are not necessarily entitled to be admitted to a specific program.

Transfer Pathway: A planned curriculum between two- and four-year institutions that identifies coursework needed to complete a specified associate degree and its applicability to a specific baccalaureate degree.

Policy:

1. Articulation Agreements

   1. Articulation agreements guarantee all articulated credit defined in the program’s pathway map will be awarded by the four-year institution and applied to programmatic and institutional graduation requirements.

   2. Each articulation agreement should clearly outline the necessary requirements for a student to gain direct admission into a specific program of study.

   3. Articulation agreements shall provide a detailed transfer pathway that corresponds to a four-year program of study at the senior institution.

   4. Admission to specific degree programs will be afforded equitably to native and transfer students.

   5. Transfer students following the prescribed four-year transfer pathway as set forth in the articulation agreement shall be evaluated the same as native students for admission to competitive admission programs.

2. Guaranteed Admission Agreements

   1. Guaranteed Admission Agreements (GAA) should provide students with certainty in their plans to transfer seamlessly from a two- to four-year institution and clearly articulate necessary qualifications for students to gain admission. No additional admission requirements beyond what is in the GAA is required.

   2. GAA should be structured so that all course credit taken at the two-year institution will count toward completion of the baccalaureate degree.

   3. GAA shall make explicit conditions or exceptions (e.g., prior learning credit or program-specific requirement) that could result in loss of credit. These exceptions or conditions shall be publicized and included in the Transfer Guide as well as the GAA.

   4. GAA will state whether the four-year institution will or will not guarantee admission to high school students earning a transferable associate degree through dual enrollment, and if not, outline the terms of transfer that will be honored.

3. Transfer Pathways

   1. Transfer Pathways articulate the necessary qualifications for students who successfully complete a two-year degree to prepare for their chosen major at the four-year university.

   2. Four-year Institutions create Transfer Pathways to provide guidance on how the two-year degree will transfer into a specific four-year degree.

   3. Transfer Pathways do not require official signatures.

   4. A link to the pathway will be provided on Reynolds’ website.

Procedure:

Procedure for Reynolds Policy 2-10, Transfer Agreements With Postsecondary Educational Institutions

Other Information:

Virginia Plan for Dual Enrollment Between Virginia Public Schools and Community Colleges