On February 22, 2022, Associate Policy Director Brianna January testified before the House Appropriations Committee in support of HB 598 – Higher Education – Transfer Platform – Established (Transfer With Success Act 2.0). This bill requires each community college and 4-year institution that receives State funds to participate in a transfer platform that the Maryland Higher Education Commission establishes to facilitate the transfer of students from community colleges to 4-year institutions of higher education; and altering a certain report that public institutions of higher education must submit.
From the MACo testimony: 
This bill would require the Maryland Higher Education Commission to develop a collaborative digital platform that supports an easier transition for community college students to Maryland’s four-year public institutions. It would cut down on administrative and operational costs and would make the process of transferring schools easier on both Maryland’s students and schools.
Transferring credits continues to be an obstacle for community college students who matriculate to a four-year institution. Navigating the complex array of transfer policies is a consistent challenge, and students are losing credits in the process. When a student must retake a course at another higher education institution, they are delaying their graduation, using up additional state funding, and ultimately, paying more in tuition. These factors all contribute to students not successfully accomplishing their academic credential.
HB 598 seeks to address these challenges by requiring participating institutions to maintain and honor credits from community college courses approved for transfer. There should be no reason for students to lose credits if they are attending an accredited Maryland institution.
MACo plans to testify on the bill’s crossfile, SB 540, on March 2, 2022.
More on MACo’s Advocacy:
Follow MACo’s advocacy efforts during the 2022 legislative session on MACo’s Legislative Tracking Database.
Learn more about MACo’s 2022 Legislative Initiatives.
Read more General Assembly News on MACo’s Conduit Street blog.
