The Transfer to Degree Guarantee helps students simplify the credit transfer process among the state’s public colleges and universities and from adult and secondary career-technical institutions. This enables them to complete degree and certificate programs more efficiently and make their learning experience count.

When a student meets general education requirements, as well as 60+ career-oriented program requirements, those credits are guaranteed to transfer and apply toward a degree through Ohio Transfer to Degree Guarantee curriculum.

Use the navigation menu above to locate the TYPE of credits you would like to transfer.

With a few keystrokes, students can determine if courses they’ve already taken, or plan to take, will transfer to the school they are considering. With this information, students can work with their guidance counselor or academic adviser to facilitate the transfer.

In addition, the state has partnered with Transferology (www.transferology.com) for more than 10 years so that students can see how their credits transfer among institutions based on bilateral and local agreements.

In the past, Ohioans could transfer among the state’s colleges and universities, usually through bilateral or local agreements between the two institutions. While many of these agreements will remain in place, this program offers a comprehensive approach to credit transfer that will support a student’s mobility throughout Ohio's public institutions of higher education. As a result, Ohio’s students gain the freedom and flexibility they need to navigate their chosen paths to a college degree or credential from any corner of the state.

Ohio’s transfer program is offered in a wide range of options:

• Guaranteed transfer-to-degree pathways that allow students to directly transfer a core of credits that will count toward their chosen major program. These Transfer Assurance Guides (TAGs) and Career-Technical Assurance Guides (CTAGs) offer sets of foundational courses and programs in 60+ degree or certificate programs that are guaranteed to transfer among Ohio’s public colleges and universities and from adult and secondary career-technical institutions. Because TAGs and CTAGs focus on the beginning set of courses and programs in a career or major-oriented program, institutions will continue to provide distinctive approaches in more advanced coursework.

• General education requirements, known as the Ohio Transfer Module (OTM), that represent a common body of knowledge and academic skills comprised of 36-40 semester hours of courses.

• Advanced Placement exams taken while in high school could count towards the general education requirements; some may also count towards pre-major and beginning major requirements – the Transfer Assurance Guides (TAG) courses – in specific fields of study.

• Military training, experience and coursework can count as college and career-technical credit if it is recognized by the American Council on Education (ACE).

Every year, about 43,000 Ohioans transfer among the state’s public colleges and universities as they adapt to changing career plans, financial challenges, and other life issues. By assuring students that their comparable and equivalent coursework will count toward their degrees, the program helps these students earn degrees and certificates in the most efficient way possible.

The faster students can earn a degree, the less it will cost – and the sooner they can realize the benefits of their education. They are the key to keeping our state globally competitive and able to meet the challenges of the 21^st century.

Ohio’s Credit When It’s Due, is a process to award associate degrees to students who earned credits that satisfied residency requirements at a community college, did not earn their associate degree, and subsequently transferred to a four-year institution. Thirteen public universities, five regional campuses, and all 23 community colleges in Ohio are collaborating on this important initiative.

• Enrolled in one of Ohio’s public universities to pursue a bachelor’s degree in the last semester reported to the state.
• Have earned at least 45 college-level semester credit hours at Ohio public universities or colleges.
• Have earned at least 20 college-level semester credit hours from a participating two-year institution.
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 at their current university.
• Have not received an associate or a bachelor’s degree from Ohio public institutions.

The identified students will be contacted by their current university or by a community college to begin the process of being considered for an associate degree. If the student grants permission for his or her academic records to be shared between the institutions, the student’s records will be reviewed to see if he or she is eligible for a degree. The college that is considering the associate degree award will contact the student to let him or her know the results of the associate degree review process. A student who qualifies for the degree will be awarded the credential. A student who does not yet qualify for an associate degree will be given information on which outstanding items may be resolved to be awarded an associate degree.

The number one reason is that you have already earned it! You should get recognition for what you have already achieved. In addition, an associate degree is a sign of persistence on your way to completing a bachelor’s degree. There is no evidence among employers or educators that having an associate degree in addition to a bachelor’s degree is perceived negatively.  In fact, some employers report that an associate degree demonstrates that the job applicant has completed something they started and are a good bet for finishing the baccalaureate degree.  There are some cases where having an associate degree has allowed students to seek employment sooner while still working to obtain a bachelor’s degree.  An associate degree can also serve as some “insurance” in the case that life events happen that delay your progress toward a bachelor’s degree.

We have not identified scenarios where the associate degree has had a negative impact on the academic, career, or employment goals of a student. In pilots of this initiative, some students have been concerned about their eligibility to receive scholarships from private organizations for their bachelor’s degree if they receive an associate degree, but this issue is rare. We encourage students who have scholarships from private organizations to check on the policies of those organizations.  In other cases, there are students who have chosen not to receive a Credit When It’s Due degree award because of the impact it might have on court orders regarding divorce or alimony.

The two-year institution that is considering the associate degree award will contact you to let you know the results of the associate degree review process. Students who qualify for the degree will be awarded the credential unless the student notifies the college that they do not want the award within the timeframe identified in the college’s communication with the student.

If your records and transcripts have been reviewed for an associate degree by your college, but you do not yet qualify for a degree, the college will share with you what must be done in order to qualify for the associate degree. For example, your college might require you to take more courses at your current university in order to qualify for the associate degree award or to resolve outstanding fees on your record.

No. This initiative is not asking students to re-enroll or take more courses at their previous institution. The intention is for you to use what you have already completed toward the degree. Courses that you are planning to complete in the future at your current university may be applied later to the degree at your previous college.

Each participating two-year institution will determine how far back they can consider credits for a particular degree.

There is no fee for you to be awarded an associate degree through Ohio’s Credit When It’s Due initiative. Fees for requesting copies of your transcript from your current public state university to be sent to your previous college or fees for petitioning for an associate degree will be waived for students identified by this initiative. However, some institutions may charge small fees for you to participate in graduation ceremonies or related activities. Those colleges will provide graduation information and procedures when notifying students that they have received a degree.

Getting an associate degree for work you have already completed will not impact your federal, state, or institutional financial aid. If you are receiving a scholarship from a private organization (e.g.  business organization or civic association), you should check their scholarship regulations to make sure that receiving an associate degree does not make you ineligible for the scholarship.

We encourage you to resolve outstanding fees at your current or previous college to ensure that your academic records can be shared and that you can be considered for an associate degree.

In June of 2013, Governor John R. Kasich signed Executive Order 2013-05K to support Ohio’s veterans by ensuring they are receiving the appropriate credit and credentialing for their military training, experience, and coursework. All of Ohio’s colleges and universities are working hard to ensure student veterans receive fair credit towards an applicable degree.

Developmental education credit will not count toward an associate degree. Development education can be helpful to your academic progress, but credit applied to a degree must be from a course that covers college level material.

In the Credit When It’s Due process, the university which you currently attend will ask for permission to send your transcript to the public two-year college where you had the most credits to consider you for an associate degree. If you grant permission, the academic records from your current university and the designated two-year college will be reviewed by the college. If the college-level credits between the two-year college reviewing your transcript and your current university are not enough to qualify you for an associate degree, you may consider sending the transcripts of other institutions, including private colleges and universities, to the two-year college reviewing you for an associate’ degree. You may incur charges from those additional colleges for having your transcript sent but your current public university that is participating in this initiative will not charge you for sending your transcript.

Participating in graduation ceremonies is an option. The timing of your review and award may determine how soon you can participate in graduation ceremonies. Each participating college has its deadlines for participation in commencement ceremonies. In addition, some colleges may charge a fee to participate in graduation ceremonies.

There are scenarios where you may be eligible for an associate’s degree award from a community college you attended even though you are not currently attending a four-year university. Contact the participating two-year college where you received the most college credits for more information about being considered for an associate degree.

• Enrolled in one of Ohio’s public universities to pursue a bachelor’s degree during the last reported semester.
• Have earned at least 45 college-level semester credit hours at Ohio public universities or colleges.
• Have earned at least 20 college-level semester credit hours from a single two-year institution.
• Have a minimum cumulative GPA of 2.0 at their current university.
• Have not received an associate or a bachelor’s degree from Ohio public institutions.

There are scenarios where you may be eligible for an associate degree award from a community college or regional campus you attended but do not meet the criteria of this special initiative. For example, if you are enrolled in a private university or are no longer enrolled in a university, you may still have enough to get an associate degree from a college you attended. Contact the participating two-year college where you received the most college credits for more information. In most cases, you will need to ask the other colleges and universities you have attended to forward your transcript to the college considering you for an associate degree. You may be charged a small fee for having your transcript sent if you are not identified as a participant in this initiative.

The Credit When It's Due initiative identifies the participating public college where you received the most college-level credit as the college that should consider you for an associate degree award. In the case that you earned the same number of credits at multiple institutions, the last two-year college with the most credit will be designated to review you for an associate degree award. If you prefer that the designated college not award the degree, you may decide not to release your transcript to that college or to decline the degree when notified. You have the right to reach out to another institution to consider you for a degree based on credits that you have acquired at multiple institutions but their award criteria, process, and fees may be different from those of this initiative.

Each college has its own associate degree review process, but colleges are likely to review your academic record against the degree requirements which you are most likely to meet. After you sign the release form to have your transcript sent to your previous college, you may reach out to the college and specify the associate degree(s) for which you would like to be considered.

Please have your family member reach out to the contact person at their current or previous institution. In most cases, colleges and universities cannot legally share student academic records and other educational information with parents of adult children or spouses.