The Background

Under the supervision of the Ohio Department of Higher Education (ODHE) and the leadership of the Chancellor, the Ohio statewide transfer courses that are a subset of an institution’s general education curriculum have helped students successfully transfer coursework between Ohio’s public colleges and universities for 30 years. While the education system and general education coursework have changed during that time period, there has been little alteration to the statewide set of transfer general education courses. Ohio’s public colleges and universities have decided to update and strengthen these statewide transfer general education courses. This task is essential to keeping Ohio’s higher education system strong and relevant. Along this journey, guiding principles have been developed to facilitate the conversation and highlight the shared values of all institutions.  

Chancellor Randy Gardner and Governor Mike DeWine, with our public colleges and universities, announce the unveiling of the new Ohio Transfer Promise. The Ohio Transfer Promise, possibly the most comprehensive statewide transfer agreement in the country, will provide students with a firm guarantee that their coursework will transfer while also providing institutional supports that will assist students on their degree pathway. The Ohio Transfer Promise will include all statewide transfer initiatives. This holistic approach will help to avoid unnecessary credit duplication and get students on the right degree pathway to a successful future. This promise reaffirms Ohio’s commitment to increasing educational access and the number of Ohioans earning a degree, certificate, or other postsecondary credential of value.  

The Promise

Going forward, our institution promises to:

• Embrace and celebrate transfer students as a part of our mission. 
• Eliminate obstacles in the awarding of transfer credit and respect transfer students throughout their entire educational experience by providing needed services and taking pride in their accomplishments.
• Adhere to all of Ohio’s Transfer Policies, including the statewide guarantees.
• Follow the General Education in Ohio: Principles of Good Practice and Guidelines.
• Integrate Ohio Transfer 36 into our General Education curriculum, our Ohio Guaranteed Transfer Pathways, and our catalog and web pages as appropriate.
• Support the Ohio Articulation and Transfer Network technology initiatives and data collection to facilitate research.
• Follow Higher Learning Commission (HLC) policies by clearly posting transfer information for students on appropriate web-based platforms.
• Enhance academic advising that facilitates transfer students reaching their educational goals in an effective and efficient manner.
• Clearly state and post on our website our transfer course appeal process.
• Agree to accept and utilize any course whose learning outcomes have been approved by statewide transfer faculty panels as if it were taken at our institution even if we have no corresponding course.
• Verify our commitment to the Ohio Transfer Promise every three years through a self-appraisal of our compliance with statewide transfer initiatives and submit results to the Ohio Articulation and Transfer Network Oversight Board.