Ensuring MnSCU credit transfer

Rep. Jim Abeler (R-Anoka) wants to ensure that all credits taken by a student at an institution within the Minnesota State Colleges and Universities system are worth something if the student changes schools. He sponsors HF717 that would require MnSCU to adopt a policy whereby its schools must “grant credit for a course that is taken for credit at any of the colleges or universities in the system.”

The bill was held over March 3 by the House Higher Education Policy and Finance Committee for possible omnibus bill inclusion. A companion, SF603, sponsored by Sen. Michael Jungbauer (R-East Bethel), was laid over March 9 by the Senate Higher Education Committee.

This is one more way to let students know we think their work is valuable, Abeler said. “If you can’t transfer 100 percent of your credits from a MnSCU institution to another MnSCU institution, then where should they transfer?” He said that currently 91 percent of credits transfer.

If credits earned at a first school don’t necessarily match up to a receiving school’s class description, they could be transferred as elective credits, under the bill. For example, Abeler said English 101 could mean more reading at one school and more writing at another. “If it can’t be a credit for the English class, at least it could go against their elective class,” he said.

Rep. Jeanne Poppe (DFL-Austin), a counselor at Riverland Community College, noted that a Minnesota Transfer Curriculum already exists to help students taking a class at one school see how it will transfer to another school. She said students need to take some personal responsibility for knowing what must be done to reach their goal.

Rep. Kim Norton (DFL-Rochester) said this bill could be a case of putting the cart before the horse because a 2010 law requires MnSCU to “develop and implement a plan to improve credit transfer within the system.” That work is ongoing.

It may not be a perfect bill, but it’s a start, said Rep. Mike Benson (R-Rochester).