Sponsored by:
Senator RONALD L. RICE
District 28 (Essex)
SYNOPSIS
Provides Commission on Higher Education with authority to make final administrative decisions on appeals of certain credit transfer disputes.
CURRENT VERSION OF TEXT
As introduced.
An Act concerning the transfer of academic credits and amending P.L.2007, c.175.
Be It Enacted by the Senate and General Assembly of the State of New Jersey:
1. Section 1 of P.L.2007, c.175 (C.18A:62-46) shall be amended to read as follows:
1. Each public institution of higher education, in consultation with the New Jersey Commission on Higher Education and the New Jersey Presidents' Council, shall establish and enter into a collective Statewide transfer agreement that provides for the seamless transfer of academic credits to a baccalaureate degree program from a completed associate of arts degree program, a completed associate of science degree program, or a completed associate in applied science in technical studies degree program which has credits transferred by the NJ PLACE program from apprenticeship programs. The transfer agreement shall include:
a. a listing of the general education core courses as stipulated by the Presidents' Council;
b. policies and procedures for the seamless transfer and application of academic credits to a baccalaureate degree program from a completed associate degree program, including a guarantee that an associate of arts degree, associate of science degree, or associate in applied science in technical studies degree which has credits transferred by the NJ PLACE program from apprenticeship programs, awarded by a county college established pursuant to chapter 64A of Title 18A of the New Jersey Statutes shall be fully transferable and credited as the first two years of a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution of higher education in the State to which a student is admitted;
c. policies and procedures for the implementation of an appeals process for students and institutions to resolve disputes regarding the transfer of academic credits which provides the Commission on Higher Education with the authority to issue a final administrative decision on the dispute;
d. policies and procedures for the annual review and update of the agreement; and
e. policies and procedures for the collection of data by the commission to ensure that all participating institutions of higher education are in compliance with the provisions of this act and to ensure that the agreement is fostering both a seamless transfer process and the academic success of transfer students at the senior institutions. The commission shall annually determine the data to be collected and shall notify each participating institution in a timely manner.
The policies and procedures set forth in the transfer agreement shall be fully operational by September 1, 2008, except that, with respect to associate in applied science in technical studies degree programs which have credits transferred by the NJ PLACE program from apprenticeship programs, the transfer agreement shall be fully operational by September 1, 2011.
(cf: P.L.2009, c.200, s.2)
2. This act shall take effect immediately.
STATEMENT
Current law requires public institutions of higher education to enter into a collective Statewide transfer agreement that provides for the transfer of academic credits from a completed associate's degree to a baccalaureate degree program. Under the law, the transfer agreement must include, among other things, policies and procedures for the implementation of an appeals process for students and institutions to resolve disputes regarding the transfer of academic credits. This bill amends the current law to provide the Commission on Higher Education with the authority to issue a final administrative decision on such disputes.