NEWARK, N.J. & HERNDON, Va.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--New Jersey community college students who transfer to the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) before earning a degree or certificate will find it easier to receive a credential retroactively under a new alliance between NJIT and the National Student Clearinghouse. The initiative, known as Reverse Transfer, has the potential to help thousands of New Jersey students and students from other states who transferred to New Jersey earn their associate’s degree.
Through Reverse Transfer, four- or two-year institutions can securely send course and grade information to any two-year institution from which a student has transferred. If eligible, the student is then awarded an associate degree. By law, New Jersey higher education institutions are required to enter into an operational reverse transfer agreement by September 1, 2018.
“We are very excited to work with the National Student Clearinghouse to implement its Reverse Transfer service,” said Wendy Lin-Cook, associate provost for enrollment management and academic services at NJIT. “We know that our collaborative efforts with local community colleges, such as Ocean County College, County College of Morris and others, will benefit students and showcase the community colleges’ impact in helping students earn their degrees.”
The partnership, which utilizes the Clearinghouse’s Reverse Transfer service, is expected to boost college completion rates and to generate a significant increase in the number of community college credentials awarded. Potential completers are students who are very close to earning some type of postsecondary credential.
“NJIT’s reverse transfer efforts will benefit students and increase New Jersey’s college degree attainment. Studies show that completing an associate degree yields on average approximately $4,640 to $7,160 per annum in extra earnings compared to entering college but not completing an award,” said Michelle Blackwell, national manager of reverse transfer service at the Clearinghouse. “Nationwide, there are more than 4 million students with some college and no degree, according to our Research Center. The Clearinghouse’s Reverse Transfer service will ensure that eligible students earn their associate degree and enhance their employment opportunities.”
For more information about reverse transfer, visit the National Student Clearinghouse’s Reverse Transfer webpage and for details about the Clearinghouse, visit our media center webpage. To learn more about NJIT, go to njit.edu/about.
About NJIT
One of only 32 polytechnic universities in the United States, New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) prepares undergraduate and graduate students and professionals to become leaders in the technology-dependent economy of the 21st century. NJIT’s multidisciplinary curriculum and computing-intensive approach to education provide technological proficiency, business acumen and leadership skills. NJIT has a $1.74 billion annual economic impact on the State of New Jersey, conducts approximately $140 million in research activity each year, and is a global leader in such fields as solar research, nanotechnology, resilient design, tissue engineering, and cybersecurity, in addition to others. NJIT is ranked #1 nationally by Forbes for the upward economic mobility of its lowest-income students and is among the top 2 percent of public colleges and universities in return on educational investment, according to PayScale.com.
About the National Student Clearinghouse®
The National Student Clearinghouse, a nonprofit formed in 1993, is the trusted source for and leading provider of higher education verifications and electronic education record exchanges.
The Clearinghouse serves as a single point of contact for the collection and timely exchange of accurate and comprehensive enrollment, degree, and certificate records on behalf of its more than 3,600 participating higher education institutions, which represent 98 percent of all students in public and private U.S. institutions. The Clearinghouse also provides thousands of high schools and districts with continuing collegiate enrollment, progression, and completion statistics on their alumni.
Through its verification, electronic exchange, and reporting services, the Clearinghouse saves the education community cumulatively more than $750 million annually. Most Clearinghouse services are provided to colleges and universities at little or no charge, including enhanced transcript and research services, enabling institutions to redistribute limited staff and budget resources to more important student service efforts. Clearinghouse services are designed to facilitate an institution’s compliance with the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act, The Higher Education Act, and other applicable laws. The Clearinghouse has signed the Student Privacy Pledge and is the first recipient of ikeepsafe.org’s FERPA compliance badge, which was awarded to its StudentTracker for High Schools service.
For more information, visit www.studentclearinghouse.org.
