§ 6-61-231 - Statewide transfer agreement.
6-61-231. Statewide transfer agreement.
(a) As used in this section:
(1) "Designated transfer degree" means one of the following associate degrees that is eligible for the full transfer under this section of credits earned and hours completed:
(A) Associate of arts;
(B) Associate of science; or
(C) Associate of arts in teaching;
(2) "Lower division credits" means freshman and sophomore level course credits;
(3) "Public institution of higher education" means an Arkansas state-supported two-year or four-year college or university; and
(4) "Transfer student" means a student transferring from a completed designated transfer degree program to a baccalaureate program at a four-year public institution of higher education.
(b) The purpose of this section is to eliminate obstacles to transfers of credits among public institutions of higher education in Arkansas by providing a seamless transfer of academic credits from a completed designated transfer degree program to a baccalaureate degree program without the loss of earned credits and without the receiving public institution of higher education requiring additional lower division credits.
(c) By January 1, 2010, the Arkansas Higher Education Coordinating Board shall develop a statewide transfer agreement that:
(1) Designates the following as transfer degrees at public institutions of higher education in Arkansas:
(A) Associate of arts;
(B) Associate of science; and
(C) Associate of arts in teaching;
(2) Requires a four-year public institution of higher education to accept all hours completed and credits earned for a designated transfer degree upon a student's transfer to a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution of higher education;
(3) Contains the transfer curriculum for each designated transfer degree that is approved by the board under subsection (d) of this section;
(4) (A) Requires a four-year public institution of higher education to admit a transfer student to junior status in a baccalaureate degree program at the four-year public institution of higher education.
(B) (i) A four-year public institution of higher education receiving a transfer student shall not require additional lower division credits for the transfer student if the additional course is considered a general education lower division course.
(ii) The receiving four-year public institution of higher education may only require the additional lower division course if the additional lower division course is:
(a) A prerequisite for courses in the transfer student's baccalaureate degree program;
(b) A discipline-specific course that is required by the transfer student's baccalaureate degree program and the student has not completed a course at the two-year public institution of higher education that is comparable to the discipline-specific course at the four-year public institution of higher education in the Arkansas Course Transfer System; or
(c) A requirement of an independent licensing or accrediting body.
(C) This subsection (c) does not remove the requirement that a transfer student must meet total baccalaureate degree program credit hour and course requirements in order to be eligible for a baccalaureate degree.
(D) The receiving four-year public institution of higher education shall determine whether to accept a grade of "D" for academic course credit for a student transferring from a two-year public institution of higher education; and
(5) (A) (i) Requires a four-year public institution of higher education to develop transfer guidelines for each two-year public institution of higher education that has a campus within fifty (50) miles of the four-year public institution of higher education.
(ii) If a two-year public institution of higher education does not have a campus that is within fifty (50) miles of a four-year public institution of higher education, the four-year public institution of higher education that is nearest to the two-year public institution of higher education shall develop the transfer guidelines under this subdivision (c)(5).
(B) The guidelines shall outline courses for each four-year public institution baccalaureate degree program that will prepare students for entry into that baccalaureate degree program without additional general education credits.
(C) Transfer guidelines are only for the purpose of student advising and do not exempt a four-year public institution of higher education from the requirements of subdivision (c)(4) of this section.
(d) The board, with the assistance and cooperation of the public institutions of higher education, shall develop:
(1) A transfer curriculum for each designated transfer degree;
(2) Policies and procedures for reviewing and updating the statewide transfer agreement; and
(3) (A) Policies and procedures for the Department of Higher Education to collect data from public institutions of higher education to ensure that:
(i) All public institutions of higher education comply with this section; and
(ii) The statewide transfer agreement is fostering both a seamless transfer process and the academic success of transfer students at Arkansas public institutions of higher education.
(B) The department shall determine annually the data to be collected and shall establish by rule the procedures for a public institution of higher education to provide the data requested.