State Launches New System to Simplify Transfer College Credits
HARRISBURG -- Thousands of college transfer students from across Pennsylvania will benefit from a new, statewide system this fall that is designed to maximize the number of credits they can transfer and count toward a college degree.

“Pursuit of a college degree has grown more common in recent decades, but also more complicated because of the nature of our increasingly mobile and multi-tasking society,” Education Secretary Gerald L. Zahorchak said. “Many students move from region to region and often earn college credits at multiple institutions over many years as they work toward a degree.”

Too often, students find the process of transferring earned credits burdensome and bureaucratic, the secretary said. What’s worse, he said, some students attempt to transfer credits only to learn credits earned for courses completed at one institution are not accepted by another.

To eliminate such confusion and frustration, the state has established the Pennsylvania Transfer and Articulation Center (PA TRAC) Web site – www.patrac.org  – that allows users to search for transferable courses, find information about participating institutions and get step-by-step instructions for transferring.

At least 32 institutions will guarantee credit transfers through PA TRAC, including Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges and the 14 universities in the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education (SSHE). Three private institutions and one state-related university also participate. The initiative builds on the voluntary articulation agreements already used by many of Pennsylvania’s public and private institutions.

The SSHE schools are: Bloomsburg University, California University, Cheyney University, Clarion University, East Stroudsburg University, Edinboro University, Indiana University, Kutztown University, Lock Haven University, Mansfield University, Millersville University, Shippensburg University, Slippery Rock University, and West Chester University. Other schools participating are: Bucks County Community College, Butler County Community College, Community College of Allegheny County, Community College of Beaver County, Community College of Philadelphia, Delaware County Community College, Harrisburg Area Community College, Lehigh Carbon Community College, Luzerne County Community College, Montgomery County Community College, Northampton County Area Community College, Pennsylvania Highlands Community College, Reading Area Community College, Westmoreland County Community College, Lincoln University, Lackawanna College, Seton Hill University, and St. Francis University.

“This effort saves students time and money, since a clearly defined articulation agreement will spare them from having to take a course a second time to get the same credits that were earned the first time,” Zahorchak said.

The transfer system and PA TRAC were established in accordance with a 2006 law signed by Governor Edward G. Rendell that’s intended to encourage transfer and articulation agreements among colleges and universities in the commonwealth.

Dr. Kathleen Shaw, deputy secretary for PDE’s Office of Postsecondary/Higher Education, unveiled the new Web site during a news conference at the Capitol. Also attending the event were Rep. Josh Shapiro, D-Montgomery, Montgomery County Community College President Karen Stout and Slippery Rock University of Pennsylvania President Dr. Robert M. Smith.

For more information on Pennsylvania’s higher education initiatives, visit www.pde.state.pa.us. 

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