2019 Regular Session

ByRepresentatives Caldier and Appleton

Read first time 01/28/19.Referred to Committee on College & Workforce Development.

AN ACT Relating to transfer of credit policies when there are revisions to lower-division course requirements; and amending RCW 28B.77.215.

BE IT ENACTED BY THE LEGISLATURE OF THE STATE OF WASHINGTON:

Sec. 1. RCW 28B.77.215 and 2012 c 229 s 114 are each amended to read as follows:

(1) The statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement must be designed to facilitate the transfer of students and the evaluation of transcripts, to better serve persons seeking information about courses and programs, to aid in academic planning, and to improve the review and evaluation of academic programs in the state institutions of higher education. The statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement must not require or encourage the standardization of course content or prescribe course content or the credit value assigned by any institution to the course, except as otherwise provided in this section. Policies adopted by public four-year institutions of higher education concerning the transfer of lower division credit must treat students transferring from public community colleges the same as students transferring from public four-year institutions of higher education.

(2) The statewide transfer of credit policy and agreement must provide a process for revisions and changes to lower-division course requirements that provide for the following:

(a) Once changes in lower-division baccalaureate degree course requirements have been adopted and published, public four-year institutions shall allow a grace period of five years before the changes become effective for transfer students; and

(b) The receiving institution shall grant to the student the same number and type of credits as originally assigned to the course. If the credits would have been transferable towards general education requirements, the receiving institution shall grant the student general education credits.