Pathways | February Newsletter

Dear colleagues,

Here’s a stat you might not know: nearly 40% of college students transfer institutions at least once. And the increasing number of students taking college courses during high school via dual enrollment represents another credit transfer need: applying those early credits toward a postsecondary credential. But if you’ve ever spoken to a student who has struggled to understand which of their credits will transfer, which won't, and why, you know that credit transfer is an issue that can either accelerate or derail a student’s path.

At the Gates Foundation, we remain steadfast in our commitment to ensuring that students, particularly those who face systemic barriers, can access the resources and support they need to thrive. Credit mobility—the ability to transfer and apply credits seamlessly between institutions—is a critical lever in reducing time-to-degree, lowering costs, and improving overall student success. When credits are rejected or not applied to degree programs, learners have to take additional courses to complete their credentials, resulting in an average (based on 10 lost credits) of $13,081 in additional cost to students attending public four-year institutions (including tuition and fees, books, transportation, and other expenses) and $26,396 for students transferring to private four-year institutions.

One innovation we’re particularly excited to spotlight is the CUNY Transfer Explorer, a tool originally developed through the Articulation of Credit Transfer project, a collaboration between CUNY, Lehman College, and Ithaka S+R to provide students with clear and accessible information about how credits earned anywhere in the CUNY system, at other colleges and universities, and through dual enrollment or workforce training transfer and count towards a degree at each CUNY institution. The creation of this tool (often referred to as “T-Rex”) is a great example of the field doing groundbreaking work that the Gates Foundation can then help amplify, which is why we supported a retrospective study last year to better understand the tool’s development and impact. This study, led by Ithaka S+R, produced two insightful issue briefs:

1. Transfer Credit Information at Your Fingertips
2. Building a Successful Credit Mobility Platform

What We Learned: The findings from these briefs underscored the importance of transparency, user-friendly design, and cross-institutional collaboration in creating high-value tools for both students and institutions. These lessons have informed our broader strategy to scale solutions that improve credit mobility nationwide.

Looking Ahead: Building on this momentum, we have joined forces with other funders to support the scaling of a universal version of Transfer Explorer.

This will provide students across the country with greater visibility into how their credits transfer between institutions and empower them to make informed decisions about their educational journeys. The Universal Transfer Explorer platform is well on its way to transforming how institutions share credit transfer information, with a growing number of colleges and universities expressing interest in joining the effort.

The degree of collaboration in this work—between funders, colleges and universities, researchers, and beyond--reaffirms the power of partnerships in driving systemic change. By supporting innovative tools like Transfer Explorer and amplifying evidence-based practices, we are helping to create a more responsive and navigable higher education ecosystem for all learners.

I want to thank our partners at Ithaka S+R, CUNY, and the many institutions and organizations working to make credit mobility a reality, including funders such as The Heckscher Foundation for Children, Ascendium Education Group, ECMC Foundation, the Ichigo Foundation, among others. Your dedication and ingenuity continue to inspire.

Stay tuned for more updates as we advance this important work. If you have questions or would like to learn more about how your institution can get involved, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

Together, we can ensure that every credit counts for students.

Patrick Methvin
Director, Pathways and Postsecondary Success Strategies