09-29-2011, 01:07 PM
Quote:Part of the problem is that students are wasting their time amassing more credits than they need to graduate. This is partly a matter of poor or nonexistent advising, and partly a consequence of students attending multiple schools and those schools refusing to transfer credits.
The average community college student who earns an associate degree completes 85.5 credits, while the degree requires only 60. Bachelor's candidates average 136.5 credits for a degree that requires 120.
I suppose there is something to be said for reading the catalog and degree requirements before you start enrolling in classes.?
But the persistent pattern of schools refusing to accept transfer credits hardly seems like an accident. Students wind up taking anywhere from about 14% (for bachelor's) to 43% (for associate's) more classes than they need. That's a huge overage.
I'm sure if these were the practices of private for-profit businesses that attorney generals nationwide would be very carefully scrutinizing them. Should the higher ed cartel be held to any lesser standard?