Typically college credit transfers involve starting at one institution and then going to another.

“In this case they’re transferring credits back to us, just to get the degree completed,” says Dr. Walter Asonevich, president of Penn Highlands Community College.

It’s called the reverse transfer and it allows community college students to earn their associate’s degree after transferring to a four-year university.

“There’s a lot of reasons why students don’t get to complete their degree before they decide to move on and what it allows is them to do is get a credential that can help them in terms of employment,” Dr. Asonevich explains.

Kaleb Maruschok, a student at Penn Highlands adds that it will also look good on a resume.

When a student leaves their community college, the university that they choose to attend will be responsible for keeping track of their credits.  Once the student earns enough additional credits to obtain their associate’s degree, the university will then contact the community college.

“There isn’t going to be any extra burden of paperwork on the student or the institutions because it’s a normal process and very easy to identify,” Dr. Asonevich says.

It applies to all of Pennsylvania’s community colleges and students can only transfer to a Pennsylvania state school.  Before they can transfer, they also must complete at least 45 credits at the community college.

“Transferring the credits I feel like is a good opportunity for students to be successful,” says Maruschok.

Those at Penn Highlands say it’s beneficial to the students, colleges, and the region.