“Multiple Institutional Experiences” and Online Degrees Will Define College

Shifting career expectations, rising college costs, and the need for young adults to enter the work force at ever-younger ages are just a few of the forces reshaping the way we think about “going to college.” Increasingly, attending more than one campus and enrolling in online degree programs will define the college experience.

In the 21st century, it will simply be reality that more and more college students will attend more than one institution in order to earn a degree.

Statistics indicate that most people will work in four or more major careers during their lifetimes. This refers to career changes, not mere job or position shifts.

In the Internet world, that figure may actually be conservative. We are seeing a marked increase in the speed at which career needs change. Campuses, and even online degree programs have been too slow to respond.

That means workers will need to be increasingly entrepreneurial about their careers, actively managing their work and their preparation to maximize their own benefit. Generally, that indicates the need for continuous retraining and constant, lifelong learning.

The College Myth
Perhaps more pertinent, the dream of attending a four-year college, and finishing a degree in four years, is moving further away from most young people. According to the Center for Education Statistics, less than 10% of American high school graduates enter a four year college and finish their degrees in four years.

Many factors contribute to this result, including the following scenarios: Students run out of money; they party too much and flunk out; they get discouraged by all the bureaucracy and leave; they get pregnant (or make others so); they join the military; they lose interest in their majors; they get tempted by a job offer.

Any person who has ever entered college and left without completing a degree will be able to identify with the paragraph above, and perhaps add an item or two from their own experience.

Myth Meets Reality
However, in the midst of this challenging career and education environment, a college degree has never been more valuable. Multiple studies show that college graduates can easily earn double the lifetime incomes of non-graduates.

Further, as every field of study becomes more technical and complex, learning at the highest levels will continue to be among our society’s most important priorities. It will also continue to be a leading indicator of career success.

The Multi-Institution Experience
One new reality of college is that people are experiencing more than one college or university to earn their degrees. Many are enrolling in a college right out of high school, either a four year or community college, but not finishing a degree.

Then, later, when their career requires a degree, they might return to night school or a weekend program. Later still, when family and perhaps business obligations press in; or when a career change is in order, it is time to join an online degree program.

This is a very common path for today’s nontraditional college students, of whom there are millions. If you have been to a college or two, have perhaps accumulated significant credits toward a degree, and are seeking a school at which to finish, you are not alone.

Your situation is very common.

Seek Institutional Flexibility
If you have earned credit from one or more colleges, but need to join an online degree program for convenience or preference, the key to completing your degree is to work with a flexible school. You want to find an institution that offers online degree programming that integrates as much of your transfer credit as possible.

The best way to handle this issue is to address it at the very beginning of your interaction with the school. In your initial email or phone call, or when you complete an inquiry form, be sure to mention your transfer credits, and ask them about their general transfer policy.

The most flexible of the schools will work with you to accumulate as much transfer credit as possible. The least flexible will try to make you retake as much as possible, then blame their accreditation agencies!

The more credit you can transfer or earn through testing or work/life credit portfolio, the less you will need to take from the school. That reduces the time, effort, and financial cost required to complete a degree.

There are some very flexible, yet legitimate schools out there. Some are also very inflexible. Ask upfront, so that you know which type you are dealing with.

The Transfer Process
Most schools will resist making an estimate of your actual transfer credits. This is not because they are trying to give you a hard time. It is because they are trying to limit their liability to accusations of making false promises.

In fact, beware a school that makes specific transfer estimates without seeing your transcripts. They may make general statements about their transfer policy--these are helpful to you--but not specific offers of transfer credit.

A school should require official, registrar-to-registrar transcripts in order to make a formal offer of transfer credit. Some of the more flexible schools may make an estimate based on student-issued transcripts, which is legitimate. However, they should require official transcripts before making an offer of transfer credit.

Get It In Writing
Once you have decided on a school, get their offer of your transfer credit in writing. They should provide you with a formal document that indicates exactly which courses will transfer, and which courses they will replace in your degree completion plan.

Watch out for “elective” transfer credits. Sometimes schools will offer to transfer “electives” that count as credit hours, but do not replace any courses on your degree completion plan. This is useless to you, as it does not reduce the net number of courses you must take to complete your degree.

If you are a person who lives in the “new reality” of college, the multi-institutional experience, you will continue to find new options opening themselves up to you.

Just keep your eyes open, and keep searching. You will find a school that is willing to help you accumulate the credit you have already earned and apply it to the degree you desire.


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