Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act of 2025
Sponsors
Joe Neguse
D-CO | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Neguse (for himself and Mr. Kennedy of Utah) introduced …
Summary
What This Bill Does
The Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act of 2025 makes it easier for colleges to share student records so that students who transferred from a community college to a four-year university can still earn their associate degree from the community college. The bill amends federal student privacy law (FERPA) to allow this type of record sharing with the student's consent.
Who Benefits and How
Transfer students benefit the most—many students leave community college for a four-year school before finishing their associate degree, then never go back to complete it. This bill lets their new university send their transcript back so they can earn that credential without re-enrolling. Community colleges also benefit by being able to award more degrees, improving their completion rates.
Who Bears the Burden and How
College registrar offices will need to set up new processes and data-sharing agreements to handle reverse transfer requests. However, the bill requires student consent before any credential is awarded, which provides a privacy safeguard. The administrative burden is relatively modest.
Key Provisions
- Adds a new exception to FERPA allowing postsecondary institutions to share education records for credential completion purposes
- Records can only be sent to institutions where the student was previously enrolled
- Student must provide written consent before receiving the credential
- Uses the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act definition of "recognized postsecondary credential"
- Applies to associate degrees and other recognized credentials
Evidence Chain:
This summary is derived from the structured analysis below. See "Detailed Analysis" for per-title beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
Primary Purpose
Amends FERPA to allow postsecondary institutions to share student education records for the purpose of awarding recognized credentials through reverse transfer, enabling students who transferred to complete degrees at their previous institution.
Policy Domains
Legislative Strategy
"Streamline credential completion by removing FERPA barriers to reverse transfer of credits between institutions"
Likely Beneficiaries
- Students who transferred from community colleges to 4-year universities without completing their associate degree
- Community colleges seeking to improve completion rates
- 4-year universities facilitating student success through credential attainment
Likely Burden Bearers
- Postsecondary institutions required to establish new data sharing agreements and processes
- Registrar offices managing additional record transfers
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
- "institution_of_postsecondary_education"
- → Any accredited college or university receiving federal funds
Key Definitions
Terms defined in this bill
As defined in section 3 of the Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act (29 U.S.C. 3102) - includes industry-recognized certificates, associate degrees, baccalaureate degrees, and similar credentials
We use a combination of our own taxonomy and classification in addition to large language models to assess meaning and potential beneficiaries. High confidence means strong textual evidence. Always verify with the original bill text.
Learn more about our methodology