Reverse Transfer Efficiency Act of 2025
Summary
What This Bill Does
The bill adds a new FERPA disclosure permission for reverse transfer. A current or later postsecondary institution may send records of postsecondary coursework and credits to a previously attended institution so that the prior school can apply those credits toward completion of a recognized postsecondary credential, such as an associate degree or other Workforce Innovation and Opportunity Act-recognized credential. The condition is that the student must provide written consent before receiving the credential. The bill helps students who transferred before finishing a credential convert credits earned elsewhere into a credential from the former institution.
Who Benefits and How
Transfer students, community colleges, four-year universities, registrars, and workforce-credential programs benefit because the records pathway can increase credential completion without requiring students to repeat coursework.
Who Bears the Burden and How
Registrar offices, student-records staff, privacy officers, and postsecondary institutions must comply with transcript-sharing procedures, student-consent tracking, FERPA conditions, and credential-award coordination.
Key Provisions
- Adds a FERPA disclosure pathway for postsecondary coursework and credit records sent to a previously attended institution.
- Requires the records to be used to apply credits toward a recognized postsecondary credential.
- Requires written student consent before the student receives the credential.
Evidence Chain:
This summary is generated from the full bill text using AI analysis. Expand "Detailed Analysis" below for identified beneficiaries/burden bearers with clause-level evidence links.
At a Glance
What This Bill Does
Amends FERPA so postsecondary institutions may send coursework and credit records back to a previously attended institution to help the student receive a recognized credential, with written student consent required before the credential is awarded.
Key Policy Areas
Education, Technology, Government
Primary Purpose
Amends FERPA so postsecondary institutions may send coursework and credit records back to a previously attended institution to help the student receive a recognized credential, with written student consent required before the credential is awarded.
Policy Domains
Substantive provisions
Identified Gains
- Transfer students
- Community colleges
- Four-year universities
- Workforce credential programs
Identified Costs
- Registrar offices
- Student records staff
- Privacy officers
- Postsecondary institutions
Sponsors
Joe Neguse
D-CO | Primary Sponsor
Legislative Progress
In CommitteeMr. Neguse (for himself and Mr. Kennedy of Utah) introduced …
Referred to the House Committee on Education and Workforce.
Introduced in House
Stakeholder Effects
cui bono?How this legislation distributes effects. Mention counts reflect frequency, not effect magnitude.
Community colleges and 2-year institutions awarding associate degrees through reverse transfer, Four-year universities and colleges sharing transcript data, Transfer students seeking to complete associate degrees at former institutions
Bill Structure & Actor Mappings
Who is "The Secretary" in each section?
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