Signatories to the Regional Transfer Compact agree to transfer policies and procedures developed within the framework of certain guiding principles. These principles are as follows:

l. Students Must Be The Center Of All Transfer Activities: Transfer polices must be sensitive to student movement among all institutions and should focus on student movement from two-year to four-year institutions, from two-year to two-year institutions, from four-year to four-year institutions, from four-year to two-year institutions, and from high school to college.

2. Faculty Must Support Transfer And Must Be Sensitive To Department Decisions That Affect Transfer: The full involvement of faculty in the transfer process at both the two-year and four-year level and from feeder high schools is both necessary and required. Prospective changes in degree major requirements should be fully communicated and reviewed with appropriate faculty. There must be institutional support for faculty to meet regularly by discipline.

3. Students Must Maintain Catalog Rights Through Continuous And Timely Progress: Students who begin in a community college and who make continuous and timely progress toward a baccalaureate degree objective normally should be able to complete that degree under the catalog requirements current at the time of commencing college work. Catalog rights should be defined for majors.

4. Four-Year Institutions Must Recognize Work Completed In Preparation for a Given Major: To the fullest extent possible, students who prepare themselves for a given major at one four-year institution which is party to this agreement should have that work recognized at other four-year institutions party to this agreement. Four-year institutions must work together to develop special articulation agreements for highly structured majors to maximize transfer of students.

5. Students Must Be Encouraged To Complete General Education And Lower Division Major Requirements Before Transfer: Students who begin work in a community college should be urged to complete their general education requirements and lower division major requirements at the community college level before seeking to transfer to a four-year institution. Two-year institutions must work together to develop agreements to maximize transfer of students.

6. Students Must Be Advised in a Timely Manner Of The Steps Necessary To Transfer And Of Any Special Requirements: It is the responsibility of both community colleges and four-year institutions to assure that prospective transfer students are advised of the steps necessary for successful transfer and of additional requirements in the case of students who change degree objectives.

7. Extra Effort Must Be Expended to Make Students Aware Of the Requirements of Highly Competitive Programs: Senior institutions must widely publicize those programs which are, or are likely to become, more competitive due to impaction or the rigors of the academic program.

8. Students Must Accept Responsibility For Seeking Information, Completing Requirements, Meeting Deadlines And Understanding Financial Obligations: It is the responsibility of the student to take full advantage of advisement services available and to seek them out, to complete remedial and developmental requirements as quickly as possible, to meet published deadlines, and to understand fee and financial aid policies and procedures.

9. Students Must Be Informed Of their Cost of Education Including Fee Levels, Availability Of Financial Aid And On-Campus Housing: Institutions have the responsibility of working together to inform students of financial aid availability, anticipated fee levels and on-campus housing throughout their undergraduate program so that students can be in the best possible position to plan their higher education careers.

10. Technology Must Serve The Transfer Process: Technology should be employed to the fullest extent to facilitate transfer, including, but not limited to, assistance in advising students of major requirements, articulation agreements in force, program availability in the region, financial aid availability, and transfer of student records electronically. All members of the Compact must participate in statewide electronic articulation efforts such as Project ASSIST.

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