Earned but Not Applied: An Examination of Excess Crediting Among Transfer Students

• In Event: Trajectories and Experiences of Community College Transfer

Abstract

The current study investigates students’ accrual of excess credits (EC) by analyzing degree audit reports of bachelor’s degree recipients at a large research university. We provide empirical results of EC using the actual credit hour requirements specified by each degree program and center findings on the accumulation of EC by transfer students. The distinct types of EC and the differences in accrual by transfer students (disaggregated by students from two- and four-year sending-institutions) and their non-transfer peers are presented. The origination of course credits typically excess and potential factors contributing to EC are also presented.

Authors

• Shanna Smith Jaggars, The Ohio State University

• Marcos D. Rivera, National Collegiate Athletic Association

• Yuhong Zhu, The Ohio State University

• Elizabeth Hance, The Ohio State University