H. B. 2867

                        (By Delegates Perry and Williams)

                        [Introduced February 20, 2015; referred to the

                        Committee on Education.]

A BILL to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §18B-14-2, relating to higher education and miscellaneous provisions; and providing for the transfer of credit for courses completed between post-secondary higher education institutions that do not offer a full four-year degree and four-year institutions.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

            That the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, be amended by adding thereto a new section, designated §18B-14-2, to read as follows:

ARTICLE 14. MISCELLANEOUS.

§18B-14-2. Transfer of credit for courses completed.

            (a) This section may be known and shall be cited as the "Higher Education Opportunity Improvement Act".

            (b) The Legislature finds that:

            (1) The state has an increasing need for individuals with a post-secondary credential or degree;

            (2) A growing number of hard-working individuals find post-secondary higher education institutions that do not offer full four-year degree programs to be a more affordable option to start their college career; and

            (3) The state can help students become successful by implementing a seamless education system and uniform transfer of credits with special attention to transfers between post-secondary higher education institutions that do not offer a full four-year degree and four-year institutions.

            (c) Effective immediately, a public or private institution of higher education in this state shall award credit to a student transferring to the institution for a course successfully completed at a different post-secondary institution, if the curriculum of that course includes at least seventy percent of the same curriculum of a similar course at the receiving institution. Additionally, the institution where the course was taken is accredited by a regional, national, programmatic, or other accrediting body recognized by the U.S. Department of Education under the Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.

            (d) In regard to individual course content, for purposes of possible transfer of credit, four- year higher education institutions shall:

            (1) Upon request, provide in clear and specific detail the course content of any course it offers to any other post-secondary institution to allow the other institution to determine whether its courses meet the minimum requirements for transfer and if not, what changes are required.

            (2) Upon rejection of a student's request for a credit transfer, provide to both the student and the postsecondary institution where the student took the course offered for transfer, a clear and specific description of why the course was not accepted, in part or in whole, for transfer, what additional information needs to be provided or other actions that need to be taken to permit the transfer, and an opportunity to resubmit the application.

            NOTE: The purpose of this bill is to provide for the transfer of credit for courses completed between post-secondary higher education institutions that do not offer a full four-year degree and four-year institutions.

            §18B-14-2 is new; therefore, it has been completely underscored.