Clemson, other S.C. universities sign Statewide Transfer Agreement

Clemson University President Jim Clements and Provost Bob Jones joined South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, House Speaker Murrell Smith and President of the South Carolina Senate Thomas Alexander ’78, on Thursday morning to celebrate the signing of a Statewide Transfer Agreement.

The partnership between the South Carolina Technical College System (SCTCS) and Clemson and the University of South Carolina, Columbia, represents a concerted, collaborative effort to streamline the transfer experience to the benefit of student success. Its primary objective is to strengthen the seamless transfer of credits from technical colleges to public research universities within the state.

I am thrilled to celebrate the signing of the Statewide Transfer Agreement, an endeavor I have wholeheartedly supported for many years. I applaud the institutions of higher education and their leaders for helping this to finally become a reality. I know that this is a great first step in what I hope will be a continued commitment to making education more accessible, affordable and adaptable to our state’s students.

SPEAKER OF THE HOUSE MURRELL SMITH

This agreement marks a significant milestone in refining the transfer process between the SCTCS and the South Carolina Public Research Universities. It is intentionally designed to be dynamic with ongoing assessment and evaluation to optimize student educational opportunities.

Key components of the agreement include:

• Establishment of 30 or more credit hours of guaranteed acceptance AND applicability to the student’s major designed to reduce credit loss at the time of transfer.
• Maintenance of the acceptance of a minimum of 60 credit hours for students completing the Associate in Arts and Associate in Science, per state policy.
• A reverse transfer credit option enabling credits earned at the university to be transferred back to the SCTCS college for the completion of an associate degree.
• Establishment of annual data sharing in an effort to highlight successes and opportunities for further collaboration to increase transfer student success.
• A commitment to ongoing, regular collaboration through the facilitation of faculty and staff convenings to promote better advising, pedagogy and resources.

Senator Greg Hembree, Representative Shannon Erickson, SC Technical College System President Dr. Tim Hardee, along with all 16 South Carolina Technical College Presidents, University of South Carolina President Dr. Michael Amiridis and University of South Carolina Provost Donna Arnett, attended the ceremonial signing.