Jon Stojan
Image credit: Rick Benbow
For millions of college students, transferring isn’t a fresh start but a significant setback. The reason is simple: losing previously earned credits can derail academic progress, increase debt and even cause students to abandon their educational goals altogether.
According to the U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO), students lose an estimated 43% of their credits when transferring between colleges. This loss of time and money hits adult learners especially hard, students who often balance full-time jobs, family responsibilities and limited financial resources.
The consequences are serious. Data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows that students who successfully transfer most of their credits are 2.5 times more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree compared to those who lose half or more. Yet the traditional higher education system often forces transfer students, particularly adults returning to finish their degrees, to repeat coursework they’ve already mastered.
The Impact on Adult Learners and Returning Students
The credit transfer issue is especially critical for adult learners. Adults returning to college after a break often bring valuable work experience, certifications and prior coursework. However, without mechanisms to recognize this learning, many face costly redundancies that delay graduation and increase dropout risk.
Today, about 38% of college students are 25 or older, according to the National Center for Education Statistics. Yet many of these students leave college without completing a degree, often because of barriers like inflexible transfer credit policies. Research from the Lumina Foundation found that adults with some college but no degree frequently cite time and money as the main reasons they stop out, issues that poor credit recognition only worsens.
Without pathways to efficiently apply prior learning, adult students can lose momentum, which has long-term consequences: college graduates earn roughly 75% more over their lifetimes than those with only some college but no degree (source).
WGU’s Model: Designed for Today’s Students
While policymakers are now trying to address this crisis, Western Governors University (WGU) has been solving it for years. Built for adult learners, WGU offers a model that prioritizes flexibility, speed and the recognition of real-world experience.
- Competency-Based Education: Students progress by demonstrating mastery of the material, not by clocking seat time. This allows them to move quickly through familiar subjects.
- Experience Counts: WGU accepts many industry certifications toward IT and business degrees, saving students time and money.
- Affordable and Accessible: With flat-rate tuition and fully online programs, most WGU students graduate in less than two years while continuing to work.
- Serving Underserved Students: Roughly 70% of WGU students come from historically underserved populations, including first-generation college students, students of color and low-income adults.
Rick Benbow’s Focus: Removing Barriers for Adult Learners
As WGU’s Regional Vice President for the Western U.S., Rick Benbow has made it his mission to spotlight and dismantle the hidden barriers holding students back, including the transfer credit issue.
Benbow has publicly emphasized the need for higher education to meet students where they are. “We have a broken system where experience and knowledge often don’t translate into recognized progress,” he said in a recent interview. “We must do better, especially for working adults who can’t afford to start over.”
His leadership comes at a critical time. Adult enrollment in higher education is declining nationally, and solving barriers like credit loss is essential to reversing the trend.
Leading by Example
States like California are now beginning to launch initiatives aimed at streamlining transfer credits, a move WGU has already embraced. By designing a system that awards credit for prior learning, accepts real-world certifications and gives students control over their pace, WGU proves it’s possible to honor students’ past achievements and accelerate their futures.
In an era when so many learners return to college to finish what they started, solving the transfer credit problem isn’t just an administrative fix; it’s a lifeline. Thanks to leaders like Rick Benbow and institutions like WGU, more students are finally getting the credit, and the chance, they deserve.