The New England Board of Higher Education (NEBHE) will scale the New England Independent College Transfer Guarantee (the Guarantee), into the northern New England states of Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont. The Guarantee seeks to solve core issues in transfer, such as credit loss, lack of standardization, affordability, out-dated institutional policies, and insufficient student support for successful bachelor’s degree attainment. Adding to the challenge, the northern New England states comprise fragmented and decentralized state transfer systems, which lag behind other states in New England and the country.
The Guarantee will unify state transfer and expand public and independent institution transfer opportunities, especially in the liberal arts, for the region’s community college population. The planning phase will explore the feasibility of implementing the initiative through state specific convenings which will cultivate buy-in from public and independent institutions. Institutions interested in participating in the implementation phase will sign non-binding Letters of Intent. These efforts will provide the foundation for a successful implementation phase to begin in summer 2022.