WEST virginia legislature
2025 regular session
ENrolled
Committee Substitute
for
House Bill 3024
By Delegates Ellington, Statler, Toney, T. Clark, Willis, Mallow, Hornby, Ward, Barnhart, Stephens, and Shamblin
[Passed April 10, 2025; in effect 90 days from passage (July 9, 2025)]
AN ACT to amend the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended, by adding a new section, designated §18B-14-5, relating to the guaranteed transfer of credit for courses completed in career pathways between high schools, career and technical education centers, community and technical colleges, and baccalaureate institutions; imposing duties on the Higher Education Policy Commission and the Council for Community and Technical College Education; establishing a statewide guaranteed transfer and articulation advisory committee; setting forth membership of the advisory committee; allowing for subcommittees; requiring the commission and the council to oversee the development of a statewide articulation and guaranteed transfer agreement and setting forth parameters therefore; requiring the commission and the council, in collaboration with the advisory committee, to develop, coordinate, and maintain guaranteed degree transfer pathways for selected baccalaureate programs and the parameters therefore; setting forth additional requirements for guaranteed statewide transfer pathways; and requiring the commission and council to propose rules for legislative approval.
Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:
## ARTICLE 14. MISCELLANEOUS.
§18B-14-5. Guaranteed transfer of credit for courses completed in career pathways between high schools, career and technical education centers, community and technical colleges and baccalaureate institutions.
(a) The Legislature finds that:
(1) The state has an increasing need for individuals with a postsecondary credential or degree;
(2) Over 40 percent of bachelor’s degree completers nationally attended more than one postsecondary institution, making student transfer a critical priority; and
(3) Implementing a seamless education system with uniform guaranteed transfer of credits among post-secondary institutions in the state would greatly benefit students by reducing costs and increasing degree completion rates.
(b) The commission and council jointly shall:
(1) Oversee the development, implementation, and maintenance of guaranteed statewide transfer pathways as provided herein;
(2) Develop statewide guaranteed transfer frameworks and agreements to govern the granting and transfer of credit awarded through completion of courses and through competency-based and prior learning assessments; and
(3) Establish an appeals process to resolve disagreements between transferring students and receiving institutions of higher education regarding the transfer and acceptance of credits earned at or awarded by another institution.
(c) To effectuate the purposes of this section, the chancellors or their respective designees shall establish a statewide guaranteed transfer and articulation advisory committee, referred to in this section as the "advisory committee," and any necessary subcommittees. The advisory committee shall report to the chancellors or their respective designees, who may present its recommendations and decisions to the commission and the council for approval.
(1) The advisory committee shall consist of at least one representative from each of the state institutions of higher education as recommended by the institutional presidents and deemed appropriate and necessary by the chancellors or their respective designees. The chancellors or their respective designees shall appoint a chair or co-chairs from among the membership.
(2) Subcommittees may be formed on an ad hoc basis as deemed necessary by the chancellors or their respective designees to address specific topics or tasks related to guaranteed transfer and articulation.
(d) The commission and the council shall oversee the development of a statewide articulation and guaranteed transfer agreement, which shall, at a minimum:
(1) Guarantee the transfer of general education courses and common degree program prerequisites between and among public institutions;
(2) Guarantee the transfer of all courses contained in a transfer pathway as established in this section as credit in courses that satisfy general education or other specific program requirements;
(3) Guarantee that every graduate of a community and technical college awarded an associate degree that has been approved by the commission or the council for transfer to a public baccalaureate institution shall be deemed to have met all general education requirements and shall be granted admission to the upper division of any program offered by such public baccalaureate institution, unless a specific program has limited capacity or has audition or other specialized admissions requirements that are approved by the commission or council;
(4) Provide that graduates awarded an associate degree approved by the commission or council for guaranteed transfer and who transfer to a public baccalaureate institution shall not be required to take any additional general education courses to fulfill baccalaureate degree requirements;
(5) Provide that graduates awarded an associate degree approved by the commission or council for guaranteed transfer shall be automatically admitted to any public baccalaureate institution and given priority for enrollment over out-of-state students;
(6) Guarantee the statewide articulation of appropriate career and technical education programs, workforce development programs, and transfer of earned college-level course credits between secondary schools and community and technical colleges;
(7) Provide for acceptance by institutions of higher education of credits earned in accelerated programs such as dual enrollment and the Advanced Placement, International Baccalaureate, and College-Level Examination programs; and
(8) Provide for consistent acceptance by the public institutions of higher education of credits earned through competency-based education and prior learning assessments.
(e) The commission and the council, in collaboration with the advisory committee, shall develop, coordinate, and maintain guaranteed degree transfer pathways for selected baccalaureate programs, including those that are in demand across the state or prepare graduates for careers in industries such as nursing and hospitality/tourism, which programs shall be defined and identified by the commission and the council in consultation with the advisory committee. At a minimum, the guaranteed transfer pathways shall:
(1) Consist of 60 hours of instruction resulting in an associate degree that can be transferred and applied in full toward the requirements for a baccalaureate degree at a public baccalaureate institution;
(2) Include dual enrollment courses completed in high school or at a career and technical education center that are part of an approved guaranteed transfer pathway. The chancellors or their designees shall ensure these courses are recognized for college credit upon successful completion and shall apply to the student's approved program of study if the courses align with the student's chosen college major;
(3) Fulfill all general education requirements and any other lower-division requirements for graduation within the program offered at any public baccalaureate institution; and
(4) Include relevant industry credentials or other microcredentials that prepare students for specific jobs within selected in-demand and growing industries and that move individuals along a career pathway or up a career ladder, and which can be combined to meet the requirements of one or more related bachelor’s degree programs.
(f) A student who completes all of the requirements of a specific guaranteed transfer pathway, including approved dual enrollment courses completed during high school or at a career and technical education center, and who transfers to an associated program at a public baccalaureate institution shall not be required to complete more than the total credits required for the baccalaureate degree, less the 60 hours of credit earned in the guaranteed transfer pathway.
(g) The guaranteed transfer pathways approved by the commission and council shall be mandatory for all public institutions to accept and shall be recognized universally as guaranteed statewide transfer pathways. All courses included in the approved transfer pathways shall be accepted as meeting general education or program-specific requirements at the receiving institution. The commission and council may, upon the recommendation of the chancellors, approve exceptions to this requirement in cases where such arrangements would present a hardship to the institution, cause the institution to be in violation of standards established by regional or program-specific accrediting bodies, or for other good cause shown.
(h) The commission and council shall propose rules for legislative approval in accordance with the provisions of §18B-1-6 and §29A-3A-1 et seq. of this code to implement the provisions of this section.
The Clerk of the House of Delegates and the Clerk of the Senate hereby certify that the foregoing bill is correctly enrolled.
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Clerk of the House of Delegates
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Clerk of the Senate
Originated in the House of Delegates.
In effect 90 days from passage.
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Speaker of the House of Delegates
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President of the Senate
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The within is ................................................ this the...........................................
Day of ..........................................................................................................., 2025.
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Governor