CO SB045

Adds Colorado Revised Statutes § 23-1-131 to establish a process for granting associate degrees to students who transfer from two-year to four-year institutions before completing an associate degree.

Requires the Colorado Commission of Higher Education to collaborate with governing boards of two-year and four-year institutions to develop and coordinate a notification process for eligible students.

Applies to students at four-year institutions who have accumulated 70 credit hours and transferred after completing residency requirements for an associate degree at a two-year institution.

Mandates the notification process be implemented no later than the beginning of the 2013-14 academic year, with four-year institutions limited to providing contact information for eligible students.

Requires two-year and four-year institutions to agree on notification contents, including degree audit requirements and the process for awarding associate degrees to students who meet requirements in the future or decline the degree at initial notification.