Senate Bill 415 Summary

• Four-year state educational institutions must enter into reverse transfer agreements with two-year state educational institutions by January 1, 2019, with agreements including provisions for data sharing consent (opt out or passive opt in) and individual consent before awarding degrees.

• Individuals receiving reverse transfer degrees must meet residency requirements, cumulative degree requirements, current graduation requirements of the awarding institution, and cannot already hold a bachelor's degree.

• State educational institutions may count dual credit earned in high school toward reverse transfer degrees and may only award reverse transfer degrees for programs offered to currently enrolled students.

• Institutions awarding reverse transfer degrees must report annually to the commission for higher education regarding programs of study, number of degrees awarded by campus and program, degree audits conducted, and individuals who received degrees.

• The commission for higher education is not required to count reverse transfer degrees for performance funding purposes, and may make reported information public if compliant with the federal Family Education Rights and Privacy Act.