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Learning Mobility & Transfer
How learners carry credit across institutions, sectors, and borders: learning mobility, transfer, articulation, and the initiatives working on it.
- Glossary TermLearning Mobility / Learner Mobility
Refers to both the system-level and individual-level ability to move learning and learners seamlessly across educational, training, and work contexts. Learning mobility focuses on the systems, policies…
- Glossary TermLearning Mobility—in Europe
Learning (learner) mobility is a key objective in education in Europe. The term refers to the process of enabling learners throughout their lifetime to access their right to education founded on the belief…
- Glossary TermLearning Mobility—in the United States
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), defines learning mobility as ensuring equitable and accessible programs and opportunities that prepare all learners for the…
- Glossary TermLearning Mobility Targets
In European education, the term refers to setting an objective of a specific percentage of learners from particular age groups and from particular levels of education, having been engaged in learning…
- Glossary TermArticulation / Transfer
Transferring occurs from one educational institution to another. According to the National Center for Education Statistics, over a million students have transferred among colleges since 2015. Students can…
- Glossary TermReverse Transfer
Reverse transfer is the process by which a student is awarded an associate degree after transferring and completing degree requirements at a four-year institution. Through reverse transfer, students can…
- Glossary TermCredit Transfer: Credit by Exam, College-Level Examination Program® (CLEP), Course Review/Recommendations
Various credit transfer options are available to help individuals receive credit for what they know. Credit by exam is a process that allows students to earn college credit typically by taking subject-specific…
- Glossary TermHorizontal Expertise Transfer
Refers to the movement and application of skills, knowledge, and competencies across roles, industry sectors, academic disciplines, or organizations at a comparable level of responsibility or seniority…
- Glossary TermTransfer Shock
Refers to the problem of adjustment – especially accompanied by a temporary drop in grade point average – sometimes encountered during the 1-2 academic terms at a college or university to which a student has…
- Glossary TermCredit Evaluation
Refers to the policies and practices conducted by a higher education institution when a student transfers to it from another institution. The receiving institution typically evaluates the student’s transcript…
- Glossary TermMobile Students / Mobile Learners
Refer to postsecondary students who move among higher education institutions and who may be seeking to transfer academic credit they have acquired (college level learning) laterally, vertically, or through…
- Glossary TermC+D Pathways (Certification + Degree)
Structured education-to-employment pathways that intentionally integrate industry-recognized certification(s) into academic certificate and degree programs so learners can earn multiple credentials within a…
- Topic BriefTransfer, Learning Mobility & Articulation
According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), over a million students have transferred among colleges since 2015. Transfer has long been a core mechanism through which students move credits…
- Topic BriefReverse Transfer / Reverse Transfer Associate Degrees
There are numerous definitions for reverse transfer, such as: The process by which a learner is awarded an associate degree after transferring and completing degree requirements at a four-year institution. The…
- Topic BriefPolicy & Practice Research: Workforce education, CBE, Career Navigation, Performance/Accountability, Student Transfer
The learn-and-work ecosystem encompasses a diverse set of stakeholders, including education and other service providers, employers, and learners. Federal, state, local, and institutional policies affect…
- Topic BriefTalent Hubs
Talent Hubs are U.S. communities that have shown the capacity and capability to significantly increase the number of residents with college degrees, certificates, or other credentials beyond a high school…
- InitiativeUniversal Credit Transfer Explorer – Ithaka S+R
In February 2024, Ithaka S+R launched a public, nonprofit, national credit mobility website called the Universal Credit Transfer Explorer. The initiative aimed to help address the challenges college students…
- InitiativeSupport Student Success through Holistic Credit Mobility Policies, Practices, & Technologies – Ithaka S+R & Complete College America
In July 2024, Ithaka S+R and Complete College America announced a partnership to support learner success through holistic credit mobility policies, practices, and technologies. The project's goal is to share…
- InitiativeEuropean Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS)
The European Credit Transfer and Accumulation System (ECTS) is a tool of the European Higher Education Area to help learners move among countries and have their academic qualifications and study periods abroad…
- InitiativeTransfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts Initiative + Evaluation by Ithaka S+R
Launched in 2020, the Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts creates statewide transfer pathways with the aim of increasing the number of community college transfer students earning bachelor’s degrees at…
- InitiativeAdvancing Workforce Mobility – Education Design Lab
In April 2026, Education Design Lab announced the selection of 10 grantee organizations for its Advancing Workforce Mobility initiative. This initiative, supported by Walmart, is a $3.5 million effort to…
- InitiativeTransfer Agreement Credit Alignment Model (TACAM) – AcademyOne & Credential Engine
In May 2025, the Transfer Agreement Credit Alignment Model (TACAM) Declaration was released to outline a new approach to improving how higher education institutions can manage and recognize transfer credits…
- InitiativeMeasurement For Mobility: How States Can Use Data to Incentivize Postsecondary & Workforce Success in Public Education (Education Strategy Group)
Measurement For Mobility: How States Can Use Data to Incentivize Postsecondary and Workforce Success in Public Education is a 45-page report issued May 2024 by Education Strategy Group (ESG) and American…
- InitiativeSACSCOC Transfer Credit Consortium — Southern Association of Colleges and Schools Commission on Colleges
Announced in July 2026, the SACSCOC Transfer Credit Consortium is a voluntary, faculty-led partnership that encourages colleges and universities to create common transfer pathways for general education courses.
- InitiativeBeyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board (PAB)
Launched in 2020, the Beyond Transfer Policy Advisory Board (PAB) is composed of 12 practitioners committed to equity and well-versed in transfer and credit mobility. The Board’s mission is to dismantle…
- InitiativeArizona Learning Mobility Collaborative (AZLMC)
The Arizona Learning Mobility Collaborative (AZLMC) is a cross-sector initiative launched in Fall 2024 to design and implement a more integrated, learner-centered education-to-employment ecosystem in Arizona…
- InitiativeEnhancing Global Learning Mobility Through Credential Transparency – AACRAO / Credential Engine
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) and Credential Engine launched a collaboration in fall 2024 called Enhancing Global Learning Mobility Through Credential…
- InitiativeLearning Mobility — AACRAO
The American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO) is addressing the need to improve credit mobility. The consistent and equitable application of student records processes and…
- InitiativeSynchronizing Pathways: Expanding Institutional Capacity for Improving Credential Data Quality and Learning Mobility- UPCEA
Launched in July 2025, Synchronizing Pathways: Expanding Institutional Capacity for Improving Credential Data Quality and Learning Mobility supports the need for clear, transferable, and career-relevant…
- InitiativeResearch Report: Forum Guide to Student Mobility Data – National Center for Education Statistics (NCES)
In October 2025, the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) issued the research report, "Forum Guide to Student Mobility Data." The guide provides best practices for measuring, collecting, and using…
- InitiativeAI Transfer and Articulation Infrastructure Network (ATAIN)
In late 2024, the AI Transfer and Articulation Infrastructure Network (ATAIN) was launched by a collaborative of four organizations to use artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the transfer and articulation…
- InitiativeCatalyzing Transfer Initiative (CTI)
Formerly the Catalyzing Transfer Initiative (CTI), the Transfer and Credit Mobility Initiative grew out of Educational Credit Management Corporation (ECMC) Foundation’s previous Catalyzing Transfer Initiative…
- InitiativeNoncredit Mobility Academy
In December 2023, Education Strategy Group, State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), and Opportunity America at the Progressive Policy Institute launched the Noncredit Mobility Academy…
- InitiativeNational Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS)
The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) empowers higher education institutions to transform transfer student experiences and outcomes. Originally located at the University of North…
- InitiativeTracking Transfer & Transfer Playbook 2.0 — The Aspen Institute & Community College Research Center
The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program and Community College Research Center (CCRC) have partnered since 2016 to research and publish solutions to improving community college transfer completion rates…
- InitiativeCredit When It’s Due (CWID) – Reverse Transfer
The Credit When It’s Due (CWID) initiative, funded by six foundations who worked as a collaborative to help 16 states increase associate degree conferral for transfer students who met associate degree…
- InitiativeSTEM Transfer Partnership (STP) – State of Washington
The STEM Transfer Partnership (STP) initiative established by Community College Research Initiatives (CCRI) was designed to create systemic change within STEM degree pathways in the State of Washington through…
- InitiativeAdvancing Equity and Upward Mobility through Community College-Employer Partnerships (ACE-UP)
Launched in 2023, the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce (CSW), with support from Lumina Foundation, convened 20-25 community colleges and their industry partners in a community of practice, Advancing…
- InitiativeJustice and Mobility Fund — Blue Meridian Partners
The Justice and Mobility Fund is a collaboration launched in 2019 by Blue Meridian Partners and the Ford Foundation, with support from the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Philanthropies. The Fund is a…
- InitiativeOccupational Mobility Explorer – Federal Reserve Bank of Philadelphia & Cleveland
In September 2024, the Federal Reserve Banks of Philadelphia and Cleveland released an upgrade to the Occupational Mobility Explorer, originally launched in 2020. The upgrade includes the most recently…
- InitiativeUpward Mobility Initiative – Urban Institute
The Upward Mobility Initiative, developed by the Urban Institute, addresses the need for communities throughout the U.S. to help residents exit poverty, achieve economic success, and live in a more equitable…
- InitiativeInterstate Passport® (Transfer)
Interstate Passport® was a national program based at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) between 2011-2023. The program enabled seamless block transfer of lower-division general…
- InitiativeLearning Evaluation & Recognition for the Next Generation (LEARN) Commission – AACRAO & SOVA
Launched in 2024, the Learning Evaluation and Recognition for the Next Generation (LEARN) Commission is a national effort to recognize undergraduate learning and to improve credit evaluation policies and…
- InitiativeSkills Portability Initiative & Related Union of Skills — European Commission
The Skills Portability Initiative is a European Commission initiative intended to make qualifications and skills easier to understand, verify, and recognize when individuals move among European Union countries.
- InitiativeLifelong Learning Entitlement — England Department for Education
The Lifelong Learning Entitlement is a new student-finance system for postsecondary education in England designed to enable individuals to access education and training more flexibly throughout their working…
- InitiativeNational Leadership Roundtable on the Recognition of Learning – AACRAO
Launched in September 2026, the National Leadership Roundtable on the Recognition of Learning is a national coalition of six higher education organizations working together to advance how learning acquired…
- InitiativeEuropean Learning Model — European Commission
The European Learning Model is a multilingual data model developed by the European Commission to support interoperability of information about learning opportunities, qualifications, accreditation, and…
- InitiativeWork-Based Learning Numbering System and PathLedger – Contribution Exchange
Contribution Exchange is developing the Work-Based Learning Numbering System and PathLedger as components of an infrastructure for documenting, recognizing, validating, and recording learning gained through…
- InitiativeSkills Passport — Latin America & Caribbean (13 countries)
The Skills Passport is a regional initiative to enable the mutual recognition of occupational skills certifications among countries in Latin America and the Caribbean. The initiative represents a regional…
- OrganizationNational Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS)
The National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS), located at the University of North Georgia, is the only national organization solely focused on transfer student success. NISTS works to…
- OrganizationWestern Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE)
Since 1953, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) has been strengthening higher education, workforce development, and behavioral health throughout the western region. As an interstate…
- OrganizationAcadeum
Founded in 2016 and headquartered in Texas, Acadeum is an education technology company whose online platform lets colleges and universities share courses, programs, and workforce credentials. More than 600…
- Special ProjectLearning Mobility
The Learn & Work Ecosystem Library is partnering with the Learning Mobility Collaborative (LMC) to develop and host the National Learning Mobility Collaborative hub (website) to ensure that learning mobi
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- CrosswordCrossword | Learning Mobility
Crosswords Crossword Puzzle Learning Mobility Crossword PuzzleAnswer GuidePuzzle & Answer Guide (PDF Download) Have something to submit? For the ecosystem to function effectively, all parts of the system must…
These entries touch on the topic in their summary or full text, but it is not their main focus.
- Glossary TermChain Buying among Higher Education Institutions
Refers to the practice of a higher education institution merging with another higher education institution facing closure typically due to severe financial problems. The institution being “bought” is often a…
- Glossary TermLearner and Student Success
Refers to learners’ achievement of educational and career goals, including persistence, completion, transfer, employment, and personal development. It encompasses academic progress, skill mastery, and…
- Glossary TermBologna Process
Seeks to bring coherence to higher education systems across Europe. It established the European Higher Education Area (EHEA) to facilitate student and staff mobility, make higher education more inclusive and…
- Topic BriefCredit Interoperability
Interoperability is the ability of different information systems, devices, or applications to connect in a coordinated manner, allowing stakeholders to access, exchange, and use data within and across…
- Topic BriefCompetency-Based Education (CBE)
Competency-based education (CBE) and competency-based learning are interchangeable terms. CBE is an outcomes-based approach to education advanced through a set of policies and practices. The approach is built…
- Topic BriefKey Communications Organizations Informing the Public
A number of organizations and media-focused initiatives inform the public about the learn-and-work ecosystem. Communications must be clear about the learning that various credentials represent as integration…
- Topic BriefCredentials For Young Adults – Research
There is a substantial and growing research literature on credentials for young adults, driven by an increasing recognition of their importance in fostering successful transitions from education to the…
- Topic BriefInnovations in Higher Education: Preparing for the Future of Learning & Work
As the nature of work evolves amid technological, economic, and demographic changes, U.S. colleges and universities have been increasingly innovating to prepare learners for lifelong employability and…
- Topic BriefInstitutional Accrediting Agencies in Higher Education
In higher education, accreditation covers both the initial and ongoing approval of an educational institution or academic program. Accreditation can be conducted on the national, state, and/or private…
- InitiativeSkills Scoop
Launched in 2025, Skills Scoop is a free newsletter designed to focus on skills-based hiring and career mobility. The aim of the online platform, Skills Scoop is to help organizations celebrate and elevate…
- InitiativeLifeJourney – AI-Powered Skills & Competency Toolkit
On February 22, 2023, Territorium launched LifeJourney, an AI-powered toolkit designed to facilitate the intersections and transitions between K-12, higher education, and workforce readiness. The secure and…
- InitiativeState Approaches to Short-Term Postsecondary Credentials: Challenges, Opportunities, and Policy Gaps – WICHE
In 2024, the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) initiated a project supported by The Pew Charitable Trusts to understand developments in the short-term credential landscape. The aim of…
- InitiativeExpanding the Learner Record: XLR Project
Since 2015, AACRAO – working with Lumina Foundation, NASPA, NILOA, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, 1EdTech, and other higher education organizations – has supported over 50 colleges and universities to…
- InitiativeASU Pocket
ASU Pocket / My Skills Pocket app is a digital wallet from Arizona State University which functions as a portfolio of academic, professional, and extracurricular achievements. It is designed to capture what…
- InitiativeRasmussen University Phase 1 Comprehensive Learning Record Project
Rasmussen University joined a group of institutions in 2022 to help develop the Comprehensive Learner Record (CLR), a skills-based transcript that shows what learners know and can do, not just letter grades and
- InitiativeCollege Credit for Industry-Recognized Credentials – State of Ohio
College Credit for Industry-Recognized Credentials is a key transfer initiative in Ohio and part of the Ohio Transfer Promise initiative. Through the Industry Recognized Credential Transfer Assurance Guides…
- InitiativeGovernance and Technology Needs for Implementing Issuer Registries within Learning and Employment Record Ecosystems –DCC and Credential Engine
The Digital Credentials Consortium (DCC) and Credential Engine are collaborating on a joint 2024-2025 initiative supported by Walmart to explore the governance and technology needs for implementing issuer…
- InitiativeTexas Policy on Community College Finance – Performance Funding (HB 8)
House Bill 8 (HB 8) passed unanimously in the Texas Senate and was signed into law by Governor Greg Abbot in June 2023. HB 8 calls for strengthening community colleges by establishing a new performance-based…
- Special ProjectCredential Futures Coalition (CFC)
The Credential Futures Coalition (CFC) is an informal network of more than 25 organizations that support credentials and learner-worker mobility. The coalition was created in 2022 by four leading organiz
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- ArchiveWebsite: Connecting Credentials
Connecting Credentials from the Corporation for a Skilled Workforce. Last updated in 2018. Between 2015-2018, CSW led the Connecting Credentials Campaign to improve connectivity, transparency and equity in…
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