Transfer students from accredited community colleges in Kansas will now have their Associate of Arts degrees recognized for full credit, under a new policy announced by the University of Missouri-Kansas City.

Previously, transfer students from Kansas community colleges had their community college course credits evaluated on a course-by-course basis, while students transferring from accredited Missouri community colleges had their associate degrees accepted in full. Under the new policy, a student who has completed an Associate of Arts degree at a regionally accredited Missouri or Kansas institution will have satisfied most UMKC General Education Core requirements. All transferrable hours within the Associate of Arts degree may be applied to General Education Core, degree specific requirements, or free electives.

“We are instituting this policy in order to provide a more streamlined and efficient access to UMKC for Kansas students, in keeping with our mission to be Kansas City’s university for the entire metro area,” said Melvin C. Tyler, vice chancellor for student affairs and enrollment management. “This policy simplifies the transfer process and honors the work done by students at their previous institution.”

The change enables students to work with advisors at both the community college level and at UMKC to design an individualized course schedule that establishes a clear, direct and efficient path to the ultimate goal of a Bachelor’s degree.

About 40 percent of the students transferring to UMKC from other colleges have earned Associate’s degrees, a number that has been rising steadily. Tyler said UMKC wants to encourage students to complete Associate’s degree programs before transferring into UMKC Bachelor’s degree programs.

“Statistically, students who transfer after completing an Associate’s degree earn a higher GPA after transfer and are more likely to complete their Bachelor’s degree and graduate from UMKC,” Tyler said.

Under the transfer policy, most students transferring with Associate’s degrees from accredited community colleges will have only two UMKC General Education Core course requirements to fulfill. Those are the 300-level Anchor and Discourse courses focused on civic and community engagement, which include community-based service-learning components.