Tampa Bay College Students Can Earn Degree After Transferring

John O'Connor / StateImpact Florida

Hillsborough Community College president Ken Atwater signs a "reverse transfer" agreement Monday as University of South Florida president Judy Genshaft looks on. The agreement allows students who transfer to the University of South Florida to earn credits toward an associate's degree from one of four Tampa Bay colleges.

Students who transfer to the University of South Florida can still earn a degree at their former school.

USF and four Tampa Bay colleges signed a “reverse transfer” agreement Monday.

That means when a student completes a class a USF, the credits can count toward an associate’s degree at Hillsborough Community College, Pasco-Hernando Community College, Polk State College and St. Petersburg College.

HCC president Ken Atwater says students who earn enough credits at USF will automatically receive their degree.

“It’s a great opportunity, because just think about this: This is almost seamless for the students because this will all be electronically done,” Atwater said. ” The students records will be electronically transferred to us. We’ll analyze the records. And if they earned a degree we’ll award the degree.”

If a student does not complete their degree at USF, they still might earn enough credits for an associate’s degree.

Workers with an associate’s degree are more likely to find a job and earn about $500,000 more over their career, according to studies.

HCC officials expect about 200 students will earn a degree due to the agreement.