Source: L. 2000: Entire section added, p. 372, � 26, effective April 10. L. 2008: Entire section repealed, p. 1483, � 30, effective May 28.
23-1-125. Commission directive - student bill of rights - degree requirements - implementation of core courses - competency test - prior learning - prior work-related experience - policies - definitions - repeal. (1) Student bill of rights. The general assembly finds that students enrolled in public institutions of higher education and students who are accepted to an institution of higher education have the following rights:
(a) Students should be able to complete their associate of arts and associate of science degree programs in no more than sixty credit hours or their baccalaureate programs in no more than one hundred twenty credit hours unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the commission;
(b) A student can sign a two-year or four-year graduation agreement that formalizes a plan for that student to obtain a degree in two or four years, unless there are additional degree requirements recognized by the commission;
(c) Students have a right to clear and concise information concerning which courses must be completed successfully to complete their degrees;
(d) Students have a right to know which courses are transferable among the state public two-year and four-year institutions of higher education;
(e) Students, upon completion of core general education courses, regardless of the delivery method, should have those courses satisfy the core course requirements of all Colorado public institutions of higher education;
(f) Students have a right to know if courses from one or more public higher education institutions satisfy the students' degree requirements;
(g) A student's credit for the completion of the core requirements and core courses shall not expire for ten years from the date of initial enrollment and shall be transferrable;
(h) Students have a right to transparency of the cost of postsecondary education programs, including information on fees, associated expenses, and financial aid in the form of scholarships, grants, and loans;
(i) Students have the right to seamless transfer of courses in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix, transparency in the process for transferring credits, a timely response on applications for transferring credits, and transparency in how and why a credit is accepted or rejected by an institution and how and why a credit is or is not applied toward degree requirements;
(j) Students have the right to appeal an institution's failure to accept the student's request for transfer credit; and
(k) Students have the right to know what work-related experiences or prior learning opportunities are awarded postsecondary academic credit at the institution in which the student is enrolled, pursuant to section 23-5-145.5.
(1.5) Policies. On or before April 1, 2025, the commission shall adopt policies for public institutions of higher education on how to best implement the right described in subsection (1)(i) of this section.
(2) Degree requirements. The commission shall establish a standard of a one-hundred-twenty-hour baccalaureate degree, not including specific professional degree programs that have additional degree requirements recognized by the commission.
(3) Core courses. The department, in consultation with each Colorado public institution of higher education, is directed to outline a plan to implement a core course concept that defines the general education course guidelines for all public institutions of higher education. The core of courses shall be designed to ensure that students demonstrate competency in reading, critical thinking, written communication, mathematics, and technology. The core of courses shall consist of at least thirty credit hours but shall not exceed forty credit hours. Individual institutions of higher education shall conform their own core course requirements with the guidelines developed by the department and shall identify the specific courses that meet the general education course guidelines. Any such guidelines developed by the department shall be submitted to the commission for its approval. In creating and adopting the guidelines, the department and the commission, in collaboration with the public institutions of higher education, may make allowances for baccalaureate programs that have additional degree requirements recognized by the commission. If a statewide matrix of core courses is adopted by the commission, the courses identified by the individual institutions as meeting the general education course guidelines shall be included in the matrix. The commission shall adopt such policies to ensure that institutions develop the most effective way to implement the transferability of core course credits.
(4) Competency testing. On or before July 1, 2010, the commission shall, in consultation with each public institution of higher education, define a process for students to test out of core courses, including specifying use of a national test or the criteria for approving institutionally devised tests. Beginning in the 2010-11 academic year, each public institution of higher education shall grant full course credits to students for the core courses they successfully test out of, free of tuition for those courses.
(4.5) Prior learning. Beginning in the 2013-14 academic year, each public institution of higher education shall adopt and make public a policy or program to determine academic credit for prior learning.
(4.7) Prior work-related experience. Pursuant to section 23-5-145.5, the council created and existing pursuant to section 23-1-108.5, in collaboration with the commission, shall create, adopt, and implement a plan to determine and award postsecondary academic credit for work-related experience.
(5) Nonpublic institutions of higher education. (a) (I) A nonpublic institution of higher education may choose to conform its core course requirements with, or adopt core course requirements that meet, the general education course guidelines developed by the department pursuant to subsection (3) of this section and identify the specific courses that meet the general education course guidelines. The nonpublic institution of higher education may require all of the students enrolled in the institution to take the core course requirements that are conformed or adopted as provided in this paragraph (a) or may require only those students who are concurrently enrolled, pursuant to article 35 of title 22, C.R.S., in a high school and in the nonpublic institution of higher education to take said core course requirements.
(II) The core course requirements that a nonpublic institution of higher education conforms or adopts pursuant to this paragraph (a) shall comply with the number of credit hours required by the department and shall include courses in each of the subject areas identified by the department. The nonpublic institution of higher education shall submit to the department a description of its core course requirements with the initial review fee established pursuant to paragraph (c) of this subsection (5), and the department shall determine whether the nonpublic institution's core course requirements comply with the department's general education course guidelines. If the department determines that the nonpublic institution of higher education's core course requirements comply with the guidelines, then the nonpublic institution's core course credits shall be transferable to public institutions of higher education, and the nonpublic institution of higher education shall accept transfers of core course credits from the public institutions of higher education.
(b) A nonpublic institution of higher education that chooses to seek transferability of its core course credits pursuant to paragraph (a) of this subsection (5) shall, prior to the beginning of each academic year in which it seeks transferability, allow the department to review its general education core course requirements and its general education courses to ensure that they continue to meet the general education core course guidelines. The department may assess a fee as provided in paragraph (c) of this subsection (5) to offset the costs of the annual review.
(c) The commission, in consultation with the department, shall establish the amounts of the initial review fee and the annual review fee of a nonpublic institution of higher education's general education core course requirements and core courses, which amounts shall not exceed the direct and indirect costs incurred by the department in initially reviewing and in annually reviewing the nonpublic institution's general education core course requirements and core courses. The department is authorized to collect the fees from nonpublic institutions of higher education as provided in paragraphs (a) and (b) of this subsection (5).
(d) On or before March 1, 2016, the commission shall submit to the education committees of the senate and the house of representatives, or any successor committees, a report concerning the implementation of this subsection (5). At a minimum, the report shall include:
(I) The names of the nonpublic institutions of higher education that are participating in the general education core course requirements;
(II) The number of students who have transferred core course credits to or from a nonpublic institution of higher education;
(III) Any issues that have arisen in the course of implementing this subsection (5); and
(IV) Any recommendations for changes to this subsection (5).
(e) As used in this subsection (5), nonpublic institution of higher education means an educational institution operating in this state that:
(I) Does not receive state general fund moneys in support of its operating costs;
(II) Admits as regular students only persons having a high school diploma or the recognized equivalent of a high school diploma;
(III) Is accredited by an accrediting agency or association approved by the United States department of education;
(IV) Provides an educational program for which it awards a bachelor's degree or a graduate degree;
(V) Is authorized by the department of higher education to do business in Colorado pursuant to section 23-2-103.3;
(VI) Maintains a physical campus or instructional facility in Colorado; and
(VII) Has been determined by the United States department of education to be eligible to administer federal financial aid programs pursuant to Title IV of the federal Higher Education Act of 1965, as amended.
(6) Definitions. As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) General education course means a lower-division course offered by an institution that any degree-seeking student enrolled at the institution must successfully complete in order to obtain an associate's degree or a bachelor's degree from the institution.
(b) Guaranteed transfer pathway matrix means a group of general education courses or lower-division courses required for a specific program at the institution that every student enrolled in the specific program at the institution must successfully complete in order to transfer to or from an institution and has equivalent learning outcomes as the same level of courses offered by another institution.
(c) Lower-division course means a course numbered from one hundred to two hundred ninety-nine or one thousand to two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine.
(d) Public institution of higher education or institution has the same meaning set forth in section 23-4.5-102.
Source: L. 2001: Entire section added, p. 1473, � 1, effective June 6. L. 2008: (3) amended, p. 1478, � 17, effective May 28. L. 2010: (4) amended and (5) added, (SB 10-108), ch. 301, p. 1427, � 1, effective May 27. L. 2012: (3) amended, (HB 12-1155), ch. 255, p. 1281, � 8, effective August 8; (4.5) added and (5)(e)(III) amended, (HB 12-1072), ch. 62, p. 223, � 2, effective August 8. L. 2020: (4.7) added, (HB 20-1002), ch. 255, p. 1244, � 3, effective July 8. L. 2024: IP(1) amended and (1)(h) to (1)(k), (1.5), and (6) added, (SB 24-164), ch. 202, p. 1232, � 1, effective May 18.
Cross references: For the legislative declaration in the 2012 act adding subsection (4.5) and amending subsection (5)(e)(III), see section 1 of chapter 62, Session Laws of Colorado 2012. For the legislative declaration in HB 20-1002, see section 1 of chapter 255, Session Laws of Colorado 2020.
23-1-125.5. Department directive - statewide transfer credit online platform - funding - definitions. (1) As used in this section, unless the context otherwise requires:
(a) Advanced placement exam means the final examination administered at the completion of a course that delivers a college-level curriculum in a particular field of study and that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit based on the score achieved on the end-of-course examination.
(b) College level examination program exam or CLEP exam means a standardized test created and administered by the College Board that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit based on the score achieved. A test taker who has acquired comprehensive subject knowledge through independent or prior study, on-the-job training, or cultural pursuits may demonstrate an understanding of college-level material by achieving a certain score on the CLEP exam.
(c) DANTES Subject Standardized Test or DSST means a credit-by-examination, subject matter test originated by the United States department of defense's Defense Activity for Non-Traditional Education Support (DANTES) program that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit.
(d) General education course means a lower-division course offered by an institution that any degree-seeking student enrolled at the institution must successfully complete in order to obtain an associate or a bachelor's degree from the institution.
(e) Guaranteed transfer pathway matrix means a group of general education courses or lower-division courses required for a specific program at the institution that every student enrolled in the specific program at the institution must successfully complete in order to transfer to or from an institution and that has equivalent learning outcomes as the same level of courses offered by another institution.
(f) Institution of higher education or institution means a state institution of higher education as defined in section 23-18-102 (10)(a), a local district college created pursuant to article 71 of this title 23, or an area technical college as defined in section 23-60-103.
(g) International baccalaureate means a program of international education offered to high school students by a nonprofit educational foundation that may result in awarding postsecondary academic credit.
(h) Lower-division course means a course numbered from one hundred to two hundred ninety-nine or one thousand to two thousand nine hundred ninety-nine.
(i) Reverse transfer means a process that permits students who transferred from a two-year institution to a four-year institution to combine credits and apply the credits toward an associate degree from the two-year institution.
(j) Statewide transfer articulation agreement means an agreement among all of the state institutions of higher education for the transfer of an associate of arts or an associate of science degree. A statewide transfer articulation agreement applies to common degree programs and specifies the common terms, conditions, and expectations for a student enrolled in a statewide degree transfer program.
(2) Subject to available appropriations or money from other sources, the department shall develop, implement, manage, and maintain a free, publicly accessible online platform to provide a current or potential student pursuing postsecondary education in Colorado with relevant information to assist the student in understanding which credits and courses, work-related experiences, and prior learning opportunities, as awarded postsecondary academic credit, are transferable to or between the state's institutions.
(3) (a) On or before January 1, 2026, an institution may submit to the department for inclusion in the online platform:
(I) A comprehensive record of the institution's awards of postsecondary transfer credit for each semester or term beginning with the fall 2023 semester or term for all courses that the institution has identified through the institution's current transfer and course articulation process as having learning outcomes equivalent to corresponding courses at other Colorado institutions; and
(II) Descriptions of the institution's policy on work-related experiences or work-based learning, the institution's policy on prior learning opportunities, and the industry-recognized credentials, licenses, or apprenticeship certificates for which the institution awards postsecondary academic credit, including learning opportunities from work-related experience for which the institution awards postsecondary academic credit for courses in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix or a statewide transfer articulation agreement described pursuant to section 23-5-145.5.
(b) To ensure the accuracy of the information reflected in the online platform, each institution may update the information identified in subsection (3)(a) of this section on a schedule to be ongoing as determined by the department in consultation with the institutions.
(4) Using statewide data provided by institutions, the department shall include in the online platform, pending the availability of data, information about the transferability to or between institutions for the following sources of postsecondary academic credit:
(a) All courses in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix system;
(b) All courses in statewide transfer articulation agreement pathways;
(c) All reverse transfer courses;
(d) All advanced placement exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix;
(e) All international baccalaureate exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix;
(f) All CLEP exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix; and
(g) All DSST exam cut-off scores demonstrating the level of proficiency required for a student to receive general education credit in a course in the guaranteed transfer pathway matrix.
(5) The department shall design and implement a statewide database to store and organize the information obtained pursuant to subsections (3) and (4) of this section to populate the online platform.
(6) A private institution of higher education, as defined in section 23-18-102, may, but is not required to, submit applicable information pursuant to subsections (3) and (4) of this section for inclusion in the online platform.
(7) The department shall review existing transfer resources and policies of institutions of higher education and participating private institutions of higher education to inform the development of the online platform.
(8) The department shall work with institutions of higher education and participating private institutions of higher education to test the functionality of the online platform and the accuracy of the online platform's content before publication.
(9) As a resource for prospective students, information published on the online platform does not constitute a guarantee of admission to an institution or a guarantee that a first-time or transfer student meets criteria for admission established pursuant to section 23-1-113 or institution policy.
(10) The department may seek, accept, and expend gifts, grants, or donations from private or public sources for the purposes of the development, implementation, management, and maintenance of the online platform. The department shall transmit all money received through gifts, grants, or donations to the state treasurer, who shall credit the money to the postsecondary transfer credit platform cash fund, which fund is created in the state treasury. The fund consists of gifts, grants, or donations credited to the fund and any other money that the general assembly may appropriate or transfer to the fund. The state treasurer shall credit all interest and income derived from the deposit and investment of money in the postsecondary transfer credit platform cash fund to the fund. Subject to annual appropriation by the general assembly, the department may expend money from the fund for the purposes of this section.
Source: L. 2025: Entire section added, (HB 25-1038), ch. 390, p. 2194, � 1, effective August 6.