At The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP), we are committed to serving socioeconomically disadvantaged, historically underrepresented students. In El Paso County, the home of UTEP and El Paso Community College (EPCC), most students live in areas with per capita income levels that are less than $20,000 per year. Given the benefits that accompany completion of a college degree, it is important for UTEP to encourage students to seek associate's degrees from EPCC in addition to bachelor's degrees from UTEP.

Many of our students are concurrently enrolled at UTEP and EPCC. At any given time, 75-80% of UTEP students have some college credit from EPCC. Therefore, UTEP designed a process to improve reverse transfer practices and increase the number of associate's degrees awarded to our students.

This presentation demonstrates how use of a degree audit system can be used to increase the success of reverse transfer programs and highlights technical best practices, accreditation considerations, institutional transfer policies, and opportunities for future growth.