Chaminade University of Honolulu joins Interstate Passport Network

BOULDER, Colo. – Chaminade University of Honolulu has joined the Interstate Passport Network, the national program of two- and four-year colleges and universities that streamlines the transfer process for students. Chaminade University becomes the first private institution from the state of Hawaiʻi to join. The university was founded in 1955 as the only Catholic university in Hawaiʻi and one of three Marianist higher education institutions in the country. It serves just over 1,000 students from Hawaiʻi, the mainland, and the Pacific region.

“Chaminade University always puts students first, which is why we are proud to join the Interstate Passport Network to further streamline the credit transfer process and put the focus back on each student’s educational journey,” said Dr. Lynn Babington, Chaminade president. “Our strong Marianist and public service mission means we stress an individualized academic experience for each student that helps them grow as learners and leaders, and ensures they’re inspired to bring their talents to bear to make positive change. We look forward to welcoming more students to our campus through Interstate Passport.”  

Chaminade University offers 25 undergraduate and graduate programs in the fine arts and humanities, sciences and mathematics, behavioral sciences, business and communication, education, and nursing. One hundred percent of students participate in a service-learning project by the time of graduation, and 98 percent of students receive some type of financial aid. At Chaminade, students develop professionally through service learning projects, research and internship experiences, and leadership and community networking opportunities.

The Interstate Passport program was founded in 2011, and became fully operational in 2016. Students who earn a Passport, which encompasses lower-division general education and is based on learning outcomes instead of course-by-course articulation, can transfer to a Network institution in another state and have their learning recognized and general education credits accepted. Since Interstate Passport launched in 2016, member institutions have awarded over 38,800 Passports. All students from Chaminade who earn a Passport can now more easily transfer to any Network member institution without having to repeat or take additional coursework to satisfy general education requirements.

Nearly four in 10 college students will transfer institutions at least once during their college careers, and almost a quarter of those will enroll in an institution in another state, according to data from the National Student Clearinghouse. Until now, transferring between schools – especially across state lines – has been made more difficult and expensive by lengthy credit evaluation processes and loss of credit already earned.

“We are delighted to welcome Chaminade University of Honolulu to the Interstate Passport Network,” said Anna Galas, director of academic leadership initiatives at WICHE.  “As the Interstate Passport Network continues to grow, we expect to see more transfer students motivated to complete their degrees. Especially because all institutions in the University of Hawaiʻi System are members of the Network, we are so pleased that now a private university in the state is a member. Through the Interstate Passport Network students will be able to easily transfer to other institutions within Hawaiʻi as well as to other Network institutions on the mainland without losing or having to repeat lower-division general education coursework.”

Even for students who don’t transfer, earning a Passport can be beneficial. Because of its specifically defined learning outcomes, the Passport can become a widely recognizable documented completion benchmark from which employers can gauge a prospect’s skill level and readiness for a job.

INTERSTATE PASSPORT

Interstate Passport is a program based at the Western Interstate Commission for Higher Education (WICHE) that enables block transfer of complete lower-division general education attainment based on a set of multistate faculty-developed learning outcomes instead of on specific courses and number of credits. After years of research and development, the Interstate Passport Network, whose members are two-year and four-year non-profit colleges and universities, was launched in July 2016. In its first three years of operation, members awarded 38,800 Passports to students. Current membership has grown to 60 institutions in 17 states. For more information please visit interstatepassport.wiche.testing.brossgroup.com.