New CAS Transfer Standards Empower Institutions to Support Diverse Student Pathways

​The Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education (CAS) has released the 2025 update of the Transfer Student Programs and Services Standards and the companion Self-Assessment Guide (SAG), available now in the CAS Store.

Developed collaboratively by CAS, the American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers (AACRAO), the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS), and a national committee of transfer professionals, this revision provides an equity-minded and adaptable framework for advancing transfer student success across diverse institutional contexts.

“These updated CAS standards equip transfer departments with an actionable, equity-minded framework that directly addresses current challenges, from credit loss in transfer and information gaps to the growing complexity of multiple transfer pathways,” said Wendy Kilgore, Ph.D., Senior Director of Research, AACRAO. “By emphasizing collaborative partnerships, transparent processes, and data-informed practices, these standards provide guidance for building transfer-receptive cultures that support diverse student populations with varying goals, enrollment patterns, and life circumstances.”

“These standards validate what transfer professionals have long understood: transfer success requires specialized expertise and sustained support across the full transfer student experience,” said Emily Kittrell, Assistant Director, NISTS. “By articulating the broad scope of transfer work and establishing clear professional expectations, this research-based framework equips transfer champions with the language and legitimacy needed to influence institutional policies, build cross-campus partnerships, and advocate for necessary resources.”
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A central theme of this revision is intentional flexibility. The updated standards acknowledge that effective transfer support looks different at every institution, whether a two-year college, regional university, or flagship institution. Rather than prescribing a single model, the standards offer a scalable and adaptable framework that meets professionals where they are while guiding them toward aspirational best practices.

This collaborative revision underscores CAS’s ongoing commitment to ensuring that student support standards evolve alongside the higher education landscape.

Explore the new Transfer Student Programs and Services Standards here and the Self-Assessment Guide (SAG) here.