Welcome to the September Transfer Hub newsletter! This month’s newsletter focuses on newly approved Common Course Numbering (CCN) courses and Major Transfer Maps (MTMs) for 2026 as well as the new Common Course Numbering Articulation Policy (CCNAP).
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Established in 2021, Transfer Council has begun its fourth year of developing recommendations to the Higher Education Coordinating Commission (HECC) on new transfer and credit policies and agreements. This builds on decades of work dedicated to streamlining transfer pathways in Oregon. For more on this, see the About Oregon’s Statewide Work to Streamline Student Transfer webpage.
Transfer Council did not meet in July 2025.
In August 2025 the Commission, in consultation with the Transfer Council, approved three new Major Transfer Maps (MTMs) for 2026. Beginning in 2026, the Commission will resume its statutory requirement to complete three MTMs annually (see below for more information). Additionally, 16 new courses were approved for alignment under Common Course Numbering (CCN) in 2026 (see below for more information). Additionally, members of the Survey and Report Subcommittee presented the annual Transfer Council Report to the Commission. The report highlights institutional practices and progress in implementing transfer policy measures, focusing on MTMs, CCN, and Core Transfer Maps (CTMs). The Council also recommended to the Commission a modification request to the Human Development and Family Services (HDFS) Curriculum Articulation Policy (CAP) for OSU. HECC staff also led a discussion on the process for terminating an MTM program. The Council determined that institutions must submit formal notification and rationale via a memo and that institutions seeking to terminate a degree need to be available during a Council meeting to respond to questions. The Council introduced the new CCN Articulation Policy (CCNAP) and discussed policy updates and CCN framework changes resulting from passage of the CCN OARs on October 15, 2024. The Council agreed to seek feedback from the Systems and Operations Subcommittee before their next meeting.
At the September 2025 meeting, the Council approved the CCNAP. The Technical Changes Subcommittee recommended OSU’s revised HDFS MTM-CAP, which the Council recommended to the Commission. Tillamook Bay Community College submitted a notice of intent to terminate participation in the Biology AST, English/Language AAT, Sociology/Anthropology AAT/AST, and Computer Science AST programs. The Council concluded the meeting by discussing priorities for the upcoming year’s workplan.
CCN Selection
In August, Transfer Council approved the following 16 courses for alignment under Common Course Numbering (CCN) in 2026:
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Anthropology: Archaeology, Cultural, and Biological or Native American
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Art (Studio): Painting, Drawing, and another course TBD
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History*: Western Civ I, II, and III
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Political Science: International Relations, State and Local, and US/American Government
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Spanish*: Second-year Spanish I, II, and III
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Statistics: Statistics II (ST/STAT 244).
Note: Disciplines with an asterisk (*) signify subcommittees returning from 2025 for further alignment work.
MTM Selection
In August, the Commission, in consultation with the Transfer Council, named three new Major Transfer Maps for alignment in 2026. These areas are political science, mechanical engineering, and math secondary education. These majors meet the criteria in statute: highly selected by transfer students and high workforce demand. The Transfer Council decided to also reconvene Criminal Justice to try (again) to build a map in this high demand major. The work of these subcommittees will begin in January.
Nominations for Serving on Transfer Council Subcommittees
A request for nominations to serve on a CCN or MTM Subcommittee in 2026 was sent to CAOs and Provosts on September 23. Nominations are due by October 17 and should be submitted using this form.
Details about serving on a Transfer Council subcommittee are available here. For CCN, the History and Spanish subcommittees will continue their alignment work in 2026. Current members may remain on their subcommittees, if interested. Information on this year’s CCN courses and MTMs is listed above. Nominations will be reviewed by CAOs and Provosts on October 20, with final approval by the Transfer Council on November 20. New members will be contacted after confirmation.
Subcommittees will begin meeting in late January or early February 2026.
In September, Transfer Council approved the Common Course Numbering Articulation Policy (CCNAP) template, which is the official policy document that will guide implementation of CCN at Oregon public colleges and universities.
OAR 715-025-0075 (approved October 2024) requires that a CCNAP shall be developed for each common course before approval by the Transfer Council (TC). Starting this fall, all approved CCNs will be distributed to colleges and universities using the CCNAP template, which is similar to MTM Curriculum Ariticulation Policy (CAP) template.
The CCNAP Includes the Following Sections:
- Legislative and statutory guidelines for CCN
- Maintenance and review process
- The CCN framework
- Approved course information
- Guidelines for lecture and lab courses
- Sequential course completion and teach-out plans
- The CCNAP termination process
- Credit change information as a result of alignment
Key Highlights of the CCNAP:
- Updated language in the CCN framework, aligning the framework with Transfer Council policies and the CCN OARs, which were adopted after the framework was revised in 2024.
- CCN courses must carry a minimum of one credit.
- CCN courses must adopt approved course descriptions and learning outcomes, as written. In the past, institutions were allowed to adjust for "stylistic nuances," but this is no longer allowed under the CCNAP.
- Existing CCN courses will align with the CCNAP during their regularly scheduled review cycle.
At the August 14, 2025 meeting, the HECC Commission approved two new Major Transfer Map Curriculum Articulation Policies (MTM-CAPs) in Elementary Education (AAOT) and Psychology (AST). All existing MTM-MOUs have now been updated to the new CAP format! This marks an important milestone in the work of transfer pathways.
Each approved Common Course Numbering (CCN) course and Major Transfer Map (MTM) includes a maintenance and review schedule to support continuous improvement. These schedules are approved by the Transfer Council for CCNs and by the HECC Commission for MTMs.
Maintenance and review information is available on the Educator Resources pages:
Before initiating the review process, HECC staff will first contact members of the original subcommittees that developed the CCN courses or MTMs. Subcommittees will then be reconvened (as needed) to carry out more substantive reviews. For more information, please contact Jane Denison-Furness at jane.denison-furness@hecc.oregon.gov
At the October 2026 Commission meeting, members will preview draft rule recommendations establishing Measures of Success for transfer policy implementation, as required under ORS 350.429. These rules are based on the Transfer Council’s recommendations and will set expectations for how the HECC and institutions track outcomes such as excess credits, transfer rates, and graduation rates. A public comment period on the draft rules will open in October providing students, institutions, and community members the opportunity to provide additional feedback. The rules will be advanced to the Commission for a vote on adoption at its December 2025 meeting. If adopted, the new rules will guide reporting and accountability beginning in 2026.
At its August 2025 meeting, the Transfer Council approved its annual report to the Commission, highlighting statewide progress on Core Transfer Maps (CTMs), Major Transfer Maps (MTMs), and Common Course Numbering (CCN). Institutions reported increased adoption of CCN courses (37 lower-division courses were aligned across community colleges and universities), and continued implementation of CTMs and MTMs. The report also documented how campuses embed transfer policy requirements into curriculum governance and communication processes, and the report previewed the Council’s recommendations for new Measures of Success rules, designed to track transfer student success. Transfer Council Cochairs will formally present the report to the Commission on October 9, 2025, at 10:30 a.m.
In June 2025, the CCN History Subcommittee completed their work, aligning HST/HIST 201Z, 202Z, and 203Z United States History I, II, and III (for more information, see the Educator Resources—Common Course Numbering webpage). The following information provides an update on the work of the remaining subcommittees, for summer 2025:
Common Course Numbering Faculty Subcommittees
CCN Faculty Subcommittees, the General Education Subcommittee, and the Outcomes Assessment Subcommittee did not meet over the summer while faculty were off contract. They begin meeting in October and will conclude alignment work in time for the November Transfer Council meeting.
Special Subcommittees
Systems & Operations Subcommittee, from Cochairs Elizabeth Bay (Chemeketa) and Amy Clark (WOU): The Systems and Operations Subcommittee has recently focused on several key initiatives. This includes reviewing the recommendation for reporting completions of CTMs and engaging with community colleges to assess the support needed for implementation. Additionally, the subcommittee is developing a work plan for the ongoing review and maintenance of the framework, ensuring broad input with a plan to collaborate with both community colleges and public and private universities. Finally, the subcommittee reviewed and provided recommendations for the CCNAP template.
MTM Subcommittees
Some subcommittees are no longer meeting since their MTM-CAPs are complete. They will resume meeting at their next scheduled maintenance meeting. All remaining subcommittees are actively meeting.
MTM Communication: The subcommittee is nearing completion of their MTM. They will complete the pre- and post-crosswalks when they return in October. The subcommittee is expected to finish their MTM-CAP by November.
We have made recent improvements to our transfer website pages on approved transfer agreements to ensure that college and university partners can easily access this information. Check out our revamped Major Transfer Map and Common Course Numbering web pages to learn more about current agreements including effective dates and catalog requirements. Students can learn how to take advantage of active agreements under Tools for Transfer. Additionally, the HECC continues to provide meeting information and viewing access on the new faculty subcommittee calendar page here.
HECC’s Transfer Home webpage shares information on statewide efforts to Streamline Student Transfer, Transfer Council, Common Course Numbering, and Major Transfer Maps.
The Tools for Transfer – The Oregon Transfer Compass webpage has information for students planning to transfer, including info for students who know their major or are looking at a transfer degree.
CCN Courses Under Development: Both the approved CCN course list for 2026 and courses under consideration for 2027-28 can be found on the Educator Resources--Common Course Numbering webpage. For information on submitting a nomination for a CCN or MTM Subcommittee, see the Nomination Process document, which includes a link to the nominating form, for anyone interested in serving on a Transfer Council subcommittee.
The Transfer Council – Members and Subcommittees webpage contains a list of Transfer Council members, a list of CCN Subcommittee Members for 2025, a list of MTM Subcommittee Members for 2025 , the CCN Handbook, the MTM Faculty Handbook, and charges for all Transfer Council subcommittees. Reports and Memos related to common course numbering can be found on the Educator Resources – Common Course Numbering page.
Additional educator resources for creating MTM advising guides for students can be found on the Major Transfer Maps webpage under Communication Tools.
Other Resources
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