Can You Still Use Old College Credits In Texas?

If you left college without earning a degree, it's not too late. Texas universities will probably let you pick up where you left off.

Family matters, funding, a forced relocation ... things happen. If you decide to go back within a short time, it's usually not a problem to finish what you started. What about students that decide to return years, decades or multiple decades later? Can they still use past credits earned to bring it home? In Texas, yes. Maybe.

In reality, college credits never “expire.” Once you’ve completed the course, and passed, you’ll always have that achievement and knowledge. Transferring that credit, however, is dependent upon a host of circumstances and criteria. - franklin.edu

This is where gets a little dicey. Many things determine what credits will and will not work for you if it's been a long minute. The 3 biggest things are known as the 3 R's.

What Are The 3 R's For Using Old College Credits?

• Relevance. Does the school you want to go to consider your past courses to be "core curriculum" or "general education" and do they relate to the degree you're after? Even if they don't, they may still work as "elective courses".
• Recency. Some fields change so quickly, knowledge becomes outdated in no time. That computer program you learned 10 - 15 years ago may not even exist anymore. If it does, you're probably a zillion new versions behind.
• Reputation. Not yours, the schools. Whether you earned your credits 20 years ago or last year ... last month for that matter ... if your current and/or former school isn't fully accredited, your credit transfer is dead in the water.

There's a lot more to it but now at least you know it may be possible. Contact the registrar at the appropriate past/current school for more info. Here are two key numbers for those in the 915.

UTEP Registrar -  (915) 747-5544    EPCC Registrar - (915) 831-2150