Committee on Transfer and Articulation (COTA)

COTA is the Committee on Transfer and Articulation. COTA's primary responsibilities are to review and make recommendations on transfer issues, study and develop transfer guidelines for traditional and non-traditional credits, and review and recommend resolutions on cases of appeal from institutions or students.

COTA Structure

2025 COTA Conference

The Missouri Department of Higher Education & Workforce Development (MDHEWD) and the Committee on Transfer and Articulation (COTA) will host the 2025 COTA Conference on March 7, 2025. The theme this year is "Student-Centered Transfer Revolution: Rethinking Policies, Practices, and Partnerships” addressing challenges with respect to student transfer, collaboration, and institutional policy. 

Submit your proposal before November 30, 2024!

Resources

Joint Leadership Statement on Commitment to Transfer

Our students vary in age, come from differing economic backgrounds, include many first generation participants, and are often place-bound due to financial limitations and family/employment obligations. These changing demographic factors have altered the patterns of attendance, and many of our students now access higher education through multiple institutions. The mobility of our students creates a joint student body, whose participation and success is a shared responsibility bay all Missouri higher education institutions.

The success of our collective student body requires that Missouri institutions operate in a coordinated fashion to ensure that higher education is accessible and affordable. The determinants of success of the mobile student must drive the transfer process, and not institutional habit, convenience, or territoriality.

Based on their joint commitment to ensure access, affordability, and success of the transfer student, the leaders of Missouri institutions of higher education with their signature below commit to:

  • Work collaboratively with all Missouri institutions in higher education to improve the total transfer process at the institutions both as a receiver and sender of transfer students;
  • Provide academic and financial support for the transfer student that is commensurate with the support provided for native students;
  • Develop an efficient transfer policy that minimizes the loss of course credits and curtails any unnecessary duplication of learning;
  • Share in the responsibility and cost for the development and implementation of articulation agreements;
  • Work to create a consolidated, multi-institutional database, searchable by institution, which provides common access to current course equivalencies and articulation agreements;
  • Identify and share best transfer practices.

The leaders of public higher education agree to review the current joint statement every three years and revise it accordingly, and re-engage Missouri institutions of higher education to be signatories to the revised statement.

Signatory Institutions to the Associate of Arts in Teaching Articulation Agreement

Public Four-Year Colleges
  • Harris-Stowe State University
  • Lincoln University
  • Missouri Southern State University
  • Missouri State University
  • Missouri Western State University
  • Northwest Missouri State University
  • Southeast Missouri State University
  • University of Central Missouri
  • University of Missouri - Columbia
  • University of Missouri - Kansas City
  • University of Missouri - St. Louis
Public Two-Year Colleges
  • Crowder College
  • East Central College
  • Jefferson College
  • Metropolitan Community College
  • Mineral Area College
  • Moberly Area Community College
  • North Central Missouri College
  • Ozarks Technical Community College
  • St. Charles County Community College
  • St. Louis Community College
  • State Fair Community College
  • Three Rivers College
Independent Four-Year Universities
  • Avila University
  • Central Methodist University
  • Columbia College
  • Culver-Stockton College
  • Drury University
  • Fontbonne University
  • Hannibal-LaGrange University
  • Lindenwood University
  • Maryville University of St. Louis
  • Missouri Baptist University
  • Missouri Valley College
  • Park University
  • Rockhurst University
  • Stephens College
  • Webster University
  • Westminster College
  • William Woods University