By: Nick Broten, PhD, Research Data Specialist III
As part of the development of California’s Master Plan for Career Education, C2C convened the eTranscript California & Career Passport Task Force in 2024. We heard from all of the higher education segments in California that exchanging transcript data between institutions is burdensome for students and administrators. With the growth of dual enrollment and online course taking and expanded transfer pathways between CCC, CSU, and UC, Californian students are taking for-credit courses at multiple institutions. When applying for college, either as a freshman or transfer, this often means tracking down—and paying for—transcripts from each of these institutions. In C2C’s Student Experience Report for the 2024 academic year, nearly one in ten students found the process of loading dual enrollment courses to their transcript very difficult.
The Task Force envisioned an alternative transcript ecosystem in which student data flows freely and securely across California education institutions and the applications where it is needed. This data exchange would be enabled by a commitment to common data standards and interoperable systems. It would also support the development of a Unified High School Transcript: a single record, facilitated by the California College Guidance Initiative (CCGI), that includes high school and all community college coursework.
The California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office (CCCCO) has taken a major step in this direction by releasing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for a California Statewide Transcript Exchange Network—an updated eTranscript California. You can see the RFP here.
Ensuring the Right Fit and Capabilities
Managed by the Foothill DeAnza Community College District and with strategic direction from the California Community Colleges Digital Center, the RFP takes an innovative approach to developing large-scale state technology projects of this kind. Instead of having vendors respond to a long list of requirements, they will be asked to participate in a pilot process to demonstrate capability. This approach will help ensure that the selected vendor has both a practical understanding of the challenges the CCCCO is trying to solve and the ability to solve them.
The Career Passport: Bridging Academic Training and the Workforce
The next version of eTranscript will also explore the feasibility of sending transcript data to learner-controlled environments, such as a digital wallet. This is a foundational data integration of the California Career Passport, a project outlined in the 2025 Master Plan and led by the CCCCO. By building the Passport on a foundation of validated academic data from California’s higher educational institutions, “California employers can accelerate skills-based hiring practices and colleges can recognize skills and competencies for educational credit.”
Stay tuned for more information about the Career Passport coming soon.