Nearly 60 percent of American college students attend more than one school before they earn a bachelor's degree, according to the U.S. Department of Education. Many higher education institutions struggle with two questions: Retention programs are increasingly designed to help keep students engaged and enrolled. There is, however, another perspective, one that understands and helps students prepare for positive academic transfers. This type of planned transition is most prevalent at community colleges, where students commute from home while earning their associate’s degrees, then transfer into bachelor's degree programs. Transferring credits between schools can pose challenges, so to better serve the students who plan to transfer, a growing number of integrated or articulated programs have emerged. In these programs, two years of junior or community college translates into the equivalent of two full years of a bachelor's degree program. Dubbed “2 + 2” programs, these concepts are coming forward in an increasingly innovative variety of formats including online, on campus, domestic and international. A number of 2 + 2 programs are using a combination of two years spent on-campus at a community college and two years of online education to complete a bachelor’s degree. Two examples of such programs can be found in Kansas. At Washburn University, the Partnership for Learning and Networking (PLAN) is a collaborative set of online 2 + 2 degree completion programs designed to let students complete an associate’s degree at one of the partner community colleges and then earn a bachelor's degree online from Washburn University in another two years. All of North Carolina’s public universities have opted in to an innovative alliance called the University of North Carolina Online. Under the partnership, the universities work together with the state’s community college system to provide 2 + 2 programs that draw from each member’s unique strengths to create a strictly online degree program. The University of Phoenix has created a sister school called Axia College, designed for younger working adults who have little or no college experience. The tuition is significantly lower than that of the more widely known University of Phoenix, and admissions counselors are charged with directing students to the most-cost effective options. Under this program, the two institutions have fully integrated their curriculum both online and on campus. 2 + 2 Programs are also growing through international partnerships. International University of Nursing (IUON) is an interesting blend of learning at home and abroad. Dr. Robert Ross, founder of Ross University, one of the most successful offshore medical schools, has started a new enterprise to address the shortage of nursing clinical rotations that’s holding back the number of students who can pass through the system. At the IUON, students spend three semesters in the Caribbean, completing their basic health science studies and beginning their general education and clinical nursing courses. They then transfer to an IUON affiliate college in the United States to complete their second-year nursing courses, clinical training and practicum, and any remaining general education courses. After successful completion of the academic program, students are awarded a degree from both the U.S. college and IUON. Having graduated from the U.S. nursing program, students are eligible to apply for the registered nursing licensure examination. In addition, students may wish to continue their education and pursue a bachelor’s or master’s of science. As institutions look to improve their own performance, as well as the performance of their students, 2 + 2 programs are another innovative service to consider. For some students, attending multiple institutions is inevitable, and if institutions are successful in identifying these students and directing them to the best programs, they will succeed.