A teach-out agreement is a formal agreement between universities allowing students to complete their programs or courses at a different institution when their current one is no longer able to provide the necessary resources or support. Fontbonne is signing these agreements to help students finish their degrees without major disruptions.  These agreements remove many of the barriers that a student who transfers might otherwise face.  These agreements typically include waived application fees, residency requirements, and deadlines. They also typically include acceptance of all successfully completed Fontbonne credits.

Not all teach-out institutions are suitable for all majors.  A table of degrees and teach-out institutions will be provided as soon as they are available.  We recommend that students meet with an academic advisor to discuss the best path forward.

Teach-out agreements entered into by Fontbonne University typically include protections that exceed what non-agreement institutions typically provide. These benefits may include the following:

• Automatic admission of current Fontbonne students in good academic standing.
• Acceptance of successfully completed credits at Fontbonne as defined by the receiving institution. Fontbonne students should be able to complete their degree in the same amount of time. Students should expect to complete the same number of semesters at the teach-out institutions as they would have at Fontbonne to finish their degrees.
• Out of pocket costs should be comparable to Fontbonne.  While the scholarships may be packaged differently and with different names, the net cost should be comparable. Fontbonne students will not need to negotiate that process or be concerned about the teach-out institution’s published “sticker” price.

Many institutions accept applications for transfer students, but the process may not be as seamless or have the same guarantees as with transitioning to the partnering teach-out institution. Therefore, it is often in the best interest of the student to transition to a designated teach-out institution.

A table of degrees and teach-out institutions will be made available on our website as soon as agreements are finalized.  Additional institutions are expected to be added in the coming weeks.  All teach-out agreements are tentative pending approval by the Higher Learning Commission.

Teach-out agreements are legal documents that involve a careful review of degree programs and policies by the receiving institution.  We were not able to contact most universities until after the March 11 announcement.  There has been much interest, and some documents are now awaiting review by our accreditor.

Students may utilize a teach-out agreement after any of our semesters, so a student may enroll after summer 2024, fall 2024, spring 2025, or summer 2025.  An email will be sent to students with information about their academic advisor and about next steps.  To enroll in a teach-out institution, students should set up an appointment with their advisor.   At this meeting students will discuss their major, the differences between teach-out and transfer, and which teach-out receiving institutions have their major/degree/program of study.

In this meeting, students should be sure to cover what is required to:

• Move to the teach-out institution
• Have their records moved to the teach-out institution
• What forms need to be signed
• Who the contact person is at the teach-out institution they wish to attend

Students planning to attend a teach-out institution should submit the Authorization for Release of Information to Third Party form so Fontbonne can share student information, including your complete academic record, with the teach-out institution(s).

This depends entirely on the transfer or teach-out institution; students should check with their intended school for information specific to their situation.  Students may benefit by remaining at Fontbonne until the end of summer 2025, improving their GPA, and returning to good standing prior to switching to a new institution.

No, the degree will be awarded by the teach-out institution.