Over half of today's college graduates transfer to another school at least once during their academic careers. With each transfer, students pay a "transfer tax," losing some of the academic credit they have earned due to school policies that make it difficult for students to transfer credits from one institution to another. The net drain on the economy in lost time and money reaches into the billions of dollars. In spite of increasing attention to college costs and completion rates, there has been little action taken to address the issue of academic portability. A simple system could be established to help postsecondary students and institutions navigate the transfer process. This system would grant credit based on students' performance rather than preemptively penalizing them for changing schools. (Contains 12 notes.)