Frustration Mounts at UB over Credit Transfer Between Schools

Students are raising concerns about ongoing challenges transferring credits from Sacred Heart Junior College to the University of Belize, despite a 2023 agreement that many believed would make that transition easier. While UB now offers several bachelor’s programs on the SHJC campus in Cayo, some graduates say having their associate‑level credits recognized hasn’t been as straightforward as expected. One of those students is Hazel Tut, a recent SHJC graduate now studying Business Management at UB. She says the process has come with financial strain and added frustration. We spoke with Tut today about the hurdles she’s facing as she works to complete her degree.

 

Hazel Tut, Business Management Major, University of Belize

“I really just wanted to have a smooth sailing, but it just didn’t go as I planned. I love UB. It’s just I didn’t expect to have to take ten plus courses. It was just so overwhelming and it still is at the moment. My frustration is just that UB and Sacred Heart signed, an MOU, an agreement that Sacred Heart is offering courses that are now at par with UB and I’m looking to get my courses from Sacred Heart transferred. And as of now, I still can’t get through. Like I said, I love UB, but I just feel as though the process is being made difficult for me as a student. I know my advisor all the other employees at UB are pushing even Sacred Heart is pushing to just get through with this, but for some reason it’s not happening and it’s keeping me back. Like I said, having to take ten plus courses, I’ve already taken courses at Sacred Heart and having to take them again at UB. It’s just a waste of time and money. Time is gold. And honestly, I feel like parents send their children to Sacred Heart because transportation is an issue. And again, financial burdens. These parents, some of them don’t know what they’re signing up for and honestly, as a voice, I just want to be heard and to be seen as a student because I want to finish. I want to graduate, get a job, and. I don’t think it’s only me. I think it’s a lot of people who want to graduate and I honestly don’t want to take about, five.”