CourseWise Wins Global Tools Competition for Bringing AI to Credit Transfer

The National Association of Higher Education Systems (NASH) is thrilled to announce that CourseWise, an AI-assisted platform that predicts course equivalencies and streamlines transfer planning, has been selected as a winner of the 2025 Tools Competition, one of the world’s largest ed tech innovation funding opportunities. 

CourseWise was selected from over 1,000 submissions worldwide and is among the twenty winning teams awarded $3+ million collectively. All winning tools are projected to impact over one million learners and educators by the end of 2025.

The Tools Competition is a multi-million dollar funding opportunity for ed tech innovation that leverages digital technology, big data, and learning science to meet the urgent needs of learners worldwide. Winning proposals address a range of goals, from accelerating K-12 learning to enhancing post-secondary learning, and spurring research and development through the release of education datasets. Furthermore, winners receive financial awards, expert support, and global visibility to accelerate their innovations. The competition is a program of Renaissance Philanthropy, organized by The Learning Agency, and made possible through the generous support of the Walton Family Foundation, Griffin Catalyst, Axim Collaborative, Oak Foundation, and Calbright College. 

CourseWise was developed through a collaboration between NASH, Dr. Zach Pardos and his team at UC Berkeley, Equivalence Systems, and multiple public higher education systems. The tool is built on a foundation of over two million course articulations from the State University of New York (SUNY) and is designed to eliminate one of the most persistent barriers to student success: inefficient and unclear credit transfer processes.

At the core of the platform, CourseWise:

• Predicts course equivalencies using artificial intelligence, even when institutional data is incomplete
• Uploads and parses student transcripts automatically to streamline advising workflows
• Generates personalized transfer plans using AI-assisted guidance tailored to each learner’s academic journey
• Integrates with major systems like Banner to ensure interoperability and improve data sharing
• Supports credit policy customization across departments, campuses, and entire systems

By shifting the focus from institutional constraints to student-centered solutions, CourseWise exemplifies the kind of system-level innovation NASH champions to improve equity and outcomes across public higher education. 

To learn more about CourseWise and other cutting-edge Tools Competition winners, view the full 2025 announcement here.