The University of California today (Oct. 16) is proud to celebrate National Transfer Student Week (NTSW) from October 16–20. With more than 45,000 community college transfer students enrolled at UC, we are excited to honor all that students bring to our campuses.
NTSW celebrates transfer students and professionals who work tirelessly to make the educational journey smoother. The University of California is pleased to shine a light on our transfer students, who are overwhelmingly from California Community Colleges (92 percent) and are making meaningful contributions as exceptional students, leaders, and changemakers on UC campuses.
NTSW comes as the university launches two unique collaborations to make a UC degree more attainable, no matter where California students start. The state’s recent historic investment in Student Academic Preparation and Educational Partnerships (SAPEPs) helped launch the Journey to UC transfer program. This community-based outreach initiative aims to increase the number of California community college students who attend UC from 69 “low-sender” schools—primarily lower-income, rural areas—which often see a small number of transfer students. Likewise, under AB 1291, signed by Gov. Newsom last week, the University of California established a new Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT) pilot program at UCLA. The program creates a streamlined transfer pathway for students with associate degrees to earn a higher degree at the university.
Nationwide, community college transfer students account for only 10 percent of entering undergraduates at highly competitive institutions. The University of California, on the other hand, enrolls more community college students than any other university of its caliber in the country. Today, 27 percent of UC undergraduates begin their education at a California Community College.
While the university celebrates the contributions of transfer students, we remain focused on raising awareness of the challenges and difficulties they may face. Nationally, more than half (55 percent) of community college transfer students are successful in earning a degree. UC transfer programs and support systems facilitate student success and economic mobility. UC transfer students graduate at a higher rate than the national average (88 percent). Within a decade of completing their UC degree, 59 percent of California’s working community college transfer students accounted for the top third of the state’s income.
“Our transfer pathways bring talented California students, with rich and diverse work and life experiences, to the UC community,” said UC Provost Katherine S. Newman. “At a time when a strong community college pipeline is critical to our state’s economic growth, we must raise the bar for our transfer students and celebrate their many accomplishments.”
