The California State University System announced on March 21 that they will be launching a new transfer program this August that is expected to boost the low number of community college transfer students across the 23 CSU campuses.
A new project, titled the Transfer Success Pathway program will guarantee future admissions to high school graduates and community college students who commit to transferring within three years. In addition to a more efficient pathway for students to enroll in CSUs, it was also created as a response to Gov. Gavin Newsom’s California Bill AB132. In regards to the CSU, UC, and California Community College system, this bill expands the Cal Grant program to community college students by eliminating age and time-out-of-high-school requirements.
Data shows Tens of thousands of California Community College students transfer to CSUs, with community college transfer students accounting for 95% of all CSU transfers. However, it is important to note that there is a large gap between the number of students who intend on transferring and the number that actually do. Only 19% of California Community College students who are interested in transferring do so in four years.
Fourth year psychology major Monica Lising says that the process of transferring is a lot more difficult than most people would assume. “Many of my friends at community college had to stay an extra year or two because it was hard to pass certain courses combined with not having a lot of time to take more units due to things such as jobs, family, and medical attention”, says Lising. “College in the U.S. is expensive and has gone up immensely over the years, so being able to comfortably afford it while having the time to take care of other needs elongates the 4 year timeline.”
In addition to making it easier for community college students to transfer into UCs and CSUs, the Transfer Success Pathway would eliminate some of the issues that the current transfer program faces.
One main issue that community colleges face is the issue with courses required for different schools. Because each CSU and UC have slightly different required courses, there is a chance students won’t end up getting into their school of choice, let alone their major of choice as well.
Third year biochemistry major Austin Pierce says that finding the transferable classes you will need for your major and school is one of the most overwhelming and challenging aspects of community college. “It’s been 3 years since I’ve looked at the transfer process but I would like to see them change how information is displayed. Without the help of my advisor and supplemental events. It would have been a more grueling task.”, says Pierce.
In addition, a lack of clarity is also another problem currently facing community college students wishing to transfer.
“I felt lost the entire time and wasn’t sure if my application went through,” said fourth year communications and media studies major Daniel Capone-Buchanan, “Transferring from the JC I had no idea what I was even getting into and felt like such a stranger.”
Beginning with the high school class of 2023, the Transfer Success Pathway will open to first-time and first-year state community college students who were not CSU eligible at the time of their graduation as well as those who were CSU eligible but chose not to attend due to personal and financial circumstances. This pathway also assists those who were CSU eligible but the application for their campus of choice was redirected towards another campus and chose to not enroll as a result. In addition, the Transfer Success Program will also provide CSU’s with a way to establish a stronger connection with students during their time in community college. Upon their transfer, they will receive benefits such as pre-transfer counseling, direct access to CSU libraries, and financial aid information.
Eligible students will be able to apply starting in summer 2023, entering an agreement with the specific CSU campus they wish to attend. To fulfill the agreement on their end, students need to either complete an associate degree for transfer or an established course of transfer at a community college within three years. A CSU transfer planner is also set to be launched at the same time, which will allow students to determine their program eligibility, research different campuses and the programs available and enter into one agreement.
