The Transfer Path: Advising Students on the Community College Option

1. The Transfer Path:Advising Students on the Community College Option

2. This session will cover: California Community Colleges How the transfer process works in the CSU, UC, and Private/Independent/Out-of-State universities “Best advice” for prospective transfer students Resources and tools

3. California Community Colleges

4. Who should consider attending a California Community College? Any student can benefit from starting his or her path to a CSU or UC degree at a California Community College Students choosethe community college transfer path for many reasons: • Haven’t decided on academic or career goals and want to explore • Haven’t met requirements for freshman admission and want additional academic preparation • Aren’t ready or able to leave home • Want the affordability of community colleges • Unsatisfied with four-year originally selected

5. California Community Colleges Working For Your Future Open admission Lowest cost of any postsecondary institution in CA Generous financial aid packages awarded to assist with college expenses Support services such as EOPS, counseling, tutoring, etc., available at no cost. Wide range of academic programs to choose from.

6. Steps to Enroll at CCC • Complete and submit a CCC application* • Or more than one! • http://www.cccapply.org/ • Take the assessment exam* • New student orientation* • Meet with a CCC counselor* • Register for classes* • Pay registration fees* • Student support services • Apply for financial aid • Visit CCC to process aid • Monitor Cal Grant B to save for 4-yr • Go full time, if possible, to “efficiently” use aid • AB540 Affidavit (as needed) * Mandatory matriculation steps

7. Preparing for Community College and beyond Develop a student education plan (SEP) Meet with a counselor at least once a semester to discuss your goals and to make any changes to your plan. Take English and math courses as soon as you begin your college studies. Select a major and complete as many major preparation courses as possible.

9. Helping students to navigate the transfer path. Basic CSU, UC, and Private/Independent college transfer information

10. Interested in transferring? Then you should know… CSU and UC offer priority admission to all eligible California Community Colleges (CCC) students Best path to transfer to CSU/UC is via the CCC AllCSU and UC campuses welcome transfer students Lower division prep at a CCC is comparable to lower division prep at a CSU/UC Students who attend a community college will save a significant amount of money on tuition and housing.

11. 4 Things to Remember When Planning to Transfer: • Admission Requirements to the University • Major Preparation • GE Requirements • Other campus requirements that can be completed at a community college

12. THE UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA

13. UC TRANSFER ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS: Junior Level • Minimum eligibility requirements are: • Complete 60 semester units of transferable college credit with a grade point average of 2.40 (GPA must be higher in order to be admitted to selective campuses and majors), AND • Complete a 7 course pattern (IGETC) that includes: • 1. Two transferable college courses in English Composition; AND • 2. One transferable college course in Mathematics/Quantitative • Reasoning; AND • 3. Four transferable college courses chosen from at least two of the • following subject areas: • a. Arts and Humanities, AND/OR • b. Social and Behavioral Sciences; AND/OR • c. Physical and Biological Sciences • C. Be in good standing at the last college/university attended, i.e. eligible to re-enroll • * Highly recommended that you begin major coursework early.

14. IGETC (Intersegmental General Education Transfer Pattern) • IGETC is a GE pattern acceptable for meeting GE req’mts at all UC’s •IGETC is accepted at all CSU’s and many private universities for meeting their GE req’mts. •IGETC is not recommended for certain majors. Check w/ your counselor or assist.org to be sure what to take.

15. http://www.assist.org ASSIST: information on UC transferable courses, general education & breadth requirements, major preparation agreements, and IGETC course lists for all CCC’s.

16. What is a TAG? Contract between students and four year universities that is offered to eligible students who are seeking guaranteed admissions to universities. How many contracts can be signed at one time? Only one. What are the general eligibility requirements? Have successfully completed 30 transferable units at time of signing TAG. Have met the GPA requirement of the university of choice. Completion of  60 transferable units or 90 quarter units by the end of preceding transfer semester: IGETC Must be a full-time student. University of CaliforniaTransfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) Programs

17. University of CaliforniaTransfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) Programs UC Davis UC Irvine UC Merced UC Riverside UC San Diego* UC Santa Barbara UC Santa Cruz Info and forms: https://uctag.universityofcalifornia.edu/students/

18. UC Application for AdmissionPriority Filing Period • Nov. 1-30 for Fall Qtr./Sem. • Deadlines: Impacted majors and most campuses will close at the end of filing period http://admission.universityofcalifornia.edu/how-to-apply/apply-online/

19. California State Universities

20. CSU TRANSFER ADMISSION: JUNIOR LEVEL (also referred to as Upper Division Transfer) • Minimum eligibility requirements are: • Complete 60 semester units of transferable college credit with a minimum grade point average of 2.0 or better; AND • B. Be in good standing at the last college or university attended, i.e. eligible to re-enroll; AND • C. Satisfy CSU General Education (GE) units (minimum of 39 units); AND

21. CSU TRANSFER ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS (JUNIOR LEVEL) • You must complete with a “C” or better the “Golden Four”: • Speech Communication • Written Communication • Critical Thinking • Mathematics/Quantitative Reasoning • - Math course must have prerequisite of intermediate algebra or above • * Highly recommended that you begin major coursework early.

22. CSU General Education Pattern Students who complete the CSU GE pattern will have only 9 units of upper division GE units remaining after transferring.

23. http://www.assist.org/ In addition to major prep info., ASSIST provides info. about CSU transferable courses, CSU general ed. courses, and course to course equivalencies.

24. California State University Associate Degree for Transfer Program Earn priority admission consideration to the CSU with junior standing once you earn an Associate Degree for Transfer (AA-T or AS-T). - Completion of  60 semester units or 90 quarter units of coursework that would be eligible for transfer to the California State University, including General Education: IGETC or CSU GE Breadth - Completion of least 18 units of coursework in a major or area of emphasis as defined by the CCC Earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in all CSU-transferable coursework Info and forms: www.ADegreeWithAGuarantee.com See your community college counselor!

25. Are the AA-T or AS-T degrees the only paths to transfer to the CSU? • No, there are still viable transfer pathways using the major preparation pathways listed in the www.assist.org website. • Students desiring to transfer into impacted and competitive CSU programs may want to follow those guidelines, making sure they earn a competitive GPA. 25

26. CSU Campuses Impacted at the Upper Division Level • Fullerton • Long Beach • San Diego • San Jose • San Luis Obispo http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impactioninfo.shtml

27. CSU Application for AdmissionPriority Filing Period • Oct. 1-Nov. 30 for Fall • Aug. 1-31 for Spring • Impacted programs and many campuses will close at the end of filing period • The successful student today will be planned, intentional, and organized. • DO NOT MISS ANY DEADLINES, LEST YOU SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES AND BE LEFT OUT! http://www.csumentor.edu/admissionapp/undergrad_apply.asp

28. Private/Independent and Out-Of-State Colleges

29. Private/Independent and Out-of State College TRANSFER ADMISSION REQUIREMENTS - Minimum transfer eligibility varies from college to college and from major to major. Essential requirements are to: 1. Complete minimum of amount of transferable units (30-60) 2. Complete English and Math requirements 3. Complete GE courses 4. Complete lower division courses for major 5. Earn and maintain a competitive GPA 6. Apply on time

30. Transfer Admission Agreement (TAA) • Some private and out-of-state universities could have a TAA with your community college. • If you are interested in applying for a TAA with any of these institutions, please see your community college counselor.

31. Application for AdmissionPriority Filing Period • Will vary from college to college • Impacted programs and many campuses will close at the end of filing period • The successful student today will be planned, intentional, and organized. • DO NOT MISS ANY DEADLINES, LEST YOU SUFFER THE CONSEQUENCES AND BE LEFT OUT! Visit the following links for more information: http://www.aiccu.edu/AICCU/Home.html http://wiche.edu/wue http://californiacolleges.edu/california-independent-colleges-and-universities-aiccu.asp

32. Important Transfer Advice Eligibility Vs. Selection Students must choose courses to meet minimum requirements and should strive to be competitive for selection. Meeting minimum requirements does not guarantee admission to campus/major of choice. General education (GE) courses should be appropriate for specific campus/major. Look for opportunities to meet requirements, GE and major-preparation with same course.

33. Important Transfer Advice cont. Importance of Major Preparation • Unlike freshmen, transfers enter halfway into a college degree. • Therefore, universities are looking not only for general education classes, but also for significant work within the major. • In some cases, completion of lower division major preparation is a higher priority than GE or IGETC. • Begin focusing on your choice of major during the first year of college. • Explore www.assist.org

34. UC Transfer Admission Planner (UC TAP) • An web-based tool to help students plan and track their academic plan to satisfy transfer requirements to any UC campus • Students can begin their plan as soon as they register at the community college • Allows students to communicate with their community college counselors and UC representatives

35. UC Transfer Admission Planner

36. ‘Best Advice’ for High School Students #1 Improve college readiness: • Take rigorous college prep courses throughout high school • Take math all four years in high school • Take advantage of early assessments • CSU’s Early Assessment Program (EAP) exams in English and mathematics • Community college assessment/placement exams • Concurrent enrollment opportunities enable students to experience college while in high school • Take advantage of community college summer sessions following high school graduation

37. ‘Best Advice’ for High School Students #2 Research your options • Not all CCCs offer the same programs or opportunities • Some CCCs offer more transferable courses in a major(s) • Visit www.assist.org #3 Enroll in community college on time! • Competition for CCC courses is increasing • The CCC matriculation process has several steps that should be completed during the spring semester of 12th grade in order to register for classes when summer/fall registrations opens • Pay attention (check emails and other notifications)

38. Tips for Transfer Success in CCC #4 Attend full time, work part time • Three strong predictors for success: (1) full-time enrollment (2) continuous enrollment (3) work no more than 15 hours per week • Helps to utilize financial aid efficiently #5 Decide on a major and campus no later than the start of sophomore year at CCC • Know which CSU/UC campus(es) and major(s) you want to target and which have transfer guarantee programs • Follow recommended curriculum for major (including competitive GPA) • Be sure GE pattern you follow is appropriate for intended major, campus

39. Tips for Transfer Success in CCC #6 Work closely with an academic advisor, transfer advisor, and UC rep to develop a transfer plan early • Develop, then follow, a plan, but update it regularly • ASSIST (assist.org) and UC’s Transfer Preparation Paths (see systemwide admissions website) are helpful but no substitute for personal academic advisement • Review the information on the website of the campuses you are interested in transferring to

40. Information Resources 40 Handout with online resources provided in folder

41. Got Questions?Thank you!RHS Counseling Department