Strategies for Successful Transfer to a Four-Year College or University

Abstract

Almost one-half of all people in this country with a bachelor’s degree started their college education at a two-year college before transferring to and graduating from a four-year college or university (National Student Clearing House Research Center, 2015). Listed below are strategies that prospective students can use to prepare for successful transfer and join the ranks of Americans who began their college education at a two-year college and completed a four-year degree.

Full text

Joe Cuseo
Strategies for Successful Transfer to a Four-Year College or University
Almost one-half of all people in this country with a bachelor’s degree started their college
education at a two-year college before transferring to and graduating from a four-year college or
university (National Student Clearing House Research Center, 2015). Listed below are strategies
you can use to prepare for successful transfer and join the ranks of Americans who began their
college education at a two-year college and completed a four-year degree.
Connect early and often with an academic advisor. National surveys show that community
college students rate academic advising higher than any other student support service: Almost
two-thirds of community college students rate it as a “very important” service. However, only
about one-third of them report using advising “often” and over one-third report using advising
“rarely or never” (Center for Community College Engagement, 2008, 2010).
Research indicates that successful transfer depends on students taking the right courses in the
right sequence (Hagedorn, et al., 2006; Zamani, 2001). Students who enroll in courses that are
non-transferable or require a prerequisite that hasn’t been completed end up losing transfer
credit; the fewer credits students have at the time they transfer, the less likely they are to
complete a four-year degree (CCRC, 2014).
To maximize your number of transferable course credits, ask your advisor about whether your
community college has any of the following programs for ensuring transfer credit:
•Transfer Articulation Agreements (TAG), aka, Transfer Agreement Pact (TAPs).
Agreement between two-year and four-year colleges that allow for “Block Transfer”—
transfer of a whole group (block) of courses at the same time (e.g., all general education
courses taken at a community college are accepted for credit at a four-year college).
•Guaranteed Admission Agreement (aka, Joint Admissions or “2+2 Agreement”).
Agreement between a two-year and four-year college that allows students who complete
the general education program at their community college with a satisfactory GPA to be
automatically admitted to the four-year college campus as upper-division students (junior
status) without having to complete a formal application for admission and acceptance.
•Concurrent Enrollment Program: An agreement between two- and four-year colleges
that allows potential transfer students at the two-year college to cross-register for courses
offered by the four-year college. For instance, a four-year university may offer courses to
community college students to allow them to obtain “advanced transfer credit.”
If you are an adult student that has received credit at your community college for experiential
learning that took place in non-college settings (e.g., previous work or military experiences), ask
your advisor if your community college has any agreements that allow you to transfer these
experiential credits to four-year colleges.
Lastly, keep in mind that community college courses may transfer to fulfill a general
education requirement, a requirement in your major, or for elective credit. If possible, you want
your transferable courses to fulfill general education requirements or requirements in your

intended major. Check with your advisor to see if your community college has Major-Specific
(aka, Program-Major-to-Program-Major) Agreements, which ensure that community college
courses taken in your intended major are automatically accepted by the four-year college as
fulfilling graduation requirements in that major.
Save your course syllabi and course assignments in case you need to show 4-year colleges that
your courses should be accepted for transfer.
Capitalize on available resources to help you prepare for successful transfer. Transfer
resources may be available to you online, in print, and in person. They include the following
resources.
* Common Course Numbering System: a computer-based system that places the same number
and prefix on courses that count for credit at both the community college and the four-year
college to which you intend to transfer.
* Checklists or worksheets developed by advisors at your community college that make it
easy for you to identify the course requirements for the four-year college you’d like to
transfer to, and the field you’d like to major in at that college.
* Transfer workshops and transfer events on campus, especially “Transfer Days” or
“Transfer Fairs” at which transfer advisors and college admissions representatives from
four-year institutions help community college students plan for successful transfer.
* Campus visits and tours provided to four-year colleges by your community college.
* Transfer student clubs, committees, councils, and honor associations (e.g., Phi Theta
Kappa)
Complete your associate degree before transferring. Studies consistently shows that transfer
students who complete an associate degree before transferring to a four-year college perform
better after transferring and are more likely to complete a four-year degree (Community College
Research Center 2014; Thurmond, 2007). Listed below are key advantages of an associate
degree that probably explain why transfer students who complete this degree are more
successful.
Advantages of Completing an Associate Degree Prior to Four-Year College
Transfer
1. Many four-year campuses give priority admission to transfer students who have
completed an associate degree (CSU Student Transfer, 2015; Washington State Board for
Community & Technical Colleges, 2015). Thus, earning an associate degree will increase your
transfer chances and options. It also allows you to capitalize on articulation agreements between
two- and four-year campuses that grant “block transfer” of all general education credits earned

for an associate degree. Research shows that students with more transfer credits at the time they
enter a four-year college are more likely to complete a bachelor’s degree (CCRC, 2014).
2. By completing an associate degree, you buy extra time and advising support to reach a
final decision about your college major and what four-year campus you will transfer to. If
you’re unsure about what major you want to declare, or what four-year college you want to
attend, returning to your community college for your sophomore year provides an additional year
of time and advising support to reach both of these important decisions.
What field of study you major in and what four-year you attend are often interrelated
decisions. Certain majors may only be offered at certain colleges, and the nature and quality of
the same major can vary from one campus to the next. A second year at your community college
can provide the time and support you need to reach a well-informed decision about what four-
year campus is the best choice for your major.
3. Research shows that students who complete an associate degree make a smoother
academic transition to four-year campuses. Students who transfer before completing an
associate degree tend to experience more “transfer shock”—i.e., a sharper drop in GPA after
transferring to a four-year institution than do students who transfer after completing an associate
degree (Laanan, 2001). The superior post-transfer performance of students who complete an
associate degree may be due to the fact that they (a) develop a stronger set of transferable skills
by completing more academic skill-building courses (writing, math, oral communication) and (b)
acquire a broader base of knowledge by completing the wide range of general education courses
required for the associate degree. In addition, completing an associate degree allows you to
complete all these academic skill-building courses and general education requirements at a
community college—where classes are smaller and courses are taught by experienced instructors
whose primary responsibility is teaching, not research. (At larger universities, first- and second-
year courses are often taught by the least experienced professors or graduate students).
4. Earning an associate degree opens up more opportunities for you to obtain internships,
part-time employment during the academic year, or full-time employment during the
summers in-between your junior and senior years of college. Having an associate degree
increases your chances of being hired and also increases the amount you’re paid for the work
you’re hired to do (Gagliardi & Heimstra, 2013; Mullin & Phillippe, 2013). Employees
possessing an associate degree earn substantially more money than individuals with a high
school diploma (Ganzglass, 2014; Tinto, 2012). (This may be particularly advantageous if, for
some reason, you’re unable to complete a four-year degree or have to postpone its completion.)
5. Completing an associate degree supplies you with more time and opportunity to
accumulate academic awards and honors prior to transfer (e.g., participating in Phi Theta
Kappa—national honor society for two-year college students, and graduating with honors).
Such awards increase your chances of receiving scholarships or grants from four-year colleges.
Furthermore, since these accomplishments remain on your permanent college record after
completing a bachelor’s degree, they strengthen your job prospects after college graduation, as
well as your chances of acceptance to graduate or professional school.

6. Completing an associate degree provides you with more opportunity for leadership
development and recognition during your sophomore year. As a community college student,
you become eligible for a variety of resume-building and character-building leadership
opportunities during your second year (e.g., orientation-week leader, peer tutor, or peer mentor).
At four-year colleges and universities, sophomores are often unable to assume these leadership
positions because they may be reserved for more experienced juniors and seniors. At two-year
colleges, sophomores are the “seniors” and you can engage in leadership experiences that will:
(a) increase your chances of acceptance at four-year colleges, (b) qualify for similar leadership
positions at the four-year college to which you transfer, and (c) enhance your job prospects
during your last two years of college and after completing your four-year degree.
7. Completing an associate degree gives you the opportunity to participate in your
community college’s graduation ceremony. Even if you plan to transfer and graduate from a
four-year college with a bachelor’s degree, don’t underestimate the importance of celebrating
your attainment of the associate degree. This is a significant achievement because:
* It indicates that you have survived and thrived during the two most critical years of the college
experience. (Research shows that almost 75% of those students who withdraw from college will
do so during the freshman and sophomore years [American College Testing, 2015]). Your
attainment of an associate degree serves as evidence to four-year colleges and employers that
you had the grit to persist through and complete these two critical years.
* It signifies that you’ve successfully completed the general-education component of the college
experience. In many ways, this is the most important component of the college experience
because it represents the acquisition of breadth of knowledge and the development of essential,
transferable skills (e.g., writing, speaking, critical thinking, and quantitative reasoning) that spell
success in all majors and all careers. Surveys indicate that these are the type of lifelong- learning
skills that employers look for and value most in employees (AAC&U, 2013).
* It’s an opportunity for you to be recognized publicly—in front of family, friends, faculty, and
fellow students. Research indicates that student involvement in college rituals or ceremonial
events (such as graduation) serves to reinforce their commitment to continue their education and
maintain their motivation until reaching their educational goal (Kuh, et al., 2005). Thus,
participating in your community college’s graduation ceremony isn’t only an opportunity for you
to celebrate your attainment of the associate degree; it’s also an opportunity to receive a
motivational “shot in the arm” that propels you to completion of a four-year degree. Proof of
the power of the graduation experience is illustrated in the following excerpt of a letter written
by a student who graduated from a two-year college and transferred to a four-year campus to
complete her bachelor’s degree.
“I just wanted to get in touch and let you know how I am doing. I successfully graduated
from USF [a four-year college]. Looking back, the two-year college experience helped
me achieve successful habits that brought me to where I am today. Also, during the
graduation ceremony for my associate degree, I saw some fellow students wearing the
yellow shawl that represented walking with honors. I thought to myself, ‘I am going to
walk with honors when I get my B.A.’ And that I did! Who would have ever thought?
[Now] I have decided that I want to go to graduate school.”
—Letter from a two-year college graduate received by Joe Cuseo

Factors to Consider when Choosing a Four-Year College for Transfer
Keep in mind that not all four-year colleges and universities are created equal: Some are more
“transfer-student friendly” than others. Four-year campuses that welcome and value transfer
students; they reach out to recruit them and support them after they’ve been recruited. Listed
below are key things to look for, ask about, and factor into your decision about what four-year
campuses to apply to and attend.
Outreach to Community College Students:
* Does the four-year college show interest in transfer students by supplying community college
students with transfer information in the form of transfer websites, brochures, newsletters,
guides, or handbooks?
* Has a representative from the college visited your community college campus to recruit
transfer students?
* Does the college hold transfer fairs and campus visits for transfer students?
Financial Aid:
* Does the four-year college set aside financial aid, scholarships, grants, and campus-
employment opportunities for transfer students?
* Does the college provide transfer students with early notification about how much financial aid
they will receive?
* Does the college offer specialized financial counseling for transfer students?
Transfer Audit (aka Transfer Credit Evaluation): Does the campus provide early evaluation
of transfer students’ transcripts so they know exactly how many courses will be accepted for
transfer credit and where the credit will be applied (e.g., toward general education, the major, or
electives).
Registration: Are transfer students allowed to register at the same time as other students, or
must they wait until all other students at the college (freshman through seniors) have already
registered?
Housing:
* Does the college reserve on-campus housing spaces for transfer students?
* Does the college transfer students with early notification about whether they will be able to live
on campus?

* Does the college help transfer students find off-campus housing?
Transfer Student Orientation: Does the college offer an orientation program that’s designed
specifically for new transfer students? (Or, must transfer students participate in the same
orientation program designed for freshmen?)
Transfer Advisors: Does the college offer specialized academic advising for transfer students?
Transfer Center: Does the college have a transfer resource center that provides a place for
transfer students to gather and receive support?
Peer Support: Does the college have peer mentors for transfer students to help them navigate
their new environment and develop social networks?
Transfer Orientation Course (aka, Transfer Student Seminar): Does the college offer a first-
term course specifically for new transfer students that’s designed to promote their success?
Transfer Honors Program: Does the college have an honors program that’s specifically
designed for transfer students (e.g., Tau Sigma Honor Society—a national honors and
scholarship program for transfer students who earn a 3.5 GPA after their first term on campus or
rank among the top 20% of their entering transfer class in academic performance.)
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