Are You a Transfer Student at a Community College?

Tips on Transferring from a 2 Year to 4 Year College

 Many students use a community college or another two-year college as a stepping-stone to a four-year college and a bachelor’s degree. If you want to take this path, here’s what you should do:

• Make sure that the credits you earn from your classes at the two-year college will count at your four-year college so you can start out there as a junior. This can save you time and money.
• Enroll in a transfer program at a two-year community college. These programs include the same kinds of courses that you’d take in your first two years at a four-year college. They’re designed specifically to help you succeed at making the transition.

Plan Ahead and Ask Questions

Since each college has its own requirements, the most important thing you can do to make the transfer process run smoothly is plan ahead.

Get help from these resources

• Your high school counselor
• College websites
• The admission or counseling office of the two-year college you’re thinking of attending
• Transfer advisers at the admission offices of the four-year colleges you’re considering
• Some community colleges have a "college transfer club" you can join
• If your grades are high enough, join the official honor society in your community college (PTK or NTHS)--they have transfer renounces and scholarships available

Do Your Research

Visit the schools at the top of your list and collect all the info they have specifically for transfer students. Search for any transfer (a.k.a. articulation) agreements between your community college and where you want to go. Articulation agreements are courses that have been approved and agreed upon between a community college and university to transfer. Your goal is to be able to transfer all of your classes that you have taken at the community college, so researching the different transfer pathways will help you develop a solid plan of action to transfer. Poor planning can run the risk of taking classes that you will not receive credit for, which can be a waste of time and money.

Make a plan

Each 4-year university has different credit requirements. Choosing one university to transfer to, and then building your class schedule around that university's transfer credit guidelines will help you ensure that you're taking the right classes.

Once you have a sense of the process, create a plan to ensure you don't miss any key deadlines or opportunities. Sometimes transferring directly into an academic major at a university can be a competitive process, so having a plan is key to ensuring you get into your major of choice.

Make Connections

Have you heard the saying it’s not always what you know, but who you know? It’s true! Connecting with your advisor regularly is important to keep yourself on track and prepared to transfer. It’s equally important to stay connected to the university and participate in programming specifically for transfer students, like orientation and academic information sessions. By engaging in these types of experiences, you will be the first to know about on-campus resources like transfer scholarships and support programs.

Stay focused and stick to the plan

You will probably save yourself from accumulating thousands of dollars in debt by first going to a community college. Maintain your grades and do your part so that the transfer process goes smoothly. Do your research and remain committed to your plan by remembering the bigger picture. Things might get difficult but if you work smarter, not harder, it will pay off.

How It Works

So what happens when you transfer? Your four-year college will look at the courses you took and the grades you earned at your two-year college and decide how much credit to give you. Each course is worth a certain number of credits, often three, and students need to earn enough credits, usually 120, to graduate.

Here are more transfer facts:

• If enough of your courses transfer, you’ll start at the four-year college as a junior.
• If you don’t get credit for some of your courses, you may need to take them again at the four-year college.
• When you graduate from the four-year college, only that college’s name will appear on your bachelor’s degree.

Best wishes for a successful future!