The University of California will team up with California Community Colleges to expand outreach and support for transfer students aiming to attend UC, the two systems announced jointly today (March 21).
The collaboration builds upon the newly enhanced Transfer Pathways program and focuses on students who might otherwise not have access to a UC education, including those from low-income backgrounds, foster homes and underrepresented racial and ethnic groups – in addition to veterans and active-duty members of the military.
The $2.6 million in funds just approved by the CCC Board of Governors will:
- Increase outreach efforts for UC’s Transfer Pathways.
- Establish weeklong summer bridge programs for 1,500 students at three UC campuses to prepare participants for the academic culture and rigor of a university.
- Deploy outreach representatives to underserved regions of the state to serve CCC students pursuing transfer to UC.
- Support CCC counselors through training and workshops.
“As the University of California increases enrollment of Californians by 10,000 over the next three years, the outreach made possible by this collaboration – together with Transfer Pathways – will help us expand access for community college students,” said UC President Janet Napolitano. “We deeply appreciate the commitment of resources from our CCC partners and look forward to outcomes that will benefit students and families across the state.”
CCC Chancellor Brice Harris said, “This partnership will help diversify and expand the pool of community college students who want to transfer to UC, where we know they will have the same rate of success as students who enter as freshmen.”
Transfer Pathways outline a single set of community college courses that prospective transfer students can take to prepare for a particular major at any of UC’s nine undergraduate campuses. An additional 11 Transfer Pathways were finalized this month. Now, with Transfer Pathways developed for the 21 most popular majors for transfer students, the Pathways cover two-thirds of all transfer admissions applications UC receives.
The additional majors are: business administration, communications, computer science, electrical engineering, film and media studies, English, history, mechanical engineering, philosophy, political science and psychology. Those majors expand students’ options from 10 previously established pathways: anthropology, biochemistry, biology, cell biology, chemistry, economics, mathematics, molecular biology, physics and sociology.
Already, about 30 percent of UC students start their education at community college, a proportion that by far exceeds that of most research universities.
The university intends to enroll more transfer students as part of its effort to increase California resident enrollment. UC has committed to adding 10,000 more California undergraduates over the next three years, about a third of whom will be transfer students.