President Napolitano convened the Transfer Action Team in December 2013 to recommend strategies to strengthen and streamline the transfer pathway between the California Community Colleges (CCC) and the University of California.

Transfer students who enroll at UC repeatedly demonstrate their ability to succeed, posting high graduation rates comparable to freshmen who began college at a UC campus. Despite these achievements, the transfer process can be challenging, sometimes preventing otherwise promising students from meeting their goal of earning a four-year degree.

This report — the product of consultation with students, staff and faculty, as well as external constituencies such as the California Community Colleges and California State University — presents a series of recommendations designed to streamline and strengthen the transfer process for students, as well as broaden the range of students who transfer to UC. The Team’s key recommendations are:

1. Enhance UC’s message to prospective transfer students that they can afford and thrive at UC and create resources that invite and help prepare them for transfer, especially underserved students.

  • Design messages specific to prospective CCC transfers that amplify UC’s ongoing commitment to this constituency.
  • Develop a database of prospective transfer applicants within California with the capability to identify, track and assist students on their path toward and through the higher education system.
  • Develop a student-focused portal for counselors and prospective students that combines academic planning, application and financial aid tools.
  • Create an enhanced set of online and mobile tools to support the student transition and orientation process.

2. Increase UC’s presence at every CCC campus.

  • Create mechanisms that ensure that UC reaches out to every CCC, by increasing existing academic preparation efforts and providing more training for CCC faculty and staff.
  • Develop a CCC-UC Pipeline Initiative, an intersegmental partnership between UC campuses and 30 CCC campuses with relatively low numbers of transfers to UC.

3. Streamline and strengthen the UC transfer preparation process.

  • Build on the prior work of the Academic Senate to create new or align existing systemwide pre-major pathways with corresponding Associate Degrees for Transfer and Transfer Model Curricula, where possible.
  • Promote consistency across the system in how individual community college courses articulate to similar UC campus course requirements.
  • Strengthen the comprehensive review process for CCC transfer applicants.
  • Adopt the use of the Course Identification Numbering System (C-ID) for systemwide and campus articulation, where appropriate.

4. Create a “Transfer Success Kit” by conducting an inventory of campus transfer services, identifying areas of need and developing a systematic approach to help welcome students to UC.

This should include:

  • Guaranteed on-campus housing for transfer students.
  • Transfer centers, services, or online resource hubs.
  • Peer-to-peer mentoring and advising programs.
  • Summer residential or non-residential programs for admitted students.
  • Enhanced orientation or online student success courses.
  • A transfer credit evaluation for every CCC transfer applicant who submits a Statement of Intent to Register (SIR).

5. Commit UC to working with CCC and CSU to jointly engage in statewide strategic planning to improve the transfer pathway, present a united voice for higher education in Sacramento and with the California public, and increase the capacity of the segments to accommodate students.

  • Launch a “Presidential Conversations” tour to CCCs to raise awareness about transfer to UC and engage California higher education leaders in discussions concerning statewide transfer capacity.
  • Recommit UC to enrolling at least 33 percent transfers systemwide and by campus.
  • Create an Intersegmental Enrollment Management Team to study long-term enrollment trends and needs.
  • Host an annual Intersegmental Transfer Summit.