FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Thursday, May 31, 2001
University of California Office of the President

Media Contacts:
Brad Hayward (510) 987-9195
brad.hayward@ucop.edu

TRANSFER ADMISSIONS TO UC FROM CALIFORNIA COMMUNITY COLLEGES
UP 9.1 PERCENT; 17.9 PERCENT FOR UNDERREPRESENTED MINORITIES

University of California campuses have admitted 12,221 California resident transfer students from the California Community Colleges for fall 2001, a 9.1 percent increase over the previous year. Among underrepresented minorities - African American, American Indian and Chicano/Latino students - the increase is 17.9 percent.

"Transferring from the community colleges is an excellent and affordable way to come to the University of California, so it is encouraging to see the increases in transfer students this year," said UC President Richard C. Atkinson. "Increasing student access to UC through the transfer route is one of the university's highest priorities. These admissions results demonstrate that, working closely with the community colleges, we are making good progress."

"It's very heartening to see this significant increase in admissions to UC," said Thomas J. Nussbaum, chancellor of the California Community Colleges. "We've been working very hard with the university to turn these numbers around, and we're finally beginning to see some significant results. A large increase in the number of admits is essential if we're to achieve our ultimate goal of increasing the number of transfers who actually enroll."

An effective transfer program is a key component of UC's "partnership agreement" with Gov. Gray Davis, which lays out funding commitments for the state and accountability commitments for the university. The partnership calls for a 6 percent annual increase in community college transfers to UC through 2005-06. That figure is based on final, full-year enrollment, not admissions, but the fall 2001 admissions figures indicate that UC and the community colleges are on track toward meeting this year's goal.

UC's total fall-winter-spring enrollment of California Community College transfer students in 1999-2000 increased 6.6 percent over the 1998-99 level, surpassing the partnership's goal of 6 percent. Final full-year enrollment figures for 2000-01 are not yet available.

This year's admissions increase for California Community College transfer students follows a 5.5 percent increase in applications from these students for fall 2001. UC campuses sent offers of admission to transfer applicants during the March 1-May 1 period.

Systemwide, the number of resident underrepresented minority students admitted to at least one campus in the transfer process increased 17.9 percent, from 1,989 to 2,345. These students made up 19.2 percent of the admitted pool of transfer students, up from 17.8 percent last year.

Every UC campus saw an increase in the number of underrepresented minority transfer students admitted.

On a systemwide basis, admissions of transfer students increased 14 percent among African Americans, 85 percent among American Indians, 11 percent among Asian Americans, 16 percent among Chicano/Latinos, 3 percent among white students, 2 percent among students of other ethnicities, and 18 percent among those declining to state their ethnicity.

The university credits the increase in numbers of students transferring to its increasingly close working relationships with community colleges and to new, aggressive efforts to identify potential transfer students early and help guide them through the UC admissions process. Examples of the programs underway between UC and the community colleges include:

• Transfer admission agreements that guarantee admission to a UC campus for community college students who earn the required grade point average in the appropriate lower-division coursework.
• Outreach programs, such as MESA and Puente, that foster the academic development of community college students who face particular challenges in their preparation for transfer to UC.
• ASSIST, a Web-based planning system for transfer students. This system, located on the Internet at www.assist.org, provides a roadmap to the transfer process by showing how course credit earned at a California community college can be applied to a major at UC or the California State University system.
• Programs increasing personal contact. Representatives from UC campuses visit community colleges regularly and frequently to offer individualized advising sessions that help students stay focused on their transfer goals. In 1999-2000, UC outreach officers made more than 3,400 visits to California's 108 community colleges. Also, "Ensuring Transfer Success" institutes for community college counselors discuss the most effective ways to transfer students to UC, and workshops specially designed for community college counselors are offered at UC's fall counselor conferences.

A new proposal by President Atkinson would provide an additional path for students to enter the UC system through the community colleges. Atkinson's "Dual Admissions" proposal would grant admission at a UC campus to students between the top 4 percent and 12.5 percent of their high school's graduating class, provided they first complete a transfer program at a community college. Details of the proposal, which has been approved by UC's Academic Senate and is awaiting a vote by the Board of Regents, are available on the Web at: http://www.ucop.edu/ucophome/commserv/2000/sept2100art1.htm.

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NOTE: Data tables showing fall 2001 transfer admissions are available at the links below. The figures listed above are from Table 1.

Table 1 - California resident transfers from California Community Colleges
Table 2 - All transfers from California Community Colleges