UC moving to simplify student transfer requirements

Credit: Alison Yin for EdSource

Laney Higher in Oakland

Credit: Alison Yin for EdSource

Laney Higher in Oakland

The University of California is working to simplify its transfer process, aiming to quell defoliation for customs higher students struggling with differing requirements and responding to a button from state leaders.

Kinesthesia leaders at UC's nine undergraduate campuses are expected to sign off in coming months on simplified transfer requirements for x of the system'due south nigh popular majors, and similar requirements for an additional 11 majors are expected to be finalized by the terminate of the agenda year.

The changes will eliminate a barrier facing community college students looking to transfer into UC: Lower division coursework in specific majors isn't universally accustomed at all UC campuses. A biological science pupil, for case, might find that her lower-sectionalisation credits count toward a biology major at one UC campus, but that she may need boosted courses for the same major at a different campus.

UC'southward Academic Senate has been working to marshal the coursework more closely, so that customs college classes tied to specific majors will be accepted at all UC campuses.

"We're trying to arrive easier for students to navigate the application procedure to utilize to a diversity of UCs, then that the requirements or expectations are like across campuses," said Ralph Aldredge, chair of the system's faculty-led Lath of Admissions and Relations with Schools, which oversees policies relating to undergraduate admissions.

UC President Janet Napolitano identified improving transfer as one of her priorities later on her date in 2022 and created a chore force to study ways to ameliorate the process. The group's resulting report identified streamlined major requirements equally a cardinal step to meeting UC'south goal of having ane-third of its incoming students start equally transfers by 2017-xviii.

"We want to make sure in that location's a clear path to UC just like at that place is to CSU," said Mary Gilly, chair of the UC Academic Senate.

At the same time, the academy organization is facing pressure level from state leaders, including Gov. Jerry Brown, who are pushing California's higher education segments to coordinate and simplify the transfer process. Such efforts can help students graduate faster and hold promise in increasing diversity at four-year universities. About half of the country's community college students are black or Latino, groups that are underrepresented at UC.

Completing lower-division requirements at a customs college is also cost-constructive, Brownish noted.

"Attention a community college for two years before transferring to UC tin can result in $25,000 of savings for a pupil in tuition and fees alone," Brown wrote in his revised May budget proposal for the coming year.

UC's work is besides following in the steps of streamlined transfer programs developed jointly by California'southward customs college system and the California State University. Prompted past a 2010 state law, the systems created transfer degrees that are accepted at all 23 CSU campuses. A customs higher educatee who completes i of the transfer degrees is guaranteed acceptance every bit a junior into CSU, although not necessarily at their starting time-choice campus.

In his May budget revision, Brown tied his proposal to increase UC funding in coming years to a commitment from the academy to continue to improve transfer rates. Chocolate-brown specifically highlighted the organization'due south work to streamline "transfer pathways" in its most popular majors. The pathways should be "closely aligned" to the associate degrees for transfer in place at CSU, Chocolate-brown wrote.

UC Transfer Activeness Team report

UC transfer applications from California residents have declined. (Click to enlarge)

Indeed, UC's transfer task force report suggested that competition from the transfer degrees could exist ane reason fewer California residents are applying to transfer into UC. Since 2011-12, UC has seen a nine pct drop in the number of transfer applications from California customs college students, the written report said.

Ane cause for the decline could exist "that the complexity of the (UC) admissions process is simply too onerous and that prospective applicants are attracted to the access guarantees" offered by the transfer degrees, the report said.

The state's Legislative Analyst's Office expressed initial concern that the transfer degrees weren't beingness developed quickly enough, but the popularity and scope of the degrees continues to grow.

Community colleges conferred some 12,000 of the transfer degrees in 2013-14, more than than double the previous year, and more than than 7,000 of those students enrolled in CSU to complete a available's degree, according to figures released in February. Community colleges now offer i,729 different acquaintance degrees for transfer and are on track to reach 1,976 degrees by Aug. 31, said Pam Walker, California Community Colleges vice chancellor of academic diplomacy.

UC'due south efforts to streamline the lower-division major requirements volition cut down some of the confusion in the transfer process and will assist UC concenter students, said UC Academic Senate Chair Mary Gilly.

"The (transfer) degrees take go kind of the mode community college students recall about transfer, and we don't want to miss out on the all-time and the brightest," Gilly said. "We want to make sure there's a clear path to UC just similar there is to CSU."

The 21 major pathways UC is developing represent the most popular majors pursued by transfer students and cover about 85 per centum of the transfer applications, said Gilly, a UC Irvine direction professor.

The beginning 10 majors now pending faculty blessing are in biochemistry, biology, cell biology, molecular biology, chemistry, physics, math, anthropology, economic science and folklore. Kinesthesia groups will convene again in Oct to begin the procedure for developing an additional 11 pathways in business organisation administration, electrical engineering science, history, political science, communications, English and English literature, mechanical engineering, psychology, informatics, film and philosophy.

Once completed, UC will inform students of the changes through a dedicated website, Gilly said, as well equally traditional counseling channels.

The clearer requirements are besides expected to ensure that transfer students are improve prepared to enter UC, with an expectation they volition complete a bachelor's degree within two years, said Aldredge, a mechanical and aerospace engineering professor at UC Davis.

"We're saying these are the recommended courses (students) should take that would make them attractive to multiple UCs," Aldredge said. "… Sometimes those (course) expectations might be higher than they might take been in the past."

UC, however, is non offer an admission guarantee similar that offered by CSU. But transfer applicants are evaluated for access using UC'south comprehensive review process, which evaluates students on a range of criteria including grades, courses taken, life experiences and more.

Several UC regents, including Regent Eloy Ortiz Oakley, encouraged officials to evaluate whether an access guarantee could be offered.

"If we look at the experience for CSU and the acquaintance caste for transfer, it's created tremendous opportunities in families and in communities where college-going was not a (dinner-table) conversation," Ortiz Oakley said during the regents' May 21 meeting in San Francisco. "I think we tin can stretch this to create a guarantee."

Michele Siqueiros, president of the Campaign for College Opportunity, which was a fundamental sponsor of Senate Bill 1440, the bill that created the transfer degrees, said UC'south efforts are a step toward improving transfer rates and diversity in the arrangement. The entrada on Thursday released a new report highlighting the dismal higher attainment rates among African-Americans, noting that at to the lowest degree two-thirds of black applicants were denied access to six of UC'southward 9 undergraduate campuses.

"The single biggest manner (UC) would have improved multifariousness was to implement the associate degree for transfer," Siqueiros said. "Having the governor as well affirm that and motion UC in that direction is incredibly positive in our view. It really provides students and families with a greater sense of understanding of what information technology takes to transfer."

"Yous should non accept to have a principal's caste to figure out how to transfer."

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Source: https://edsource.org/2015/uc-moving-to-simplify-student-transfer-requirements/80636