Community colleges offer some amazing advantages, like open admissions policies, flexible schedules and curricula, and lower tuition and fees. (Sometimes way lower—tuition at Santa Monica College averaged just over $1,000 before aid, at $46 per class unit.)
And they’re amazing institutions in their own right. But they’re also frequently thought of as an effective, affordable step toward a four year institution.
According to Columbia’s Teachers College, somewhere around 80% of US community college students enroll intending to transfer and earn a bachelor’s. But only around 25% actually end up transferring.
There are a ton of reasons that underlie why so many students don’t end up transferring, among them that overcrowding makes it difficult to enroll in certain required courses, tuition and costs are rising at many colleges and universities, and states often have confusing transfer requirements.
Those first two issues need to be addressed at a higher level, but the third …
Wouldn’t it be great if someone built a database with community college transfer policies organized by state?
Yeah. We thought so too.
So here it is.
How the database works
The database is an informational hub where students and counselors can learn whatever they need to learn all in one place, in clear layperson's terms. It’s designed to be digestible, concise, and (we’re pretty sure) a lot less overwhelming than researching all of this alone.
Using it is hopefully fairly intuitive, but here’s a quick primer:
Click the "open" button next to the state you want to research to obtain all the information for that state.
Note: if you’re on mobile, you can just click on the name of the state.
Another option is to simply search for only states that have a transferable core by using the designated column.
In addition to each state’s basic transfer policies, the CCTP Database often contains information about notable transfer pathways and/or schools, affordability of two-year and four-year colleges, and key links found in our team’s research.
Finally, a few key terms that counselors will tend to know, but most students likely won’t:
transferable core: A set of general education courses agreed upon across all public postsecondary institutions. It must be fully transferable at all public institutions. Institutions may have different naming conventions; however, if that is the case, there is a crosswalk for institutions to use in the transfer process.
reverse transfer: Allows public institutions to implement the process of retroactively granting an associate degree to students who have not completed the requirements of an associate degree before transferring to a four-year institution.
transfer equivalency: Course equivalency refers to how a course offered by one college or university relates to a course offered by another.
So dive in, find your path, and please feel free to share widely with anyone who might benefit from some clarity.
Special thanks to our Community College Transfer Database team for creating this resource:
Tracey Schwartz (she/her) has assisted thousands of students in exploring their academic paths to make confident, informed choices that match their interests, skill sets, values and life goals. She loves corny pun jokes, fresh cold brew coffee, and warmth.
Top Values: Family | Helping Others | Honesty
Emily Smith (she/her) has worked with hundreds of students to become more thoughtful, intentional, and confident writers in her work as a composition instructor, college essay specialist, and, most recently, as a writing center director. Leveraging her background in writing center work, Emily loves to collaborate with students to find ease in the writing process. When not coaching students, she can likely be found baking in pursuit of the perfect chocolate chip cookie, watching TCM, and spoiling her cat.
Top Values: Empathy, Inclusion, Balance
Munira Ezzeldine (she/her) loves helping students discover who they are and where they want to go. As an independent college & career counselor she has worked with countless high school and transfer students through the college application process. She loves learning and is currently pursuing her doctorate in educational leadership to help even more community college students on their higher education journeys.
Top Values: Authenticity | Intentionality | Family
Renu Chokshi brings her experience in HR, non-profit operations, data analysis, and as a parent to her most joyous role yet—a college admissions guide. Her happy place is with her family. In her free time, Renu is either learning kathak, studying vedic astrology or geeking over Paso wines.
Kalyn McCall graduated with a B.A in History, B.A. in African and African American Studies, and M.A. in Sociology from Stanford University, before pursuing her PhD in History from Harvard University. Throughout her academic pursuits, Kalyn has enjoyed working with and mentoring students in various capacities, from tutoring and academic coaching to counseling and application advising. Kalyn is particularly interested in helping first-generation and Black college students reach their potential and find their own paths. When not working, she can be found reading, playing with her dogs, or taking a nap.
Mariana Campos Horta (she/her) is a college admissions coach who loves to help students find and pursue their interests. She does this work because she believes in the transformative power of education to make us better citizens, partners, and parents. More importantly, she wants her students to experience the joys of solving challenging problems and seeking knowledge. Mariana graduated from Santa Monica College, the University of California Berkeley, and Princeton University, where she studied Sociology, Demography, and Public Policy. She has worked as a researcher, a university teaching assistant, and a writing center tutor. Originally from Brazil, she now lives in Montclair, NJ, where she gardens with her husband and four-year-old daughter.
