ACC Students Make Up Largest Transfer Group at Area Universities

Scratch the surface of this fall’s new crop of maroon-and-gold or burnt-orange students, and you’re likely to discover “I am acc.”

“Approximately 30 percent of the 3,700 transfer students enrolled at Texas State this fall came to us from ACC,” says Dr. Michael Heintze, Texas State University-San Marcos associate vice president for enrollment management and marketing. “We anticipate that as ACC’s enrollment grows the number of qualified transfer students applying to Texas State also will increase.”

AT UT, ACC students comprised nearly half of the 692 students transferring from community colleges.

“There are a lot of good reasons why ACC is the first choice for many people, especially students on the road to UT-Austin,” says Martha Ellis, associate vice chancellor for community college partnerships for the University of Texas System. “ACC’s partnership with UT-Austin serves a critical entryway to the university’s four-year and graduate programs.”

Main reasons students begin at ACC are affordability and convenience. Equally important, however, is the opportunity to gain college skills before entering the highly competitive university arena.

“Students often find a much greater comfort level by starting at a community college,” Ellis says. “Not only is it easier financially, but it’s an easier transition for the student because of smaller classes and easier on the family because ACC campuses are often closer to home.”

At least half of all credit students attending ACC are working toward transfer. Texas State and UT and the No. 1 destinations, but many other ACC students go farther afield seeking specialized degrees, like former ACC student and Phi Theta Kappa honor society president Jeremy Dertien.

“I intended to attend UT but found the degree I really wanted at Colorado State University,” says Dertien. He is studying conservation biology alongside people from across the nation, attending lectures by renowned conservationist Jane Goodall, and working closely with one of the top researchers in his field.

Jeremy Dertien

“Without ACC, I may not have advanced my education past high school, now I plan to continue on to earn my master’s and Ph.D.,” he says.

“I learned to become more extroverted and create my own community at ACC, which made it easier to transition into a region where I didn’t know anybody. The small faculty-to-student ratio also allowed me to work more directly with professors and learn their expectations. One of my first classes at CSU had 150 people, and I was better prepared to work on my own.”

Dertien’s success is typical of ACC’s transfer students, who persist and graduate at rates equal to students who begin college at four-year universities.

“We find ACC students to be generally well prepared and competitive in the classroom,” confirms Dr. Heintze of Texas State. “The graduation rate for ACC students is comparable to that of our entering freshmen.”

The same is true at UT, where a recent report shows ACC’s fall 2009 transfer students earned an average 3.05 GPA, compared with 2.93 for other transfer students and 3.02 for UT freshmen.

ACC students can ensure a successful transfer experience by selecting a major in their first semester and following their bachelor’s degree plan at their intended university. For transfer students, progress toward a major is critical, Heintze says. “Studies show that the sooner students settle into a major, the more successful they are.”

He also advises all students, including ACC transfer students, to take a full load (15 semester hours) each semester. “This will reduce their ‘time to graduation’ and limit overall educational costs.”

Transfer experts advise students who remain uncertain about their major or university destination to focus on core curriculum/general education classes, which can automatically transfer between state colleges and universities.

Completing an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science at ACC also improves a student’s transfer admissions application.

“ACC has associate degree programs designed to transfer toward bachelor’s degrees at four-year universities,” says Dr. MaryJane McReynolds, head of the ACC Articulation and Transfer Resources Office which oversees transfer agreements. “By maintaining relationships with area colleges, we ensure ACC degree plans match up and that individual courses transfer.”

A variety of resources is available to help students develop a transfer plan, and university recruiters from across the region and nation routinely visit ACC campuses to meet with students. You can find event information and planning resources at the ACC Articulation website.

Just getting started?

The University of Texas System, Texas A&M University System, and the Texas Association of Community Colleges have developed the “Transfer 101” website to help students begin the transfer planning process. Visit www.transfer101.org to get started.