The University of California Office of the President will celebrate National Transfer Student Week from Oct. 16-20, according to an Oct. 16 press release.

The National Transfer Student Week (NTSW) at the UC aims to celebrate the 45,000 community college transfer students enrolled in the UC system. 

“The University of California is pleased to shine a light on our transfer students, who by and large come from California Community Colleges (92 percent) and make meaningful contributions as outstanding students, leaders and changemakers on UC campuses,” the press release read.

NTSW comes one week after two initiatives the UC took on: California Governor Gavin Newsom signed AB 1291 that will create an Associate Degree for Transfer pilot program at UCLA to build a streamlined pathway for those with associate degrees to transfer into a UC school and the Journey to UC transfer program that will aim to increase UC enrollment of California Community Colleges (CCC) students from underprivileged areas. 

The UC Office of the President referenced the strong pipeline between the UC and CCC — a coalition of community colleges in California — emphasizing that 27 percent of undergraduates at the UC transferred from a CCC.

“Nationwide, community college transfer students account for only 10 percent of entering undergraduates at highly competitive institutions. The University of California, on the other hand, enrolls more community college students than any university of its caliber in the nation,” the press release read. 

Santa Barbara City College, for instance, saw 1,997 students in the 2022 graduating class transfer to a four-year institution. 

“UC transfer students graduate at much higher rates than the national average (88 percent),” the press release read. “Within a decade of completing their UC degree, 59 percent of community college transfer students working in California count among the state’s top third of income earners.”

A version of this article appeared on p. 4 of the Oct. 19, 2023, print edition of the Daily Nexus.

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Alex Levin
Alex Levin (he/him) is the University News Editor for the 2023-24 school year. Previously, Levin was the Assistant News Editor for the 2022-2023 school year. He can be reached at alexlevin@dailynexus.com.