Transfer Information

Student Success

Keys to a Successful Transfer

  1. Begin planning early.

    • The best time to begin planning is early in your first semester and before you select your courses for the second semester.

  2. Choose a career direction.

    • Before you can settle on a major or a transfer college, you need to know your career direction.
    • If you have not decided on a career or major, begin the career planning process as soon as possible.
    • Use the career planning resources which include the following: Career Exploration Workshops, DISCOVER (obtain user ID at the Student Success Center), other career resources in the Student Success Center, individual career counseling, and a two-credit career development course (COU 121: Psychology of Career Development).
    • Deciding on a career, major and transfer college will make selecting courses much easier.

  3. Gather information on four-year colleges and universities.

    1. Availability of major
    2. Does the 4-year college have Partnership with MCCC?
    3. Minimum requirements for admission (i.e., GPA, # of credits and specific courses needed)
    4. Transferability of courses/degree program
    5. Maximum number of credits transferable
    6. Tuition/room and board
    7. Housing
    8. Location
    9. Size (number of students enrolled, class size, and student to faculty ratio)
    10. Financial aid/transfer scholarships
    11. Availability of cooperative experiences/internships
    12. Other information that is important to you

      13. Use the Transfer Planning Comparison Worksheet to assist you in the planning process.
      (in .pdf format - requires the free Adobe Acrobat Reader.)

    13. Transfer guides, equivalency lists, catalogs, Partner Fact Sheets, Partner Days and Evenings, Transfer Days and Evening College Transfer Nights provide important information.
    14. Use directories in the Student Success Center to research transfer information, and where and what programs are available.

      Transfer information is subject to change; always note the date on the transfer guides, equivalency lists and articulation agreements and check periodically for updated information.

      Keep copies of guides and other transfer information with your grade reports and other academic materials.

  4. Follow the general education/core curriculum requirements and pre-major requirements for the four-year college that you choose.

    • Determine if a particular Associate Degree is a good fit with the requirements at the four-year college.
    • Determine if MCCC has a Core-to-Core Agreement with the college that you have selected.
    • If you require course substitutions for transfer, obtain approval from the appropriate Division Chairperson.
    • If substitutions are not approved, you may wish to change your major at MCCC to Liberal Studies (A.S.) or General Studies (A.G.S.) and select courses that satisfy the General Education requirements for both the senior college and MCCC.
    • The number of free or open electives allowed by a particular four-year college and major is limited.

  5. Transfer Planning is an on going process; it requires on going review each semester.

    • Are your grades meeting the requirements set by the four-year schools you have chosen? Are they competitive for specific programs of study?
    • Have your career interests changed? Should you be re-thinking your career direction?
    • Has new transfer information made a difference in your transfer options?
    • Bring your transfer folder up to date at the end of each semester.

  6. Consider the advantages of graduating from MCCC before transferring.

    • You will have completed a program of study and received an Associate degree.
    • An increasing number of four-year colleges give admission preference to transfer students who earn or will earn an Associate (A.A. or A.S.) Degree. And, depending on the four-year college and major, there may be other advantages to completing an A.A. or A.S. degree at MCCC. See an MCCC counselor for more information.
    • MCCC graduates with an A.A. or A.S. degree qualify for Core-to-Core Transfer with most of our Partner institutions.
    • Completion of the A.A. or A.S. degree at MCCC is a requirement for Dual Admissions with our Partner institutions.
    • MCCC graduates with an A.A. or A.S. degree qualify for Academic Passport with a State System of Higher Education University.
    • You will spend your freshman and sophomore years in small classes, with a teaching oriented faculty and many student oriented services, at a lower tuition.
    • In some cases "D" grades may even transfer with the degree. If you are planning to pursue a major in a highly specialized area such as Landscape Design, Music, etc., it may be advantageous to complete general education requirements for your selected four-year college and transfer after two or three semesters at MCCC.

  7. Obtain, complete and submit four-year college application(s) and other required material before deadline(s).

    • Contact the four-year college's admissions office for an application and college catalog; ask questions, especially about admission requirements, best time to apply for a particular semester, and application deadline(s).
    • Most colleges require an application, high school transcript, transcripts from all colleges attended and an essay.
    • Colleges may also require a Dean's recommendation, references, personal interview, SAT's and midterm grades.
    • Contact MCCC's Office of Admissions and Records to request that your MCCC transcript be sent to a four-year college. A $5.00 fee will be charged.
    • Students applying for financial aid need to submit separate applications and forms, generally the Federal/State Grant application (FAFSA) and the four-year college's financial aid application.
    • Check for financial aid and admissions application deadlines.
    • Contact the Financial Aid Office for more information on the process.

  8. Follow-Up

    • A transfer application generally takes 4-8 weeks to process.
    • Colleges may place an application on hold and wait for midterm and/or final grades before making a decision.
    • Contact the four-year college's admissions office if you have any questions regarding the status of your application.
    • If you are accepted, be sure to give the four-year college your decision as soon as possible, but before the deadline.

  9. Check your transfer credit evaluation and contact your four-year college advisor or registrar if you have questions or concerns.

    • Keep your MCCC course syllabi in case you need to submit a syllabus for a course to be evaluated for transfer.
    • Contact the MCCC course instructor, the appropriate MCCC division chair or an MCCC counselor if a course syllabus needs to be sent to your four-year college.
    • After the course in question has been evaluated or re-evaluated for transfer, follow up to see if the course equivalency has changed.
    • If the equivalency has changed to your advantage, ask your four-year college registrar or advisor to revise your credit evaluation.

For more information about transferring to a four-year college, contact a counselor in the Student Success Center.

Also, FurtherYourEducation.com is another resource which was developed to help guide students through the transfer process from a business, junior, or community college to a four-year college or university.