CCBC is pleased to be a part of the official launch of the Transfer Scholars Network, a program dedicated to expanding community college transfer to the nation’s highly selective colleges and universities.
Led by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program with support from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, TSN aims to expand the national transfer pipeline to high-graduation-rate four-year institutions. To achieve that goal, TSN facilitates direct connections between high-achieving community college students and senior admissions representatives at 13 highly selective colleges and universities in the American Talent Initiative.
Four-year partners include members of the Ivy League, small liberal arts colleges, and major research universities. Together, CCBC joins partner schools in providing students in TSN with exclusive webinars and resources, generous financial aid, and ongoing support as they navigate the transfer admissions and financial aid process.
Students are nominated for TSN based on eligibility criteria including demonstrated academic achievement, financial need, holistic life and professional experiences, and transfer readiness. Once they receive personalized nomination letters, they submit a short application to the TSN portal and are quickly connected with senior admissions leaders at the four-year partners.
After two phases of the pilot, TSN has engaged 372 students from eight community colleges. The overwhelming majority of TSN students have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and are from lower-income backgrounds and/or communities of color.
Even in its earliest stages, the initiative shows promise in diversifying the student pipeline at the nation’s top universities. After its first full admissions cycle in Spring 2022, at least 20% of TSN students who applied to four-year partner colleges received offers of admission, outpacing the average admission rate of 15.6% at these schools.
For more information, visit https://transferscholars.org/.