Cal State LA receives recognition for supporting transfer students

The Campaign for College Opportunity has named Cal State LA a 2023 Champion of Higher Education for Excellence in Transfer.

The university was once again recognized for supporting transfer students in attaining their bachelor’s degrees during the 2023 Champions of Higher Education Celebration on Tuesday, Nov. 14. Cal State LA received this designation in 2018, 2019 and 2022.

“Cal State LA continues to be an outstanding university for transfer students,” said Cal State LA Interim President Leroy M. Morishita. “Our faculty and staff provide the support students need to thrive and achieve their goal of earning a degree.”

Cal State LA was also honored as an Equity Champion of Higher Education for Black Students and an Equity Champion of Higher Education for Latinx Students for supporting students in earning their Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT).

An ADT, sometimes called a “Degree with a Guarantee,” is offered at all California community colleges and guarantees transfer to any California State University campus. The goal is to provide a clear pathway for students to transfer under the same program of study as their ADT to ensure timely and cost-effective completion of their bachelor’s degree program.

“For nearly a decade, the ADT has given community college students struggling to navigate a complicated transfer maze a clear path to success with a degree to show for their hard work,” said Jessie Ryan, executive vice president of the Campaign for College Opportunity and former community college transfer student.

In fall 2022, more than half of Cal State LA’s undergraduate transfer students were ADT students on a guaranteed pathway in their program of study, according to the Campaign for College Opportunity. More than half of the university’s Black transfer students and Latinx transfer students earned ADTs.

Cal State LA was also recognized as an Equity Champion of Higher Education for Latinx Students in 2021 and 2022, and as Equity Champion of Higher Education for Black Students in 2022.

“As colleges grapple with pandemic-induced enrollment declines, we laud the 27 community college and CSU campuses that continue to forge ahead for students by strengthening the transfer pathway and removing unacceptable equity barriers in transfer for Latinx, Black and first-generation college students across the state,” Ryan said.