Santa Monica College Is Calif. #1 Community College For 27th Year

SANTA MONICA, CA – Santa Monica College (SMC) maintains its position as California’s No. 1 community college in transferring students to the University of California (UC) system for the 27th consecutive year. This finding comes from recent 2016-2017 transfer data released by the University of California Information Center.

SMC also topped in transfers for the number of African-American and Chicano/Latino students who headed to UC campuses: 58 African-American students, and 183 who identified as Chicano/Latino. In 2016-2017, SMC transferred a total of 1,194 students to the UC, which was an all-time record high, and outranked the No. 2 and No. 3 UC feeder schools by more than 100 students.

SMC also continued to hold the top spot for transfers to University of Southern California (USC), with 148 SMC students transferring to USC in fall 2017 – the next highest feeder to USC only sent 55 students. The college again transferred more students to Loyola Marymount University and was the top feeder west of the Mississippi to the Ivy League Columbia University. SMC is the second-ranking feeder nationwide.

“Santa Monica College is tremendously proud to retain our longtime reputation as California’s leader in transfers to the UC, as well as to the University of Southern California and Loyola Marymount University,” said Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery, SMC Superintendent/President. “The success of our students is SMC’s top priority: this most recent data is proof of how this institution invests heavily towards that end, through world-class professors, dedicated counselors, and a wide array of student support services.”

Janet Robinson, who heads SMC’s Transfer Center said that she is “excited for what awaits the students who are transferring on to these awesome institutions.” Robinson said that SMC's continued transfer success is a testament to their hardworking students and their highly-skilled faculty and staff.

“Plus, it highlights the beauty of the partnership between SMC and California’s two public institutions and premier private universities,” Robinson said.

UC data showed that UCLA continues to be by far the most popular destination for SMC students, with 40 percent of the UC transfers (482 students) going to the Westwood campus. UC Berkeley came in second with 136 transfers, followed by UC San Diego (175 students) and UC Irvine (161 students).

Santa Monica College is a two-year community college accredited by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges (WASC). For more information about SMC’s Transfer Center and its services, please visit www.smc.edu/transfer or email Robinson_Janet@smc.edu.

Photo: Santa Monica College students stop to talk to a university representative at the SMC College Fair, the largest in the state. SMC maintained its position as California’s No. 1 transfer institution to the University of California for the 27th straight year, and also held the top spot for transfers to USC and Loyola Marymount University. (Image Credit: Charles Mark-Walker)