Georgian Court has been named to the Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society’s (PTK) 2020 Transfer Honor Roll in recognition of the dynamic pathways it has created to support transfer students. The university is one of just 123 institutions recognized nationally.
The honor roll recognizes four-year colleges and universities that have developed transfer pathways that lead to excellence and success among community college transfer students. Colleges were selected based on their Transfer Friendliness Rating, which is determined by the Transfer Profile they create in PTK Connect. The top 25% highest-rated colleges are named to the honor roll.
PTK Connect is Phi Theta Kappa’s online tool that helps students find their best-fit colleges, career pathways, and more. Students can search for colleges by name, scholarship offerings, or cost, and they can use the institutions’ profiles to help evaluate where they’d like to enroll.
“The Transfer Honor Roll reflects the growing importance of recognizing and responding to the needs of transfer students,” said PTK President and CEO Lynn Tincher-Ladner, Ph.D. “This award is given to four-year colleges and universities with proven outcomes for transfer success. They are the best at providing a supportive and smooth transition from community college—equating to increased rates of bachelor’s degree attainment for transfer students.”
Colleges utilizing PTK Connect can complete a Transfer Profile, which asks questions about admissions practices, cost of attendance, campus life, recruitment practices, and peer reviews. It is meant to reflect what the transfer student experience is like at their colleges, as well as the strategies colleges are taking to support and enroll transfer students.
Transfer Experience: Friendly and Individualized
After completing her A.A. in Liberal Arts at Brookdale Community College in 2018, Melissa Grinvalds wasn’t sure what her next steps should be.
“After considering my options, GCU seemed like the best fit for me. Reviews online and the people I encountered both expressed the friendly and accommodating environment,” said Melissa, who is now a senior English major at Georgian Court.
Melissa attended a Transfer Student Information Session, and was immediately welcomed.
“Various staff members took the time to talk with me individually, and they helped guide me through the process. I was accepted, granted a scholarship, and registered for classes within less than an hour,” said Melissa. “My experience confirmed the positive reputation I had heard about. Since then, I have truly enjoyed my time here at GCU.”
Transfer students like Melissa enjoy great success at Georgian Court University, which accepts up to 90 credits from regionally accredited institutions with no more than 75 credits from two-year institutions. Georgian Court also has dual-degree agreements with many New Jersey community colleges that are designed to make the transfer process easier and help students transfer the maximum number of credits. That success is made clear by the number of transfer students who persist through graduation. In fact, GCU’s most recent graduation rate for full-time transfers was 75%, which is nearly 20% higher than the national average.
About Phi Theta Kappa
Phi Theta Kappa is the premier honor society recognizing the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helping them to grow as scholars and leaders. The society is made up of more than 3.5 million members and nearly 1,300 chapters in 11 nations, with approximately 240,000 active members in the nation’s colleges. Learn more at ptk.org.
