Phi Theta Kappa Recognizes Exemplary Transfer Pathways
Georgian Court University is one of about 100 colleges nationwide that recently made Phi Theta Kappa’s 2018 Transfer Honor Roll. The program identifies top four-year colleges and universities for creating a dynamic pathway to support transfer students.
Open to all regionally accredited baccalaureate degree-granting institutions, Phi Theta Kappa’s Transfer Honor Roll recognizes excellence among institutions that help students complete community college and transfer to four-year colleges. Universities like Georgian Court meet the honor roll’s standards for scholarship and financial aid, admissions outreach, student support services, and student engagement opportunities—all factors important to transfer students.
“Increasingly, students of all ages and achievement levels are choosing the community college, not only as their first step, but also their first choice in the pursuit of a quality, affordable bachelor’s degree,” said Phi Theta Kappa President and CEO Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner.
“These students are scholars, leaders, and global citizens, and it has been shown over and over that they do as well as students beginning college at a four-year college or university,” she said.
GCU a Pathway for Transfer Success
The Transfer Honor Roll reflects the growing importance of responding to the needs of community college transfers, and for promoting and sharing best practices for transfer success.
At Georgian Court, transfer students have an exceptional 80 percent graduation rate within six years, one of the standard timeframes tracked by the National Center for Education Statistics. Nationally, about 60 percent of first-time, full-time students finish a four-year degree in six years.
GCU’s pathway for transfer success includes dual and guaranteed admissions agreements with several institutions, including Brookdale Community College. “Increasingly, our students want—and need—more options to help them access and afford college,” says David Stout, interim president of the Lincroft, New Jersey-based community college. “They are balancing the demands of work and family with their desire to get ahead at work and in life. Earning an associate degree puts them on that path, and partnerships with schools like Georgian Court help them take the next step.”
Other GCU transfer partners include Cumberland County College, Middlesex County College, Atlantic Cape Community College, and Mercer County Community College. Eligible transfer students receive extensive tuition discounts and a seamless transition from community college to GCU, a four-year, private institution.
“These students are making the most of their investment, and we want to help as they continue to maximize their money and their time,” says Justin G. Roy, dean of admissions at GCU. “Special advising, generous transfer credits, and eligibility for expanded scholarships will put community college graduates that much closer to the next step—earning a bachelor’s degree.”
GCU and other Transfer Honor Roll colleges will be recognized at PTK Catalyst 2018, Phi Theta Kappa’s annual convention, in Kansas City, Kansas, in April.
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 nine nations.
