Support programs help El Camino lead the charge among community colleg…
El Camino College emerged with the highest transfer rates to California State University Long Beach spanning from 2020 to 2023, according to the El Camino Office of Institutional Research and Planning Database.
The office guides research and institutional planning for student success at El Camino and provides data on demographics and trends.
Paul Feist, the vice chancellor for communications and marketing for the California Community College Chancellor’s Office,
highlighted the CCC’s Research and Planning Group as another valuable student resource.
“They’ve done a lot of research on transfer and identifying friction points barriers and possible solutions,” Feist said.
The Research and Planning Group is a non-profit team designed to improve success at community colleges in California
and primarily supports institutional research, planning and effectiveness for them.
The group’s “Take Charge of Your Transfer Success” assists students in navigating their transfer journey.
Feist said “Take Charge of Your Transfer Success” is invaluable for college students looking to transfer.
“[It’s] aimed at students and how they can improve their opportunity to transfer and [has] good specific advice,” Feist said.
El Camino Transfer Center coordinator and counselor Rene Lozano acknowledges the efforts by the college towards remedying transfer barriers.
However, he said there is a need for more efforts with dedicated resources and mentions “Take Charge of Your Transfer Success” as an example.
“We should have transfer-specific resources to make sure that [it] is a barrier that we can reach,” Lozano said.
Statewide and the Los Angeles macroregion transfer rate is at 10%, according to the Cal-PASS Plus Student Success Metrics Report.
Cal-PASS Plus Report provides the outcomes of California community college students.
“I think that El Camino is at that level or I saw it was 11%. So you’re just slightly higher than the statewide average,” Feist said.
Among University of California transfers, El Camino students primarily transferred to the University of
California, Los Angeles; making UCLA the leading UC institution in their list of transfer choices.
The average ranking for transfer destinations of El Camino students from 2020 to 2023 indicates that UCLA holds the third-highest position overall, according to the El Camino Office of Institutional Research & Planning Database.
One reason for the high UCLA transfer rates is El Camino’s Honor’s Transfer Program.
All Honors Transfer Program students are automatically enrolled in UCLA’s Transfer Alliance Program, or TAP, Program.
Completing the Honors Transfer Program doubles the likelihood of a UCLA admission.
UCLA’s Honors/Scholars Programs and member California community colleges, work together with Undergraduate Admission,
according to the UCLA website.
Similarly, other southern California community colleges including Santa Monica, Fullerton, and East Los Angeles,
have established this agreement with UCLA, giving their students comparable opportunities.
While these initiatives showcase positive strides in fostering accessibility, Feist suggests a broader perspective on
opportunities for community college students.
By Hannah Bui • December 14, 2023