The year of 2012 begins with a bang for incoming students, but even more so for outgoing ones. Whether it be to internships, work fields or new horizons, one has to be prepared well before graduation. This is especially true when it comes to the excitement of stepping up from Salt Lake Community College to a four year university.
The first step in learning how to transfer is in knowing the basics. Each college or university records class credits through transcripts, which are official lists stating which courses have been taken and the overall Grade Point Average (GPA) of students. When transferring from one institution to another these have to be acquired. An easy task, as they can be requested from the Registrar’s Office. Some colleges and universities require that transcripts be sent through the mail from one school to another. Other institutions are alright with bringing transcripts in by hand as long as they sealed.
Accreditation is the next aspect of transferring. It is a term that is thrown around often, but little understood. Accreditation refers to the quality of education which can be attained at each college or university and the acceptance of this education as transfer credit, a decision determined by the Utah System of Higher Education. SLCC is accredited by the Northwest Commission on Colleges and Universities (NWCCU).
The level of a course’s credits also determines how certain classes will be accepted. Generally, courses that have numbers 1000 or above are transferable to any educational institution in the United States. These are considered to be general electives. However, not all are accepted by every college and university. It is suggested that this is checked by the student beforehand, just in case.
This leads into acceptability versus applicability. While most level 1000 classes will be accepted as general electives, applicability refers to how well a class applies to a specific degree. While one school may find a class to be important, another might disregard it as unnecessary. By checking out applicability, a student can keep from having to repeat classes that are similar in content.
To transfer from one college or university to another, a minimum GPA is necessary. It is typically a 2.0 but some schools can require higher numbers than the minimums or course-specific grade requirements.
There are three programs offered by SLCC which can transfer to another university, an Associate of Science (AS), Associate of Arts (AA) and Associate of Pre-Engineering (APE). These programs have a roughly equal number of general electives and program-specific classes which is the equivalent of the first two years of a four year bachelor degree. Note that the Associate of Applied Science (AAS) does not have all the requirements needed for it to count.
If a student is transferring with less than 30 credits then they may still need to provide high school transcripts and ACT/SAT scores. Those with 30 or more credits should only require transcripts provided by a college or university.
As for further college-specific data, students can meet with transfer representatives from each school to find what is needed for each institution. This can be done one of three ways: by attending transfer events set up by each college or university, meeting with an academic advisor, or meeting with a university recruiter. Transfer days or upcoming workshops can be found on the school’s website or on displays at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus.
Some of the transfer events for 2012 at the Taylorsville Redwood Campus, held in the Student Center on a welcome table, second floor next to the North Stairs, include:
University of Utah: Tuesday and Wednesday, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. from January 17 through May 2.
Utah State: Thursday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. from January 19 through April 26.
Westminster: 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., January 31, February 14, February 28, March 6, April 17 and May 1.
Utah Valley University: 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., 1/12, 1/17, 1/24, 2/9, 2/16, 2/23, 3/1, 3/8, 3/13, 3/29, 4/5, 4/12, 4/19, 4/26.
University Center (Earning a Bachelor Degree while at SLCC): Noon to 2 p.m., 1/10, 1/24, 2/14, 2/28, 3/13, 3/27, 4/10, 4/24.
The University of Utah also holds several transfer events at the South City and Jordan campuses. January 18, February 15, March 14 and April 11 for South City and January 25 plus March 28 for Jordan. Both run from 9 a.m. until 2 p.m.
Much of the information which has been mentioned (learning of program requirements, what is needed to transfer, general electives vs course specific credits, etc.) can be acquired through Academic Advising, either on campus or online.
To access SLCC’s guide for transferring, visit www.slcc.edu/transfercenter
