Oct. 26, 2016
SMC Number One in Transfers to UC for 26th Straight Year
Santa Monica College (SMC) retains its hold as California’s No. 1 community college in transferring students to the prestigious University of California (UC) system for the 26th consecutive year. This finding came from recent 2015-2016 transfer data released by the University of California Information Center. SMC also held the top spot for transfers to the UC and the California State University (CSU) systems combined.
In 2015-2016, SMC transferred a total of 1,097 students—an all-time record high for the college—to the UC system, maintaining its long-held reputation as the number one transfer institution. SMC outranked the second- and third-ranking UC feeder schools by a significant margin; they transferred 831 and 764 students, respectively. SMC transferred 2,264 students total to the UC and CSU systems combined.
The college also topped in transfers for the number of African-American and Chicano/Latino students who headed to UC campuses: 37 who identified as African-American, and 166 Chicano/Latino.
“At Santa Monica College, we are elated that we continue to hold our spot as California’s leading transfer institution,” said SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery. “This is a testament to the solid preparation that students receive, thanks to SMC’s top-notch instructors, counselors, and the array of support services the college makes available.”
“We are thrilled once again by the transfer numbers from SMC because helping students navigate the transfer process is extremely important to us,” said SMC Transfer Center Faculty Leader Janet Robinson. “The numbers reflect the hard work of our students and the entire Santa Monica College community. It also helped that the University of California system accepted an additional 5,000 in-state freshmen and transfer students!”
SMC’s Transfer Center organizes the largest college fair in the state, conducts workshops, holds weekly visits from four-year institutions, and also has a close working relationship with the UC and CSU systems to make sure SMC students get credit for their classes.
UCLA continues to be by far the most popular destination for SMC students, with nearly 42 percent of the UC transfers – 459 – going to the Westwood campus. UC San Diego came in second with 137 transfers, followed by UC Berkeley and UC Santa Barbara.
In the 2015-16 year, SMC also awarded over 5,000 degrees and certificates to students who finished their studies during the year.
For more information on the academic and support services SMC offers transfer students, please visit www.smc.edu/transfer or call (310) 434-4210.