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Santa Monica College Number One In Transfers To University Of California

SMC also tops in transfers to USC and LMU

Posted Dec. 12, 2013, 8:23 am

Mitch James / Mirror Contributor

Santa Monica College is number one in transferring its students to the University of California, according to the California Community College Chancellor’s Office which recently released the 2012-13 data for community college students transferring to the University of California and to the California State University systems. This the the 23rd year in a row that SMC has held this feat.

The numbers also show that Santa Monica College is tops for the third consecutive year in transferring African American and Latino students to the University of California.

In 2012-13, SMC sent a total of 1,057 students to UC campuses, far outpacing the next three feeder schools.

SMC’s transfers to the UC system included 31 African American students and 141 Latino students. This is the third year that SMC has increased its number of UC-transferring Latino students, up from 129 in 2011-12, and 117 in 2010-11.

Other statistics for 2012-13 demonstrate why Santa Monica College is considered the premier transfer institution in California:

• Santa Monica College continues to hold one of the top spots in combined transfers to the UC and California State University systems, despite the decision by CSU Northridge – the top CSU transfer choice for SMC students – to reduce its acceptance of transfers this year. SMC sent 1,911 students to UC and CSU, significantly more than the 1,700 from the third largest feeder school.

• SMC is in first place yet again in transfers to the University of Southern California (USC). In fall 2013, 160 SMC students transferred to USC, nearly three times as many students as the number two feeder school.

• SMC is also holding its position as the top source for transfers to Loyola Marymount University (LMU).

SMC President Dr. Chui L. Tsang said the college was very excited about the latest transfer data.

“These numbers reflect our year-after-year commitment to preparing students for transfer to four-year universities, and our continuing effort to help even more students advance their education to the next level,” Dr. Tsang said.

Transfer Center Faculty Leader Dan Nannini, who also serves as President of the Western Association for College Admission Counseling (WACAC), mentioned several reasons for SMC’s strong transfer record.

“The support of great counseling faculty and staff, outstanding teaching faculty and college administrators, and the greater Santa Monica community all combine to help keep our institution in the forefront of the transfer mission,” said Nannini. “SMC also hosts the largest college fair in the state as part of our effort to make SMC students attractive to admissions offices.”

Nannini added that SMC’s Transfer/Counseling Center is participating in the redesign of a statewide website that provides transfer information to students and counselors.

SMC’s Transfer Center also conducts workshops, holds weekly visits from four-year institutions, and has a close working relationship with UC and CSU to make sure SMC students get credit for their classes.

SMC students can be found enrolled at every single UC campus this year. UCLA continues to be the most popular destination by far for SMC students, with more than 46 percent of the UC transfers – 490 – going to the Westwood campus. UC Berkeley came in second with 173 transfers, followed by the UC Irvine and UC Santa Cruz campuses.

SMC also transfers students to public and private universities around the world, including Stanford, Columbia, and Cornell.