Introduction. If I transfer, will I be ready? Absolutely!

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1 Student Transfer Manual Contents 1. Introduction 2. The purpose of this manual 3. What is the most important thing for me to know if I want to transfer to a four-year college or university after I complete my studies at SCCC/ATS? 4. What are the transfer of credit and the transfer process? 5. Why is it important to know college transfer of credit policies? 6. How do I transfer to another school? 7. Things to consider when transferring to another school 8. Where do I go for help with transfer issues? 9. How should I plan my SCCC/ATS degree if I want to transfer? 10. What is the transfer credit policy toward college credits transferred to SCCC/ATS? 11. Scholarships 12. A sample of scholarships available to transfer community college students and scholarships of interest to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) students 13. Kansas State University transfer information 14. Fort Hays State University transfer information 15. Transfer agreements 16. Kansas Board of Regents four-year schools 17. Graduation is not the end of SCCC/ATS resources to its alumni 18. Transfer checklist Introduction Higher education doesn t stop for many students after they attend Seward County Community College/Area Technical School. In fact, about 40 percent of SCCC/ATS students transfer to another two or four-year school. If you are planning to transfer to a four-year college or university or an advanced technical program after you attend SCCC/ATS, this manual is for you. The purpose of this manual The purpose of this manual is to provide as much information as possible to help you understand transfer of credit and successfully navigate the transfer process. It will be updated whenever new information becomes available. If I transfer, will I be ready? Absolutely! Statistics gathered by SCCC/ATS and the Kansas Board of Regents show that the academic performance of SCCC/ATS graduates who transfer to public four-year colleges and universities in Kansas is identical to the academic performance of students who started at the four-year schools as freshmen. What is the most important thing for me to know if I want to transfer to a four-year college or university after I complete my studies at SCCC/ATS? To make your transfer seamless from SCCC/ATS to a four-year school, you need to: 1. Know the school to which you plan to transfer 2. Identify the program and degree you want to earn 3. Carefully read the school catalog to understand all the degree requirements, both general education classes and the classes you need for your major. 4. Plan your classes at SCCC/ATS to fulfill as many requirements as possible for your four-year degree. 5. When you have planned your SCCC/ATS classes, contact the transfer admissions officer at the four-year school to review your plan to make sure all your classes will transfer.

2 What is transfer of credit and the transfer process? The concept of credit transfer is simple. While you successfully complete a SCCC/ATS course, you earn credit hours toward your SCCC/ATS degree. (This does not apply to SCCC/ATS O-level classes that you take to make you ready for college-level academic work.) Credit transfer means that the course credit hours you completed at SCCC/ATS will be accepted by another two- or four-year college or university. The steps you take to determine if SCCC/ATS courses will transfer to another school and to transfer courses, and to ensure that the transferred courses are on your transcript, is called the transfer process. Here is some important information for you to keep in mind as you learn more about transfer from this manual: 1. The college or university to which you transfer will determine the acceptance of SCCC/ATS credits. This varies by college, major and degree. 2. While a school may accept courses from SCCC/ATS, the courses may not count toward the requirements for a specific degree. 3. The college receiving the courses will determine transfer credit. 4. It is your responsibility to know about college transfer of credit policies. Why is it important to know college transfer of credit policies? Knowing about college transfer policies will help you save time and money and help you complete your degree. Here are three examples: a. It will help you in your SCCC/ATs program course selection. Some SCCC/ATS classes may fulfill a prerequisite for an upper division (that means junior and/or senior) class at a four-year school. Some SCCC/ATS classes may not fulfill a prerequisite. b. It will help you complete your degree. Students who do not research transfer credits many need to take additional classes at the four-year school to meet its degree requirements. c. It will help you understand how to successfully follow the transfer process. While SCC/ATS courses may transfer but not count toward a specific degree, the courses may count toward the program s elective requirements. How do I transfer to another school? You must apply to another school, and be accepted by the school as a student, before you can transfer to the school. Information about admission requirements is available on school websites. Use the transfer checklist in this manual to keep yourself on track. If you plan to transfer to another school, be prepared to: 1. Meet the deadlines for submitting required application documents. If you miss application deadlines, your admission may be significantly delayed or denied. 2. Pay an application fee. 3. Take a standardized admissions test, such as the ACT or the SAT by the required admissions deadline. If you are required to take an admissions test, you are responsible for applying to take the test, paying for the test and taking the test at a designated test center. You may have to travel to another city to take an admissions test.

3 It is important that you take the test by the required admissions deadline. This is important because a school will need your test results when it evaluates your completed application. 4. Request and pay for an official SCCC/ATS academic transcript to be mailed directly to the school where you are applying for transfer credit. 5. Ask former instructors for letters of recommendation if required 6. Apply for financial aid. 7. Apply for on-campus housing. 8. Submit a writing sample if required PLEASE REMEMBER: When transferring to another school, you will need to apply for admission to the school and for admission to the specific college you want to enter. For example, if you want to study Dental Hygiene at Wichita State University, you need to apply to both Wichita State University and to the WSU College of Health Professions. The school s College of Health Professions has a separate application process and entrance requirements. The minimum GPA (grade point average) to be admitted to WSU is 2.0. The minimum GPA to apply for admission to the WSU Dental Hygiene program is Things to consider when transferring to another school Four-year colleges and universities are like two-year colleges, towns and cities. They often have their own character or personality. This includes academics but also special school traditions, extracurricular activities and values. For example, some school may nave many fraternities and sororities on campus. Other schools may not have any. Some schools place a great emphasis on student athletic teams. The student body is expected to be interested in school athletics and support school teams by attending home and away games. Some schools have reputations for excellence in particular academic areas. For example, some four-year universities have Departments of Colleges of Agriculture that offer many different agriculture degrees. Other schools may not offer any agriculture degrees or classes but may be known for art, business or biology programs. The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), collects, analyzes and makes available information related to education in the United States and other nations. It is an excellent source for you to research various statistics about public institutions. When you research a college where you think you want to transfer, here are some questions to think about: The personality of a school Am I going to fit in with the culture of this school? Am I considering this school because its programs really interest me or because someone in my family attended the school? Am I considering this school because its programs really interest me or because some of my good friends are planning to go to the school? How many students attend this school? Are my future classmates mostly from small towns or big cities? Are older students attending classes on campus? Will I have classes with both older students and students around my age? Does this matter to me? Am I comfortable being in groups of people from very diverse backgrounds? Is this a faith-based school? Is this important to me?

4 If this school has an athletics program, is that important to me? Am I interested in participating in extracurricular activities? Have I visited the school campus? Is the atmosphere casual or conservative? Do I feel comfortable walking around in flip-flops and shorts on campus? Do I think I will fit in? The size of the school The number of students who attend a school shapes its personality. Some four-year universities have large graduate school programs and there are many students on campus. Here are some questions to think about: Is the size of this school right for me? How many undergraduate students and graduate students attend this school, on-campus and online? How many students will be in my classes? How does attending a large school affect my class schedule? Location There are many ramifications that result from transferring to a particular school. One you might not think about is where the school is located. Is the school location right for me? It is in a large or small city? What are the neighborhoods around the school like? Do most students live on campus? Do many students commute to campus? How far is the school from home? Have I ever lived away from home for an extended period of time? If I did, did I become homesick? Do I plan to return home often on weekends? How will I get back and forth from home to school during the school year and at the end of the school year? Do I plan to return home for the summer or do I plan to live away from home year-round? What is the school s safety record? Will I feel safe studying at the library at night? Will I feel safe walking around campus at night? Academics What is the school s academic reputation? Does this school offer my major? Do I meet the school GAP admission requirements? Do I meet the program GPA requirements? Money How much will it cost to attend this school? Have I worked out a realistic budget for going to this school? Will I have health insurance through the school? Have I included health insurance and health costs into my spending plan? How much will it cost to travel from home to school? Have I planned for travel costs?

5 Am I being honest with myself about my spending ha bits? Have I included impulse purchases in my budget? Gifts? Entertainment? If there is a family emergency, do I have savings to travel home? If I m interested in athletics, how much will it cost to attend home and away games? Did I include these expenses in my budget? Will I receive financial aid from this school? If I do receive financial aid from this school, will it cover all my expenses? If I borrow money to attend this school, will it limit my career plans after I graduate? Am I being realistic when I consider applying to a very expensive school? Is there another school that fits my needs that isn t as expensive? How should I plan my SCCC/ATS degree if I want to transfer? If you attend SCCC/ATS and are planning to transfer to a four-year college or university or an advanced technical program, you should start planning immediately. 1. Make sure your academic advisor knows you want to transfer to a four-year program. 2. Start researching the academic requirements for the program in which you want to enroll. 3. Ensure that as many SCCC/ATS credits as possible will transfer to your target school. 4. Ensure that you SCCC/ATS courses will meet as many prerequisite requirements as possible for your four-year degree. \ Where do I go for help with transfer issues? If you have questions and need help with transfer, contact: 1. Your academic advisor 2. The transfer information website of the school to which you want to transfer. 3. The transfer advisor in the admissions office of your target school. 4. If you are in a science, technology, engineering and mathematics field, contact the SCCC/ATS STEM Transfer Coordinator in Room A135A, Hobble academic Building. What can I do at SCCC/ATS that will help me after I transfer? First, plan ahead. Find out as much as you can about your transfer school s admission requirements, procedures and deadlines. Ask your SCCC/ATS academic advisor about social and academic expectations at the four-year school. If you plan to transfer to a four-year school, get help from your academic advisor while attending SCCC/ATS. Visit the campus. Talks to transfer students from SCCC/ATS about their experiences and ask their advice. Second, study hard. Work at developing good study habits. They include: a. Knowing how to take good notes b. Scheduling daily study time c. Developing test review and test-taking strategies d. Developing research skills Third, work on getting good grades now. Good SCCC/ATS grades may help you win future scholarships. SCCC/ATS instructors, like college instructors everywhere, remember students who work hard at their studies and get good grades. Your current college instructors are your future transfer school and job recommendations.

6 Scholarships There are many scholarships available for transfer students. Start researching scholarships early. You should mail your application at least a month before the deadline. Some transfer scholarship deadlines are in December. The following supporting documents may be requested with scholarship applications. We suggest you make a master file for these documents and photocopy or print a quantity, or scan the documents, so you will have them handy. Documents include: 1. Essay 2. Extracurricular activities sheet or 3. Curriculum vitae if in college, or resume if you are in the job market 4. Transcripts 5. SAT and/or ACT scores 6. Letters of recommendation 7. Newspaper articles, etc., about yourself (if you have any) Source: The Scholarship Book, 13 th Edition, Daniel J. Cassidy, Founding Editor, National Scholarship Research Service, Prentice Hall Press, 2008 p. xvi Comprehensive scholarship guides in book form are available in the SCCC/ATS Financial Aid office and the library. There are many other scholarships posted on the internet. A sample of scholarships available to community colleges and scholarships of interest to STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) and minority students League of United Latin American Citizens/LULAS National Educational Service Centers (General Electric/LULAC Scholarship) Amount: $5,000 Fields: Business, engineering American Welding Society Amount: $2,500-$3,000 Fields: Welding engineering and technology Hispanic College Fund (HSF/SHPE Inc. Scholarship Program) Amount: At least $2,500 Fields: Engineering, mathematics, science and computer science National Technical Association, Inc. (Scholarship Competition for Minorities and Women in Science and Engineering) Amount: $500-$5,000 Fields: Science, mathematics, engineering, applied technology

7 Chicago Mercantile Exchange administered by the National Pork Producers Council Amount: $2,500 Field: Agriculture CHS Cooperatives Foundation Scholarship Program (Agriculture Studies) Amount: $600 Field: Agriculture Student Conservation Association (SCA Resource Assistant Program) Amount: $1,180-$4,725 Fields: Environment and related fields (agriculture, archaeology, anthropology, botany, caves, civil engineering, environmental design, engineering and education, fisheries, architecture, environmental design, paleontology, wildlife management, geology, hydrology, library/museums, surveying) United Agribusiness League (UAL Scholarship Program) Amount: varies Fields: Agriculture, agribusiness American Chemical Society (Minority Scholars Program) Amount: $4,000 Fields: Chemistry, biochemistry, chemical engineering and chemical technology Global Automotive After-Market Symposium Amount: $1,000 + matching grant Fields: Automotive aftermarket; various fields. NOTE: Open to graduating high school seniors enrolled in a college-level program or a vocational NATEF-accredited automotive technician program. Matching bonus awarded for working in the field for at least six months after graduation. American Legion (Department of Kansas Scholarships/Ted and Nora Anderson Scholarship Fund; Albert M. Lappin Scholarship; Hugh A. Smith Scholarship) Amount: $500-$1,000 Fields: Any NOTE: Open to children of Kansas Legion and Auxiliary members Cargill (Community Scholarship Program) Amount: $1,000 Fields: All

8 NOTE: Open to high school seniors who are from a family whose livelihood is at least 50 percent derived from farming. Comision Femenil Amount: $1,000-$1,500 Fields: All NOTE: Open to Latina women pursuing their education at an accredited college or university; awards are based on financial need and community involvement. Contact Ana Gonzalez, at Comision, for details P.O. Box Los Angeles, CA Congressional Hispanic Caucus Institute (Summer Internship Program) Amount: Stipend, round-trip transportation and housing HENAAC Scholars Program Amount: $500-$5,000 Fields: engineering, mathematics, computer science, materials science Other scholarship sources

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12 Fort Hays State University transfer information

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16 Transfer agreements SCCC/ATS has transfer agreements with many colleges and universities so you can easily find if a SCCC/ATS course is equivalent to a course at the transferring school. If you are interested in private four-year schools, there is a Kansas Private College Transfer Guide available on the SCCC/ATS website. To reach this guide: 1. Log onto 2. Add the following information so your search engine field includes this information: 3. Click on Assessment and Research on the top navigation bar of the page. 4. Click on Reports 5. A Document library list will appear on the right hand side of the screen. 6. Scroll to Transfer Information 7. Click on Transfer Information 8. There you will find Kansas Private College Transfer Guides.pdf 9. Click the.pdf file to open For more detailed information about transfer and articulation agreements, visit the website of the Kansas Board of Regents at: The following is a list of the Kansas Board of Regent four-year universities with links to each school s transfer course equivalency guide. Emporia State University Home Page: Transfer Course Equivalency Guide: (Select Seward County Community College from drop down list) Fort Hays State University Home Page: Transfer Course Equivalency Guide: (Select Seward County Community College from the list) Kansas State University Home Page: Transfer Course Equivalency Guide: (Select Seward County Community College from the drop down list) Pittsburg State University Home Page: Transfer Course Equivalency Guide: University of Kansas Home Page: Transfer Course Equivalency Guides: (Scroll down to find Seward County Community College) Washburn University Home Page: Transfer Course Equivalency Guide: prod.washburn.edu/future/admissions/transfer-guides/ (Select Seward County Community College from the drop down list) Wichita State University Home Page: Transfer Course Equivalency Guide: (Use the drop downs to select Kansas, then Seward County Community College and then program from the list) Other regional schools you may consider for transfer include: Northwestern Oklahoma State University: Oklahoma State University: Oklahoma Panhandle State University: West Texas A&M University: Graduation is not the end of SCCC/ATS transfer resources to its alumni If a SCCC/ATS graduate ever encounters a problem with a SCCC/ATS course being accepted in transfer, he or she should keep two things in mind:

17 1. If transfer credit is denied, the student should never automatically accept denial as a final decision. 2. If transfer credit is denied, the student should contact SCCC/ATS s Dean of Academic Affairs. Often in this situation when the representative of the four-year institution has contact with an SCCC/ATS academic administrator, the credits in question more often than not will be accepted for transfer. In addition, the Kansas Board of Regents requires public, four-year colleges and universities to have an appeals process in place. If course credit transfer is denied, the student must have access to an appeals procedure that requires school administrators to review and change decisions made at the college or departmental level. Transfer checklist My top three choices Will I be able to transfer my SCCC/ATS course to these schools? Did I check the transfer and articulation agreement between the school and SCCC/ATS? How many SCCC/ATS credit hours will transfer? Minimum number of credits to qualify as a transfer student. Have I talked to a college representative? Have I visited the campus? When is the application deadline? Did I complete my application? 1. School #1 2. School #2 3. School #3 Circle one 1. School #1 yes/no 2. School #2 yes/no 3. School #3 yes/no Circle one 1. School #1 yes/no 2. School #2 yes/no 3. School #3 yes/no Number of SCCC/ATS credit hours 1. School #1 2. School #2 3. School #3 Minimum number of credits to qualify 1. School #1 2. School #2 3. School #3 Circle one 1. School #1 yes/no 2. School #2 yes/no 3. School #3 yes/no Circle one 1. School #1 yes/no 2. School #2 yes/no 3. School #3 yes/no Application deadline 1. School #1 2. School #2 3. School #3 Application completed /mailed 1. School #1 / 2. School #2 / 3. School #3 /

18 Did I mail my admission application fee? Did I request and pay for an official SCCC/ATS academic transcript for each school? Have I started researching scholarships? Do I have all the documents I need to complete scholarship applications? Paid application fee 1. School #1 2. School #2 3. School #3 Circle one 1. School #1 yes/no 2. School #2 yes/no 3. School #3 yes/no Circle one Yes/no Circle one Yes/no Start of school through October To do: Research schools Schedule college visits Research scholarships Write a resume Ask for letters of recommendation Estimate a budget Transfer timetable October through February To do: Apply for FAFSA to ensure you have best opportunity to get federal financial aid Apply to top three school choices Request official SCCC/ATS transcripts Meet with academic advisor Meet with financial aid Meet with scholarship office Apply for scholarships March through June To do: Pay attention to your mail, texts and for notifications Make sure you check your junk mail folder Receive confirmation for: Admissions Housing Scholarships Financial Aid If you haven t received notification, contact the offices to follow up

19 June through August To do: Attend an orientation session at the school you will attend Enroll in classes Budget your time as carefully as you budget your money Meet with your advisor Research and join a student organization that interests you Stick to your time management schedule Create a session calendar with important deadlines clearly marked Most importantly: Move it! Enjoy your new college! Jolie Griffin STEM Transfer Coordinator /2012