During National Transfer student week, Sonoma State celebrated the success of its transfer students and the programs that have boosted their enrollment and graduation rates.
Sonoma State is ranked third in the 23-campus California State University (CSU) system for two-year graduation rates of its transfer students. This year, the university saw a 10% increase in transfer student enrollment, in part due to SSU pathways programs created within larger CSU initiatives.
“Transferring to Sonoma State led to incredible growth for me. I’ve been able to connect with motivated, ambitious, and supportive peers through SSU’s Accounting Forum and Gateway to Professional Success program,” said Justine Leary, a second-year transfer from Diablo Valley College who will graduate in 2025.
“With the encouragement of a peer mentor in the Forum, Diana Lopez Rosillo, I applied for and secured an internship with Deloitte – one of the world’s leading business firms – just a month after joining SSU,” she said. Leary will graduate in May 2025 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration.
The Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), a joint program between the CSU and California Community Colleges (CCC), was created in 2010 to ease the transfer process.
In 2023, the CSU furthered access through the Transfer Success Pathway (TSP), which guarantees CSU admission to 2023 high school graduates and beyond who enter a California community college and commit to transferring within three years.
Sonoma State launched its own Guaranteed Admissions program in 2023 to ensure an equal-access pathway for community college students to obtain their bachelor's degrees. The program also gives prospective students early access to apply for scholarships. In addition, the university partnered with EdVisorly, a mobile-friendly app that helps connect transfer students with Sonoma State and provides easy to access information on ADT and requirements for transfer.
Sonoma State currently has Guaranteed Admissions partnerships with Marin Community College District, Mendocino-Lake Community College District, Napa Valley College, Santa Rosa Junior College, Solano Community College District, and the Los Angeles Community College District. The university is reaching out to partner with more community colleges in the South Bay and Sacramento regions.
Ed Mills, SSU Vice President for Strategic Enrollment, said SSU is expanding Guaranteed Admissions agreements with regional community colleges.
“Through these partnerships, we’re working together to increase access to higher education, build California’s workforce, and improve the lives of our students and families in our region and throughout California,” he said.