SACRAMENTO – California community college students aspiring to earn an associate degree guaranteeing admission to California State University (CSU) through a streamlined transfer program will have more than 1,600 degrees available starting this spring session, according to the California Community Colleges and CSU.

The California Community Colleges exceeded its goal of developing 1,600 Associate in Arts for Transfer and Associate in Science for Transfer degrees throughout the 112-college system by Jan. 1, 2015.

The Associate Degree for Transfer program, now in its third year, provides community college students with priority admission to a CSU campus. Once admitted, students complete an additional 60 units to earn a bachelor’s degree.

“The landscape of disciplines covered by the Associate Degree for Transfer program has expanded exponentially thanks to the work of the faculties of our two systems, and students now have a remarkable number of options available. This is a true success story in public higher education,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Brice W. Harris.

“Students earning transfer associate degrees arrive at California State University campuses well-prepared for upper-division coursework and are on-track to graduate in two short years,” added CSU Chancellor Timothy P. White.

To support the Associate Degree for Transfer program, the CSU has undergone a system-wide effort to reduce the number of units required to earn a bachelor’s degree without compromising quality.

Ninety-four percent of all BA and BS degrees now require only 120 units, and at 10 campuses every BA/BS program requires only 120 units.

The two higher education systems have also made it easier for students to chart their path to a bachelor’s degree with a new search tool on the program’s website, www.adegreewithaguarantee.com .

The tool allows students to search degree disciplines offered at different community colleges and identify CSU campuses as potential transfer destinations for earning bachelor’s degrees in the same discipline.

The transfer program’s popularity soared in the 2013-14 academic year, with nearly 12,000 associate transfer degrees conferred by community colleges, more than twice as many as the previous year.

Of the 12,000 degrees conferred about 7,000 students enrolled in CSU campuses to complete bachelor’s degrees.

The degree program was designed to address the challenges faced by transfer students, including difficulties transferring outside their region, earning far more units than needed for transfer, and repeating classes at a California State University campus to meet lower-division prerequisites.

The California Community Colleges is the largest system of higher education in the nation composed of 72 districts and 112 colleges serving 2.1 million students per year. Community colleges supply workforce training, basic skills education and prepare students for transfer to four-year institutions.

The Chancellor’s Office provides leadership, advocacy and support under the direction of the Board of Governors of the California Community Colleges. For more information about the community colleges, please visit http://californiacommunitycolleges.cccco.edu/ , https://www.facebook.com/CACommColleges or https://twitter.com/CalCommColleges .