SACRAMENTO – Under a new agreement signed Tuesday by the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office and the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities, or AICCU, California community college students pursuing an associate degree for transfer can receive guaranteed acceptance and a more affordable, seamless pathway to 36 private, non-profit four-year colleges and universities.

Students earning an associate degree for transfer – also known as a “degree with a guarantee” – have been assured acceptance to a California State University campus since the 2011-12 academic year, and the new agreement marks a significant expansion of the program since its inception.

California community college students with such a degree will now be guaranteed that prior coursework will be transferable to private, non-profit four-year institutions ranging from Azusa Pacific University to Whittier College, while also seeing a more streamlined and simplified transfer process.

The Associate Degree for Transfer Program’s expansion will help the California Community Colleges meet its ambitious goals set forth in its recently adopted Vision for Success, which, among other things, calls for substantial increases in the number of students transferring to a four-year college or university each year.

“Projections from the Public Policy Institute of California say the state will by 2030 have a shortage of 1.1 million workers holding a bachelor’s degree needed to meet workforce demands,” said California Community Colleges Chancellor Eloy Ortiz Oakley. “The Associate Degree for Transfer Program is vital to our economy, and we are proud to work with the Association of Independent California Colleges and Universities in providing our students additional opportunities to further their education and help guarantee their chances of achieving upward social mobility.”

The Associate Degree for Transfer has proven a success since its adoption. Nearly half of students with an Associate Degree for Transfer earn a bachelor’s degree from a California State University campus within two years, compared to just 27 percent for traditional transfer students, according to the 2017 Campaign for College Opportunity report.

Participating AICCU schools, as outlined in the agreement, will also collaborate with community colleges in providing pre-enrollment information and advice to interested community colleges students and engage in discussions about potential pathways toward a bachelor’s degree.

“AICCU has been actively engaged with Gov. Jerry Brown’s administration and the California Community Colleges Chancellor’s Office to open up a guaranteed transfer pathway for community college students to transfer to an independent California institution,” said AICCU President Kristen Soares. “Our commitment today will provide tremendous help toward creating new regional college access opportunities for transfer students to attend an institution that best meets their educational goals and increases their opportunity to succeed.”

The demand is there. One in five of all community college students nationwide are enrolled in a California community college, and approximately seven in 10 California community college students declare transferring to a four-year college or university as their intended goal.

AICCU ADT participating institution by term

Academic Year 2018-2019
Begin accepting applications in fall 2018

1. Azusa Pacific University
2. Brandman University
3. California Baptist University
4. California Baptist University Online
5. California Institute of Integral Studies
6. California Lutheran University
7. The Chicago School of Professional Psychology
8. Concordia University Irvine
9. Fresno Pacific University
10. Golden Gate University
11. Holy Names University
12. Humphreys University
13. La Sierra University
14. Los Angeles Pacific University
15. Mills College
16. Mount Saint Mary’s University
17. National University
18. Pacific Oaks College
19. Pacific Union College
20. Palo Alto University
21. Pepperdine University
22. San Diego Christian College
23. Simpson University
24. University of La Verne
25. University of Redlands
26. University of Saint Katherine
27. University of San Francisco
28. Whittier College

Begin accepting applications in spring 2019

1. Marymount California University
2. Notre Dame de Namur University
3. Point Loma Nazarene University
4. Saint Mary’s College of California
5. University of the West
6. Westmont College
7. William Jessup University

Academic Year 2019-2020
(Begin accepting applications in fall 2019)

John Paul the Great Catholic University