California State University, Community College System Announce Dual Enrollment Partnership

The Transfer Success Pathway creates a way for high school graduates to guarantee future admission to a California State University campus through the California Community Colleges.
By
portrait of Margaret Attridge
Margaret Attridge
Read Full Bio

Writer

Margaret Attridge is a news reporter for BestColleges focusing on higher education news stories in California. She graduated from the University of Maryland, College Park in May 2022 with a BA in journalism and government and politics....
Published on March 28, 2023
Edited by
portrait of Darlene Earnest
Darlene Earnest
Read Full Bio

Editor & Writer

Darlene Earnest is a copy editor for BestColleges. She has had an extensive editing career at several news organizations, including The Virginian-Pilot and The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. She also has completed programs for editors offered by the D...
Learn more about our editorial process
Image Credit: California State University, Fullerton.

  • A new dual enrollment program was announced by California State University and the California Community Colleges.
  • First-time, first-year students can get guaranteed admission to the CSU campus of their choice if they complete the necessary requirements.
  • Students from California Community Colleges make up 95% of CSU transfers.

The California State University (CSU) system and the California Community Colleges have established a dual enrollment program.

The Transfer Success Pathway will guarantee high school graduates entering the California Community College system future admission to any school in the CSU system if they commit to transferring within three years.

"Our community college transfer students are an integral part of our Cal State community, and we are excited about the opportunity to work more closely with them earlier in their journey," April Grommo, CSU's assistant vice chancellor of strategic enrollment management, said in a statement.

"The Transfer Success Pathway is the CSU's promise and commitment to those who don't take a direct route to a four-year degree, particularly those who face academic, geographic, or financial barriers. We want you to know that the CSU counts you in, not out."

According to the CSU, students from the California Community Colleges make up 95% of CSU transfers, with 40% of CSU transfer students graduating within two years, and 80% within four years.

The program is a direct result of a California Assembly bill that would require the CSU and the University of California (UC) system to offer dual admissions programs to eligible first-time, first-year applicants that would guarantee admission to a specific campus if they complete the transfer requirements.

Currently, UC has the Transfer Admission Guarantee program, which offers guaranteed admission to students transferring directly to a UC school from any California community college. Six of the nine UC schools are part of the program, with the University of California, Los Angeles; the University of California, Berkeley; and the University of California, San Diego not participating.

First-time, first-year state community college students, starting with the high school graduating class of 2023, are eligible for the CSU's program if they:

  • Were not eligible for CSU enrollment when they graduated high school
  • Were eligible but decided not to attend due to personal or financial reasons
  • Were eligible but did not enroll because their application to their campus of choice was redirected to another campus

A CSU Transfer Planner portal will launch this summer to help students determine if they are eligible and decide what campus they want to apply to, according to the university system.

Students will be able to apply and enter into an agreement with that specific campus to complete an associate degree for transfer or an established course of transfer at a community college within three years in exchange for admission.