Pasadena City College Named Statewide Transfer Champion for Second Consecutive Year

Pasadena City College has been named a 2026 Pathway Champion of Transfer by the Campaign for College Opportunity, recognizing the college’s statewide leadership in helping students earn degrees that provide a clear path to a four-year university

It is the second consecutive year PCC has received the honor.

PCC earned the recognition for awarding 1,534 Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs), placing the college among California’s leading institutions in awarding these degrees. The achievement reflects PCC’s longstanding commitment to making university transfer more accessible and helping students achieve their educational goals.

“Pasadena City College sends more students to the UC and CSU systems than any other community college in California, but what matters most is what that means for our students,” said José A. Gómez, president of PCC. “Transfer can be complicated. The Associate Degree for Transfer helps take the guesswork out of the process and gives students a clear path forward. This recognition belongs to our students and the faculty, counselors and staff who support them.”

The recognition builds on PCC’s record as California’s leading community college for combined transfers to the University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) systems. According to the most recently reported statewide figures, 2,094 PCC students transferred to UC and CSU campuses, more than from any other California community college.

The Associate Degree for Transfer was created to simplify the process of transferring from a California community college to the CSU system. Unlike a traditional associate degree, the ADT provides a clearly defined pathway to a bachelor’s degree, with guaranteed admission to the CSU system and junior standing for eligible students. Students transferring into a corresponding CSU degree program can complete their bachelor’s degree with no more than 60 additional semester units.

“Every one of these degrees represents a student who has worked hard to take the next step in their education,” said Steven Gibson, president of the PCC Board of Trustees. “This award recognizes their determination and the commitment of everyone at PCC who helps students move forward. We are proud to see that work recognized for a second straight year.”
The Campaign for College Opportunity presented the award during its annual Pathway Champions: Celebrating Colleges Building Seamless Paths to Student Success event, held virtually on October 22.

The Campaign for College Opportunity is a nonprofit organization that advocates for policies to expand college access and student success throughout California. It has played a leading role in advancing statewide transfer reforms, including the Associate Degree for Transfer, which has helped hundreds of thousands of community college students pursue bachelor’s degrees.

Gómez also expressed appreciation for the Campaign’s longstanding leadership on transfer reform, particularly President Jessie Ryan and Executive Vice President Dr. Feliza Ortiz-Licon, whose advocacy has helped make college transfer a statewide priority.

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Since its founding over 100 years ago, Pasadena City College (pasadena.edu) has been a beacon of higher education for residents of the West San Gabriel Valley. Today, PCC educates more than 22,000 students in a wide range of programs for degrees and job-training certificates. The college is a three-time Aspen Institute Top Ten Community College and consistently leads the state for transfer to the UC and CSU systems, as well as public and private universities around the nation.