PCC #1 in the State for Transfers to UC and CSU Systems

College also among top in the nation in degrees for minority students

The results are in, and Pasadena City College is the number one school in California for transfers to California State University and University of California.

According to data released by the UC President’s Office and the CSU system, PCC sent 2,321 students to these four-year institutions in Spring and Fall 2019.

PCC was also the top college in the state for transfers to the CSUs, with 1,506 students moving from Pasadena to schools throughout the four-year system. The top destinations for PCC transfers were CSU Los Angeles, CSU Northridge, and Cal Poly Pomona. 

Beyond the topline data, PCC is also ranked highly in degrees granted to minority students. According to data gathered by Diverse: Issues in Higher Education for the 2017-18 academic year, the college:

• Ranks 1st in California and 5th in Nation in minority students earning associate degrees
  
  • PCC showed the strongest year-to-year growth in this metric, at 31 percent
• Places 1st in California and in Nation in the number of degrees awarded to Asian American students
• Holds the top spot in California in the number of degrees awarded to Latinx students

“These figures affirm what our community already knows: no one can compare to PCC for academic achievement,” said Erika Endrijonas, Ph.D., superintendent/president of PCC. “We have been working tirelessly in recent years to streamline our curriculum, reduce barriers, and support our students in their educational goals. The numbers we see today prove that our approach is working.” 

The college currently offers 32 Associate Degrees for Transfer (ADTs), the “degree with a guarantee” that the CSUs and community colleges launched in 2012 to simplify transfers between the two systems. In the eight years of its existence the ADT has gone on to be accepted at private institutions, including historically Black colleges and universities, and it forms a framework for UC transfers as well. PCC was honored in December as the state’s top granter of ADTs in the 2017-18 academic year. 

PCC also has strong performance against its peer institutions in transfers to the UC system, ranking in the top five in the state. The college’s Honors Program has partnerships that give qualified participants priority admission to UCLA and UC Riverside, and the Transfer Admission Guarantee program provides guaranteed admission to a UC Campus.

Beyond the state systems, PCC is growing its partnerships with private colleges and universities as well. Pasadena students go on to attend USC, Azusa Pacific University, and other prestigious institutions, and the college has had four students transfer to Yale University in the last five years. 

The college has also garnered attention for the performance of its students following their move to a four-year institution. As a national Aspen Prize Top Ten Community College in 2019, PCC stood out with more than half of its transfer students completing their bachelor’s degrees, well above the national average.

“It’s thrilling to see that PCC is having such an impact on its students,” said James Osterling, president of the board of trustees of the Pasadena Area Community College District. “We are clearly bringing value to our community, and we’re so fortunate to help so many folks open the gateway to universities right here in Pasadena.”