Inaugural Tulsa Transfer Week features new report to improve process for college transfer students

While Oklahoma ranks third in the nation for student transfers to four-year institutions, our state performs below average on those transfer students completing a bachelor’s degree. To help address this gap, Tulsa Mayor G.T. Bynum has declared the third week of October as Tulsa Transfer Week and a new report, released during the inaugural Tulsa Transfer Week, assesses the current transfer situation in northeast Oklahoma and outlines next steps to improve the process for students.

The report is part of the on-going collaborative work with Tulsa Community College and regional partners - Langston University, Northeastern State University, Oklahoma State University-Tulsa, Rogers State University, The University of Tulsa, and University of Oklahoma-Tulsa.

“As the state of Oklahoma’s top provider of transfer students, we have a responsibility to ensure our students who intend to transfer are given a clear pathway from application to graduation, and on to their transfer institution, and that they are prepared to succeed when they arrive,” said TCC President & CEO Leigh B. Goodson, Ph.D.

The Tulsa Regional College Transfer Report summarizes the accomplishments of each participating institution in the first year of the project funded by the Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation and through work with the John N. Gardner Institute for Excellence in Undergraduate Education. 

“As most of OSU-Tulsa’s undergraduate students have transferred from another institution, we are thrilled to celebrate the inaugural Tulsa Transfer Week and the Tulsa Transfer Project’s focus on this important population. We are particularly proud of our Transfer Maps initiative with Tulsa Community College, which has made the transfer process between TCC and OSU more transparent and connected to a student’s career goals. We look forward to continuing our work to build access and pathways to certificates, bachelor’s and graduate degrees for Tulsans," said OSU-Tulsa President Pamela Fry, Ed.D.

The three goals of the Tulsa Transfer Project are to increase the transfer rate of TCC students to four-year institutions, increase the percentage of transfer credits accepted toward majors at those four-year institutions, and increase rates of bachelor’s completion.

“We know an individual’s earning potential significantly increases with a bachelor’s degree—by nearly $20,000 annually compared to those with just a high school diploma, according to Census data on median earnings in Tulsa County. In supporting this collaborative work, we are increasing the likelihood that TCC students will have clear transfer pathways to the regional universities participating in this project, which will lead to higher rates of bachelor’s degree completion, a stronger workforce, and regional economic growth,” said Michael DuPont, Charles and Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation Program Officer.

Nationally, transfer students lose an average of 13 credit hours from a community college to a four-year university, according to the U.S. Government Accountability Office. By saving students time and money, producing more individuals with a bachelor’s degree, and having them stay in the region, this work is important to the economic growth of northeast Oklahoma and the state.

The Tulsa Regional College Transfer Report outlines 2019-2020 priorities for each of the seven higher education institutions participating in this collaborative effort as they seek to collectively improve the way they serve transfer students in the region.