Making your Transfer Decision

Nationwide, at least 40% of college students are transfers. Transferring is common and transfer students are valued by the vast majority of potential transfer institutions.

Community College of Philadelphia offers three types of transfer agreements: dual admissions, core-to-core and program-to-program. These agreements are designed to assist students who earn an appropriate associate degree to transfer to one of our four-year partner institutions. These agreements are not exclusive of one another and can complement each other.

On the other hand, students are not limited to transferring to those institutions who have agreements with Community College of Philadelphia. In the Greater Philadelphia area alone, there are more than 80 colleges and universities. Considering the number of institutions and varying program options available in the United States, the potential transfer possibilities are vast.

So how do you choose from the many transfer options available?

0-15 Credits: Explore Your Options

  • Begin to research your transfer options. Check out the College’s Transfer Agreements and Partnerships.
  • Visit the websites of other institutions to review the majors offered and their transfer admission requirements.
  • Check the College calendar and attend transfer events such as Transfer Week, Transfer Fairs and Workshops.
  • Read the Transfer FAQs.
Your Transfer Options – What to consider....

First make a list of institutions you would like to learn more about. Select at least three. Once you have a list of institutions you would like to consider, go to each of their websites (or use the College Search Tools) to research following:

  • Academic studies 
  • Location 
  • Type of institution 
  • Types of program and offerings 
  • Size 
  • Demographic information 
  • Support services 
  • Cost 
  • Agreements 

If you are challenged by making a list of possible transfer institutions or need more information about each of these criteria, visit the College Search Tools page.

Use your time wisely!
Research the transfer admissions requirements for all the institutions you are considering. This will help you establish an academic goal as well as narrow down your transfer options.

16-30 credits: Plan Ahead

  • Meet with an academic advisor or counselor to discuss your major and course selection in regard to transfer.
  • Submit a dual admissions intent form. Login to MyCCP, go to the MyGPS tab and click on the Transfer/Dual Admissions box.
  • Maintain a strong GPA and complete the College’s scholarship application every year; the higher your GPA, the more scholarship opportunities available to you. 
Planning takes time…

Now that you have a list of transfer institutions and you have researched the topics in the previous section, you have your basic information. The next step is to gather some more specific information.

  • Attend Transfer Events – each fall and spring semester, Community College of Philadelphia, hosts Transfer Fairs and workshops facilitating direct communication with transfer institutions. Missed the transfer event hosted by Community College of Philadelphia? Check out the transfer admissions webpage for events such as Open House Visits sponsored by the transfer institution.
  • Confirm your Academic Pathway - Visit with a Community College of Philadelphia academic advisor or counselor to confirm your current associate degree is the best fit for your intended bachelor’s degree. Are you taking the correct courses for your transfer institutions of interest? Plan ahead to maximize the transfer of your courses.
  • Consult Faculty – Community College of Philadelphia faculty are experts in their field of study. They will know what it is like to work in your profession of interest and can recommend steps to take and possible transfer institutions to consider.
  • Submit Dual Admissions Intent Forms – if any of the institutions you are considering are also dual admissions partners, don’t forget to submit a dual admissions intent form. Dual admissions agreements are non-binding, meaning that a student who completes an intent form is under no obligation to transfer to that particular institution.

Use your time wisely!
Maintain a strong grade point average (GPA) while you attend Community College of Philadelphia! The higher your cumulative GPA, the more scholarships you qualify for!

31-45 Credits: Narrow Your Focus

  • Visit the institutions you’re interested in transferring to and determine if each school is a good fit. This is also the perfect time to confirm their admissions/enrollment process and financial/scholarship opportunities.
  • Inquire about additional courses or requirements expected by your transfer institutions of interest.
  • Continue to submit dual admissions intent forms for institutions with a 45 credit limit. 
Narrowing down and confirming your decision...

Now that you have a list of your transfer institutions of interest (at least 3 but no more than 10).
How do you feel about your list of transfer institutions? Have you ranked them in order of interest? How do they rank?

If after you have followed all of these steps, you still can’t narrow your list down or decide on your top two or three transfer options, try this:

  • Schedule a Campus Tour or Open House event - sometimes visiting the transfer institution can help.  Can you see yourself attending this institution?
  • Request that Admissions connect you with a student like yourself who is attending that institution. Ask them about their experience and/or any questions that admissions has not “quite” answered?
  • Confirm the admissions requirements and enrollment process. And of course, confirm your financial aid and whether any scholarships you are awarded will be offered once or until you graduate from there.

By following this process and doing the research, you are likely to select an institution where your classes will be accepted and where you will find a “good fit.” Transferring with the maximum number of credits decreases the number of courses you have to take at the transfer institution and increases the likelihood that you will earn your bachelor’s degree.

45+ Credits: Confirm and Finalize

  • Confirm your graduation requirements on My Degree Path and apply for graduation from the College in the Student tab when you login to MyCCP.
  • Finalize your top transfer institutions and begin the transfer admissions process.
  • Graduate from the College with the appropriate associate degree and with the minimum cumulative College GPA required for dual admissions scholarships. 
Last steps – Apply and Enroll

Graduation
Are you ready to graduate from Community College of Philadelphia? All students must complete a graduation application once they have registered for all remaining courses and have a cumulative Community College of Philadelphia grade point average of a 2.0 or higher.  Once your record is evaluated, your graduation application status will be updated. To submit a graduation application or check on the status of an already submitted form, login into your MyCCP portal account.

Transfer
Once you are ready to graduate and/or transfer, you will need to begin the admissions application process and after being admitted, the enrollment process. Because this can be a long process, it is recommended you begin early. The Admissions and Enrollment Process

Talk to an Advisor or Counselor 

Schedule an appointment to visit with a Community College of Philadelphia academic advisor or counselor to discuss the transfer process and to review your goals. 

Academic Advising

Bonnell Building, BG-12
1700 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-751-8777
advising@ccp.edu

Counseling Center

Bonnell Building, BG-7
1700 Spring Garden Street
Philadelphia, PA 19130
215-751-8169
counseling@ccp.edu

Academic advisors and counselors are also available virtually and/or at the Regional Centers.