Over the past few years, MU has been focusing on prioritizing relations with in-state community colleges and transfer students as a whole. On Oct. 4, MU made the commitment official by signing an agreement with the Missouri Community College Association.
The agreement highlights the university’s “shared commitment to increase opportunities for student access and success,” according to an MU News Bureau article.
Twelve two-year community colleges from across the state of Missouri signed the agreement, which focuses on streamlining the transfer pathways to MU.
Students will now have the opportunity to gain automatic admission to MU. In order to do so, students must have met all of MU’s general admissions requirements as well as having completed an associate’s degree in arts or applied science in nursing or teaching. Alternatively, they may have completed 43 hours of general education courses.
One of the primary goals of the agreement is to better represent transfer students at MU and ensure that they have the resources they need to graduate.
“We’re looking at ways to make it easier [for students] to know that they’re taking the right classes at their home community college, and then when they transfer here, they’ll be right on track to graduate in four years,” Kim Humphrey, vice provost for enrollment management, said. “That’s where the commitment lies, and it’s just making sure that we’re all in agreement: that we’re all playing a role in helping students in Missouri be more successful.”
Since last fall, MU has received a 16% increase in transfer student enrollment. Almost half of these students are from community colleges in Missouri.
Humphrey says that this increase is larger than normal, which stems from a variety of factors.
“[New Student Programs] is doing a great job of meeting with transfer students to advise them and make sure they’re in the right courses,” Humphrey said.
MU also uses newly-designed transfer pamphlets that tell students which courses they need to take before and after they come to MU and answer other questions they may have.
“Sometimes it’s hard, when you come in and other students have been here for two years, to find that fit and make it feel like you belong,” Humphrey said. “And so you’ve got that community — we have our orientation staff, our New Student Programs, and a program called TEAM.”
Mizzou Transfer Experience and Advising Mentors is a mentorship program for transfer students that includes activities and meetings to help students find their place at MU.
MU has also enhanced the scholarships available to transfer students from in-state community colleges since finances are one of the biggest factors that sometimes deter students from attending MU for all four years.
“We’ve established three new transfer scholarships that are based on GPA as well as a Phi Theta Kappa scholarship, which is available to students at those community colleges that are PTK Honor Society students,” Mitzi Clayton, director of community relations, said. “And then also rewarding those students who are completing their associate’s degree, because we know that if you complete your associate’s degree prior to coming to Mizzou, you have a higher likelihood of retention and graduation.”
MU officials hope to continue to make strides in transfer student success over the years to come.
“I’m really pleased about this — I’m happy that we’ve taken this turn,” Humphrey said. “I’m new to this role, but this is something that I’ve always felt was important, so I’m glad that the whole campus has bought into this initiative and we’re heading that way.”
_Edited by Laura Evans | levans@themaneater.com_