By Lookout Staff

December 7, 2010 -- For the first time in its history, more than 1,000 Santa Monica College students transferred to the prestigious University of California system this year.

Retaining its top spot by a wide margin, SMC transferred a total of 1,053 students to UC, an increase of 14.58 percent from 919 sent in 2008-09. It marked the 20th consecutive year that SMC has been the number one transfer institution to the UC campuses.

"Santa Monica College shows year after year its commitment to transfer but is always striving to get even more students into four-year universities," said SMC President Dr. Chui L. Tsang.

SMC's nearly 15 percent increase was far higher than the second-ranked institution, De Anza College in Northern California, which had 666.

UCLA continues to be by far the most popular destination for SMC students, with nearly half of the UC transfers -- 519 -- going to the Westwood campus. San Diego, Berkeley and Irvine, respectively, were the next most popular destinations in 2009-10.

Transfer Center Faculty Leader Dan Nannini says there are several reasons for SMC's strong transfer record: keeping

SMC's reputation for transfers, good recruiting practices, strong academic counseling and outstanding professors help account for SMC's continuing record, said Transfer Center Faculty Leader Dan Nannini.

In addition, the college's Transfer Center hosts the largest college fair in the state with representatives from 130 colleges and universities throughout the world attending this fall's event to recruit students, Nannini said.

SMC's Transfer Center also conducts workshops, holds weekly visits from four-year institutions, and has a close working relationship with UC and CSU to make sure SMC students get credit for their classes, Nannini.