SMC Leads in UC Transfers for 28th Straight Year

By Lookout Staff

December 17, 2018 -- Santa Monica College (SMC) sent nearly 1,300 transfer students to the University of California (UC) system in the last academic year, more than any other community college in the state for the 28th year in a row, school officials announced Monday.

The 1,289 students transferring to UC campuses was an all-time high for the school, which maintained its top spot in transfers to the University of Southern California (USC) and Loyola Marymount University, officials said.

SMC also was the top school for African-American student transfers with 54 and Hispanic student transfers with 199.

"Year after year, we are continually impressed by Santa Monica College’s efforts to academically prepare students,” said Han Mi Yoon Wu, UC’s interim associate vice president and director of undergraduate admissions.

SMC sent 146 students to USC in fall 2018, more than double the runner up. It also sent 98 of the 469 students who transferred to Loyola Marymount, more than triple the number sent by the runner up.

SMC finished a close second in the total combined transfers to California’s public four-year universities, sending 2,461 transfers the California State University (CSU) and UC campuses. The top-ranking college had 2,553 transfers.

“Each year, we await these numbers eagerly,” said SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffery.

Jeffery attributed the school's top ranking year after year to "the sincere commitment and deep investment Santa Monica College makes in supporting each student’s success.

She praised the school's "unparalleled classroom instruction, hands-on counseling support, and a campus culture that tells students 'Yes, you can!'”

Janet Robinson, who heads SMC’s Transfer Center, said the college "offers a plethora of transfer-related activities—workshops, weekly visits to campus by university representatives, and our once-a-semester amazing college fairs.”

It also offers a Scholars Program that prepares students for upper-division coursework and offers them priority consideration for admissions through special transfer agreements with several schools.

Once again, UCLA was the most popular destination for SMC students, with 504, or 39 percent, of all UC transfers.

UC San Diego was second with 182 transfers, followed by UC Santa Barbara with 161 transfers.

For more information about SMC’s Transfer Center and its services, visit www.smc.edu/transfer or email Robinson_Janet@smc.edu.