91社区

The Focus on Transfer Student Success is Getting Stronger

March 2023

In the last several years, the 91社区 (USF) has enhanced the student transition experience for students transferring to USF. These efforts ramped up with the launch of the Fuse program in the fall of 2017 where a clear path of coursework was created for students to receive an AA degree at a regional 91社区 College System (FCS) institution then transfer to USF to receive their Bachelor鈥檚 degree. This pathway ensures that the credits a student takes at the FCS institution will be accepted towards the major requirements.

The USF Office of Transfer Student Success (OTSS) has over 12,000 touchpoints with students per year. There are many students who transfer and may not be part of the Fuse program and need a way to know what courses will transfer. USF recognized this gap area and the need for a software solution for transfer students to transition more effectively.

The solution will be be publicly accessible and the purpose of this technology is to:

•  Allow students the ability to determine how their course work will transfer to USF prior to the admission process.
•  Allow prospective and current students to request a course review for non-USF classes, if there is no direct equivalency.
• Provide an estimated time to completion for a USF bachelor鈥檚 degree if admitted to USF as a transfer student.  

In July 2022, the Helios and Lumina Foundations granted the 91社区 Consortium of Metropolitan Research Universities (FCMRU) $1,250,000 and $400,000 respectively to reduce transfer shock, shorten time to degree completion and align curriculum at University of South 91社区, University of Central 91社区, and the 91社区 International University.

This funding will assist the other two consortium universities with their areas of focus and USF with the technological solution gap. All three universities will collaborate on software to utilize the courses that have already been articulated from all three schools in one location.  

Providing access to course data upfront will help them graduate on a timely basis and avoid excess credit hours. There are time and financial savings for the student and university in developing this type of platform.

Other updates in the Office of Transfer Student Success:

• The course Academic Transitions will be offered again Fall 2023 after not being offered for a couple of years. This is a three-credit upper-level course to assist students with transfer shock, navigating the university, finances, reading engaging case studies to learn and reflect, and more.
• Presenting a full live presentation at Transfer Orientation for the upcoming spring orientation season. The team provides tips for transfer students and prepare them with questions to ask when meeting with their advisors.
• USF Transfer Success Council members with representatives from across USF, have been involved with the articulation platform process. They are also working on a strategic plan to look at the transfer student experience, transfer readiness, and faculty interactions with transfer students.
• State partners and LEAP Tampa Bay have reapproved scholarships for students in the Fuse program. The students can receive up to $5,500 throughout their academic journey when they start the Fuse program at Hillsborough Community College (HCC), St. Petersburg College (SPC), and those in an Education major at Pasco-Hernando State College to receive their Associate鈥檚 degree and finish their bachelor鈥檚 degree at USF.