Cerritos College Students See Record High Numbers when Transferring to UC Schools and Record Lows for CSUs

With graduation less than a month away, transfer students at Cerritos College hope that the recent trend of high acceptance numbers to University of California (UC) schools continues and the low acceptance trend to California State University (CSU) schools snaps.

Since 2006, the total number of students at Cerritos College transferring to UC schools has remained steady and reached a peak in 2010 with 197 students transferring. During that same time period the total number of students transferring to CSU schools has steadily declined and was the lowest in 2010 with only 594 students transferring. This is a significant change from its peak in 2008 when 832 students transferred to CSU schools.

“UC schools have done a great job of managing transfer enrollment while the CSU have cut enrollment due to budget cuts.” said Co-Director of Transfers and counselor Brittany Lundeen. “It’s frustrating because we get students ready for the next step and sometimes there is no place for them to go.”

In 2010 transfer students had most success in transferring to UCLA and UC Irvine with both schools accepting 52 transfers each. That number doubled that of UC, San Diego at 26 and rounding out the top three was UC Santa Barbara with 21 students transferring.

“My goal is to attend a UC, and hearing the rates are staying high makes me feel optimistic,” said 17-year-old Veronica Sosa. “I wasn’t ready for a four year university after graduating high school but now my family has suggested I go to a UC.”

2010 also saw record lows for Cerritos College students transferring to local schools CSU Fullerton and CSU Long Beach -- both of which had the biggest loss in transfer students from Cerritos College by far.

 Transfers to CSU Fullerton went from 194 students in 2008, to 128 in 2010. that’s a loss of 34 percent in just two years.

 The situation for Cerritos College students transferring to CSU Long Beach is even more discouraging. In 2008, a total of 299 students transferred, establishing the highest transfer class in the past five years. But in 2010, only 128 students transferred, a loss of 57 percent.

“That’s horrible, but I am still going to do it,” Lorena Barahona, a 22-year-old Psychology Major at Cerritos College, said when she heard how much student transfers were down. Barahona’s has her sights set on getting into CSU Fullerton or CSU Long Beach because she likes the campuses and staying close to home is important to her.

According to Lundeen the drop off to CSU Long Beach and Fullerton are a result of local area enrollment that gives community colleges in the local area priority. With this priority, students at these schools may get into these CSUs with a lower G.P.A. than students at Cerritos College. This affiliation doesn’t seem fair to Lundeen since Cerritos College is closer to both CSU campuses than other Colleges that are considered local area schools.

CSU Dominguez Hills is the only CSU that has had a special partnership with Cerritos College and is the only school that actually increased enrollment of transfer students to the highest it’s been in 2010 with 185 transfer students.

While budget cuts from the CSU are responsible for scaling back on new admission, the trend is likely to continue as the CSUs announced that an additional 10,000 students across the state will be turned away.

 “We urge students to look at all their options and consider back up schools that they might not have been looking at and even considering private and out of state schools,” said Lundeen. “Also staying at Cerritos College and working on improving their G.P.A. will help them get in.”

For more information about transfer process at Cerritos College, visit the Transfer Center section on the school's website.