Take several steps to increase the number of your students who attend a CSU campus.

• Encourage students to successfully complete the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT).

• Encourage students complete 60 semester units or 90 quarter units of coursework that would be eligible for transfer to the California State University, including General Education.

  • Have your students become familiar with Intersegmental General Education Transfer Curriculum (IGETC) by visiting: http://www.csumentor.edu/planning/transfer/ge_igetc.asp

  • As part of the general education requirements for a bachelor's degree, all CSU students must meet the minimum of 48 semester units of general education breadth requirement. The general education requirement includes 39 semester units of lower-division (GE-Breadth) and at least nine units of upper-division courses, completed after transferring to the CSU. Have your students visit: http://www.csumentor.edu/planning/transfer/ge_breadth.asp for more information.

• Encourage students to complete at least 18 units of coursework in a major or area of emphasis as defined by your institution.

• Encourage students to earn a minimum grade point average (GPA) of at least 2.0 in all CSU-transferable coursework.

• Help your students to understand that the CSU is the nation’s largest and most affordable public four-year university system.

• Help students to understand the financial aid process and the availability of scholarships.

Reflect on the number of students from your college that attend the CSU, and analyze the year-by-year trends.

Explore data from other community colleges to see comparisons with other schools in your community.

Look at the data and reflect on the following questions:

• Are the majors that your students select what you expected given the types of programs that you have?

• Do the choices reflect the needs of the community?

• Is there a healthy balance of students majoring in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM)?

Play an active role in helping your students in their major selection.

• Encourage your students to think about college majors and preparation as early as possible and make sure that they know which majors are impacted at which campuses.

  • An undergraduate major is designated as impacted when the number of applications received from fully qualified applicants during the initial filing period exceeds the number of available spaces. Such majors are authorized to use supplementary admission criteria to screen applications. For more information on impaction visit: http://www.calstate.edu/sas/impactioninfo.shtml.

• Help students to understand the differences between STEM/pre-med/nursing majors that require heavy science and math prerequisites, and those that are more exploratory, like liberal studies.

• Help your students to see the realities of their major choices early. If they are interested in a STEM or pre-med track, encourage them to take prerequisites early to find out ASAP whether this is the path they want to follow.

Inform your students about the importance of getting off to a fast start.

• Students that complete 30+ units their first year of college are much more likely to graduate than those that do not.

• When students do not take full unit loads it will take them longer to degree and cost them more.

• Help students to understand that if possible, their goal should be to graduate in two years.

Help your students understand the opportunity costs associated with not taking at least 15 units each term.

• Loss in financial aid eligibility over time.
• Loss in wages by delaying entry into the full-time workforce.
• Increase costs in tuition, books and fees over time.
• Real costs associated when balancing a part time job not directly tied to career interests, and a full academic unit load.
• The risk of taking on heavy debt and predatory loans after 6 years.

Encourage students to visit their campus financial aid office to become familiar with their services. All students should complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) no later than March 2 each year.

Encourage students to attend the orientation for transfer students if offered by the campus.

Encourage students to meet with an advisor before they register for classes their first term.

Encourage students to seek on-campus rather than off-campus employment to help finance their education.

Encourage students to pursue internships relevant to their major and career interests to help keep them engaged in their studies and progressing toward their degree.

Encourage proven success strategies that keep students connected in college such as getting involved in campus activities and groups, getting to know professors, and staying focused on academics.