Choose a Transfer School

It is important to research your options before choosing where to transfer for your bachelor's degree.

accreditation

Accreditation refers to a process where an institution is reviewed for meeting standards of excellence. There are different types of accreditation for schools and also for specific programs. Be sure to check your school's accreditation status and, if relevant, your specific program's accreditation to make sure that the degree you get will have the status you need to meet your goals. This is especially important if you eventually plan to attend a master's or higher degree program or to apply for state licensure.

Example:
You can see Jefferson's accreditation here, as well a list of Jefferson programs with specific programmatic accreditation. See how Jefferson accepts transfer credits.

Programs

It is important to find out if a school offers your program of interest. You can search the school's website for the programs offered, or you can use the Kentucky Academic Program Inventory (within Kentucky) or O*NET OnLine (US) to pull up lists of schools that offer your program.

Kentucky Academic Program Inventory: 
Enter your program of interest in the keyword search box.
Fill in the drop down in the site name box.
Click "View Report."

O*NET OnLine
Enter your program of interest in the keyword search box at the top right.
Select your occupation.
Scroll to Training & Credentials.
Search by state or zip code.

credit transfer

Contact the school you are researching or look on their website to see how they receive transfer credit. Some schools will complete an unofficial evaluation for you either before or after you are admitted. Others will not offer this, but they should be able to provide you some guidance on how your credits will be honored.

Associate's degrees are about 60 credits, and bachelor's degrees are about 120 credits. 

Consider asking a college representative these questions:

My JCTC degree will require ___ (number) of credits to complete. How many of those credits would count toward my major at your school?

After I transfer from JCTC, how many more credits will I have to earn to complete my degree at your school?

See our Degree and Credit Transfer page for more information.

admission

You can look on a school's website to find information about admission requirements and deadlines. It is also important to check if there are additional admission requirements for your specific program. For example, you may be accepted to a university but have to fill out a separate application or meet different requirements to be admitted to the university's college of engineering.

If you want to or are required to live on campus, also check for housing information and housing application deadlines.

cost

Tuition at a university is often much higher than tution at a community college. This is why we recommend you save any extra financial aid they receive while at community college for future tutition costs. This is also why it is important to take classses at community college that will count toward your final degree. However, just because a bachelor's degree can be expensive does not mean it has to be. Some schools are able to offer financial aid or scholarships that make university much more affordable. KHEAA and Affordable Colleges offer additional information.

Consider researching or asking these questions of a transfer school:

What do I need to know about using financial aid at a community collge and then at a university?

What financial aid could I receive at your institution?

Besides tuition, what other fees exist? Am I required to live on campus or purchase a meal plan?

What transfer scholarships do you offer, and what are the requirements?

REsources

It is worthwhile to think about what supports have been important to your success at community college. These might be supports like living with family or studying with friends, easy transportation, or a relative who cooks you meals. Then, consider how the schools you are attending offer similar resources. If they don't offer the resources most important to you, think about how else you could get that support while at the institution, or, consider a different school that would offer you better resources.

Plan ahead for your goals and dreams too! If you really want to go to a school that offers research, internships, volunteering, a specific student group, study abroad, etc., ask your school what opportunities are available.