If you wonder whether transferring from one BC post-secondary institution to another is a good idea or not, just keep reading. The 2011 BC Diploma, Associate Degree, and Certificate Outcomes (DASCO) Survey recently reported by the BC Council on Admissions and Transfer (BCCAT) finds that post-secondary students are using the BC’s admissions and transfer system very well for continuing their studies after having studied in the college (i.e. Langara, VCC), teaching-intensive university (i.e. Cap U, Kwantlen, TRU, UFV and VIU), and institute (i.e. BCIT, Justice Institute of BC) sectors in the province.
On the whole, the report maintains that in 2011, fifty-five percent of all students who continue their studies were transferring to another college or university, compared to 68% back in 2002. (BC Stats.gov.bc.ca outcomes/DASCO Special Reports/BCCAT, 2011). Students were inclined to transfer to the research-driven universities, such as UBC, UVic and SFU, which received 69% of the transfers. Individually, UBC-Vancouver and UBC-Okanagan combined received 26% of the transferred students, while SFU and UVic had 23% and 14% respectively. The top 4 institutions that appear to send most student transfers are Capilano University, Langara College, Douglas College and Kwantlen Polytechnic University.
One of the reasons for this trend is that Applied program (i.e. Business & Management, Education, Engineering, Trades, Health, Human & Social Sciences) students (61%) were looking to complete their degrees at other teaching-intensive or research universities. Eight-six percent of the students were satisfied or very satisfied with the transfer credit they received from their desired institutions: Students transferring from Arts and Sciences programs were more likely to receive transfer credit they expected (87%) than those transferring from Applied programs (83%).
Only 8% of all respondents to the DASCO Survey reported that certain areas of the admissions and transfer system need improvement, so generally the transfer applicants were very happy with the transfer process. The areas identified were:
- Improved service from academic advisors and admissions staff at the institutions;
- Increased availability of clear, accurate, accessible, and timely information about course transfer;
- More opportunities for transfer credit from one school to another; and
- Increased collaboration among sending and receiving institutions.
On the whole, the overall transfer experience for post-secondary students remains very satisfying and encouraging for those who wish to work towards a Bachelor degree program or making their next step to graduate studies in an advanced degree. Options Solutions offers comprehensive service in assisting with degree-program planning either for continuing studies in the same institution or transferring to another school. Contact us to find out how we can help you.
