University of Southern California - Achievements and Promising Practices

University of Southern California Evaluation Overview

Location: Los Angeles, CA

Student Body: 16,500 undergraduate and 16,500 graduate students

Name of Program: USC SCholars Program

History of institutional work with community college transfer students:

  • USC has a history of admitting transfer students from California community colleges. Historically, however, few students have transferred from the community colleges closest to USC.

Community College Partners:

  • Los Angeles Trade Tech
  • East Los Angeles College
  • Los Angeles City College

Outreach:

  • A SCholars Club kick-off breakfast invites current community college students to campus to learn more about USC and the SCholars program.
  • SCholars participants currently attending community colleges are given sweatshirts as a way to foster affiliation with USC and the rest of their cohort.
  • The East Los Angeles College transfer center started a newsletter that features SCholars Club events.

Recruitment:

  • The SCholars program coordinator has regular office hours at each of the three partnering community colleges, during which he advises students regarding transfer to USC and encourages students to consider a full range of selective institutions, including UC schools.

Pre-admission Assistance:

  • “Day in the Life of a Trojan” and other pre-enrollment programs enable community college students to learn more about what it is like to be a student at USC.

Application & Financial Aid Support:

  • A dedicated admissions officer for each community college partner conducts an admissions workshop and manages the application process for prospective transfer students at their campus.
  • A dedicated financial aid liaison conducts workshops at the community colleges to advise students on completing the FAFSA and the CSS Profile.
  • SCholars in good standing with a 2.5 GPA or better, and who attend all required events, are eligible to apply for funds for professional memberships, journal subscriptions, graduate exam fees, honor society member fees, academic conference travel expenses, etc.

Post-admission Assistance:

  • The USC SCholars Club provides students with intensive post-admission support. For example, mid-semester grade reports are used to identify students in need of academic assistance (e.g., tutors, office hours).
  • Each semester SCholars invite a faculty member to lunch at the Faculty Club, fostering relationships between community college transfer student and USC faculty.

Institutional Commitment:

  • USC provides a dedicated study/social space for SCholars students since most do not live on campus.

Achievements through Year 2:

  • USC has enrolled 33 new low- to moderate-income community college transfer students from its partnering community colleges through the SCholars program.
  • USC established a new partnership with Los Angeles City College.
  • USC set up a SCholars Club website.
  • The program acquired new meeting and office space for the SCholars.
  • The program’s location in student affairs enables SCholars, once they have enrolled at USC, to receive the academic and social support they need to be successful.

Promising Practices:

  • The “Day in the Life of a Trojan” program is a successful pre-enrollment immersion experience that enables students to get a sense of the academic and social culture of USC.
  • The SCholars Club, along with an accessible staff member, provides needed support for transfer students. Having a well-appointed meeting and study space available is an important “home base” for these students, most of whom do not live on campus.
  • In response to the limited number of transfer slots available at USC, the coordinator spends time with students at the community college encouraging them to apply to USC as well as other selective institutions, such as UCLA. Assistance includes helping to fill out applications and reading personal statements. This approach has helped to raise the aspirations of community college students and helped to broaden the range of their transfer choices.
  • The Immersion Writing Experience provides incoming transfer students with an intensive writing course, informed by institutional research showing that transfers do not perform as well in writing, on average, as native students.

Brandeis University
Center for Youth and Communities
Heller School for Social Policy and Management
 Cathy Burack, EdD, Principal Investigator
Susan Lanspery, PhD