RBC JOINS THE TRANSFER SCHOLARS NETWORK
February 1, 2023
Richard Bland College is pleased to announce its status as an Affiliate of the Transfer Scholars Network (TSN), a program dedicated to expanding transfer from two-year colleges to some of the nation’s most highly selective colleges and universities.
Led by the Aspen Institute College Excellence Program with support from the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, TSN aims to expand the national transfer pipeline to high-graduation-rate four-year institutions. To achieve that goal, TSN facilitates direct connections between high-achieving two-year college students and admissions representatives at highly selective colleges and universities.
Richard Bland’s President, Dr. Debbie Sydow, shared that the “Transfer Scholars Network will add a great many quality options for our transfer students.” As part of a small cohort of two-year colleges selected as TSN Affiliates, Richard Bland College will be able to nominate high achieving students for access to the following four-year partners located in Massachusetts, New York, and Texas:
- Amherst College (MA)
- Cornell University (NY)
- Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MA)
- Mount Holyoke College (MA)
- Rice University (TX)
- Smith College (MA)
These 4-year partner schools provide students in TSN with exclusive webinars and resources, generous financial aid, and ongoing support as they navigate the transfer admissions and financial aid process.
Students will be nominated for TSN based on eligibility criteria including demonstrated academic achievement, financial need, holistic life and professional experiences, and transfer readiness. Once they receive personalized nomination letters, they submit a short application to the TSN portal and are quickly connected with senior admissions leaders at the four-year partners.
Since 2021, TSN has engaged 372 students from eight 2-year colleges. The overwhelming majority of TSN students have a GPA of 3.5 or higher and are from lower-income backgrounds and/or communities of color. After successful completion of the Affiliate pilot program, RBC will be eligible for full partnership in TSN in Summer 2023.
The TSN initiative shows promise in diversifying the student pipeline at the nation’s top universities. After its first full admissions cycle in Spring 2022, at least 20% of TSN students who applied to four-year partner colleges received offers of admission, outpacing the average admission rate of 15.6% at these schools.
For more information, visit https://transferscholars.org/. For questions specific to Richard Bland College and the Transfer Scholars Network, please contact Dr. Ann Ifekwunigwe, University Center Director at aifekwunigwe@rbc.edu or (804) 862-6100 x6246.
TAGS: Transfer, Academic Advisement, Transferring, Partners
