Champions Seal
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And the Higher Education Grammy Goes to…

Champions SealSecretary of State Alex Padilla called the Campaign for College Opportunity’s Champions of Higher Education award “the equivalent of a Grammy, the equivalent of an Oscar, and maybe even the equivalent of a World Series ring all rolled into one.”

While the Recording Academy hands out Grammys for Best New Artist, Album of the Year and Song of the Year, we awarded Champions of Higher Education awards for Excellence in Transfer, our higher education version of the Grammys, as Secretary Padilla calls it.

Specifically, these “Grammys” are awarded to California Community Colleges and California State Universities (CSU) that have supported students through the Associate Degree for Transfer (ADT), a streamlined transfer pathway that offers guaranteed admission with junior standing at the CSU. The goal of the Associate Degree for Transfer pathway is to increase the number of students transferring to 4-year universities by streamlining the transfer process. Our research shows that 48% of students with an ADT graduate from the California State University within two years with their bachelor’s degree compared to only 27% of traditional transfer students. And, since its inception in 2010, more than 69,000 students have earned an Associate Degree for Transfer.

The California Community Colleges and California State Universities that received the awards produced the largest number of students earning Associate Degrees for Transfer and have demonstrated significant growth in students earning the degree year over year.

Here are the California Community College Grammy categories and winners:

Most Associate Degrees for Transfer Awarded
These colleges conferred the most Associate Degrees for Transfer in 2015-2016. And the Grammys go to…

Diablo Valley College
Moorpark College
Pasadena City College

Most Associate Degrees for Transfer Awarded Relative to Campus Enrollment
These colleges awarded the most degrees relative to their full-time student enrollment in the 2015-16 academic year. And the Grammys go to…

Moorpark College
Citrus College
Cuesta College

Most Associate Degrees for Transfer Awarded as a percent of all Associate Degrees Awarded
These colleges awarded the most Associate Degrees for Transfer out of all associate degrees awarded. And the Grammys go to…

Glendale Community College
Diablo Valley College
Long Beach City College

Largest Growth in Associate Degree for Transfer Awards
These colleges significantly increased their number of students earning ADTs between the 2014-15 and 2015-16 academic calendar. And the Grammys go to…

Santa Ana College
Fresno City College
Diablo Valley College

Now for our California State University Grammy categories and winners:

Most Transfer Students with Associate Degrees for Transfer
These universities enrolled the most Associate Degrees for Transfer students in 2015-2016. And the Grammys go to…
California State University, Fullerton
California State University, Long Beach
California State University, Sacramento

Largest Growth in Associate Degree for Transfer Awards
This university demonstrated the highest percentage growth in ADT student enrollment. And the Grammy goes to…
California State University Bakersfield

Congratulations to all award recipients!

We hope that the colleges we’ve honored continue their efforts to ensure that every student who wants to transfer is supported and achieves their goal, and that they serve as models for other campuses seeking to better support current and future transfer students.

To learn more about our honorees, click here for a detailed description on their Associate Degree for Transfer data and watch the video below.