Going to college has long been labeled a time of transition, but that may be true in more ways than one. While typically the sentiment is meant to describe how young students grow into adults and shape their values, a lot of other transitions are also common. According to the U.S. Department of Education, one-third of college students will switch majors at least once. Even more dramatically, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center has reported that over 30% of college students will transfer to a different academic institution.

The reasons students decide to transfer are numerous. Some students may decide they are in the wrong major and decide to pursue another major that is not offered at their current institution. Other students may choose to transfer because their current institution is not a good fit for them culturally. Many students decide to attend a two-year community college to save money or jump start some of their credits before pursuing a bachelor degree at a four-year institution. These situations are simply growing pains as students develop into mature adults and build a sense of place as they solidify their goals.

Sadly, sometimes students are forced to transfer colleges when their current institution unexpectedly shuts its doors. According to Moody’s, private college closures have doubled since 2015 to 11 per year. For current students, transferring due to closure can be traumatic at best, and can increase financial burdens or prevent students from graduating in the worst case. A recent example of this can be seen in Cincinnati Christian University’s sudden announcement that they were closing at the end of the fall 2019 semester.

Transferring is very similar to the traditional application process. In addition to visits, submitting transcripts, and completing FASFA, there are potential bumps transfer students may feel along the way. During transcripts review, students may find they have lost some of their hard-earned credits in the process.

Finding Help in a Transfer

At Ohio Christian University, it is our policy to transfer as many credits that are eligible from a student for their selected degree program as possible (eligible course credits must have been completed with a grade of C- or above). There are some restrictions, however, due to Higher Learning Commission requirements, including the policy that all students, transfer or traditional, matriculate a minimum of 30 credits from Ohio Christian to graduate (lower requirement than many other institutions).

Ohio Christian University also offers a financial safety net few other universities do through its Payback Promise program. Payback Promise is a loan repayment assistance program that assists graduates from OCU in repaying their federal, private, and Parent PLUS loans if they make less than $45,000 after graduation. To be eligible, students must have two years of full-time coursework (48 credits) remaining. Additionally, the program will only cover loans acquired as a student at Ohio Christian.