Santa Barbara City College and Allan Hancock College have better-than-average transfer rates for their students, which they partly credit to having four-year universities nearby.

California community colleges failed to reach the state’s goal to increase the number of transfer students, and just 6% of students transferred to a University of California or California State University school in the 2020-21 school year.

That year, Santa Barbara City College had 7% of students transfer to a UC or CSU school and 11% transferred to four-year universities.

At Allan Hancock College in Santa Maria, 5% of all students transferred to a UC or CSU and 7% transferred to any four-year university. 

SBCC credits its transfer rate to being close to UC Santa Barbara and having a strong emphasis in transferring. 

“SBCC has a strong transfer-oriented culture that is encouraged and given high institutional priority,” says Angela Warren, the University Transfer Center interim director and University Transfer Academy coordinator. “SBCC also works to develop strategic partnerships with local area high schools and four-year institutions.”

Llerena said that being close to a UC school is a benefit for SBCC, with many students choosing to go to SBCC with the plan to eventually transfer to UCSB. 

According to the UC Information Center, 695 transfer students from SBCC were accepted into UCSB last fall.

During the pandemic, community college enrollment took a big hit. While enrollment is rising statewide, SBCC is still struggling to get back to the numbers it had before the pandemic. 

“We serve diverse student populations, which were hit the hardest by the pandemic.”  said Christina Llerena, SBCC’s dean of student affairs. “Basic needs costs such as food, housing, transportation, and access to technology can often be barriers to higher education.

“We are working to address these needs by offering a wide range of resources, including basic needs programs on campus.”

SBCC’s basic needs program offers assistance with groceries, financial aid, and housing.

Yvonne Teniente-Cuello, dean of student services at Allan Hancock College, told Noozhawk that one of the main reasons students don’t end up transferring is due to finances and housing insecurity. 

She noted that often students will make decisions without fully realizing their options. She encourages students to talk to counselors, peers, and teachers so that they are fully informed about their options before deciding they can’t afford school.

“Our students will make decisions in isolation, and not really talk to anybody,” Teniente-Cuello said.  “A lot of times they just need to talk it through and allow us to help them. We know the resources. We know the lingo. We know who to connect you with.”

Teniente-Cuello said that many Hancock students are first-time college students trying to go to school while working and taking care of their families.

“There’s that fear that they don’t want to leave home,” Teniente-Cuello said. “A lot of them help their families. ​​They’re working to make ends meet for their families. They’re working to provide for the family household.”

She also noted that if the college doesn’t meet the transfer goal, it’s not the students fault.

“​​I will never blame the student,” Teniente-Cuello said. “If the student didn’t go somehow, I don’t want to say we failed them, but somehow it’s on us and we have to do better.”

SBCC and Hancock College both have the advantages of being close to four-year public universities. UCSB is only 10 miles from SBCC and Allan Hancock’s Santa Maria campus is 34 miles from Cal Poly, San Luis Obispo.

Both Hancock and SBCC have Transfer Admissions Guarantee programs, which have guaranteed admission to six UC schools: Santa Barbara, Riverside, Davis, Santa Cruz, Irvine, and Merced.

Program participants also have guarantees at Northern Arizona University and Arizona State University.

Teniente-Cuello said that Allan Hancock doesn’t have a guaranteed transfer agreement with Cal Poly, but it does accept more transfer students from Hancock than anywhere else. 

Both Hancock and SBCC have university transfer centers where students can talk to counselors and staff about financial aid, where to apply, and what classes to take to get to where they want to go.