Students enrolled in the NOC-OSU Gateway program can take courses at NOC-Stillwater while preparing to transfer to OSU. The program grants students access to a number of campus resources to make the transition to OSU even easier.

US Department of Education recognizes OSU as state leader in transfer student success

Monday, November 13, 2023

Media Contact: Mack Burke | Associate Director of Media Relations | 405-744-5540 | mack.burke_iv@okstate.edu

A new report by the United States Department of Education shows students who transfer to Oklahoma State University in Stillwater or Tulsa are more likely to graduate with bachelor’s degrees than any other institution in Oklahoma.

OSU’s bachelor’s degree completion rate for federally-aided transfer students was 62% — well above the state average of 44%.

The report singled out the high graduation rates produced by the partnership between OSU and Northern Oklahoma College. It concluded that two-year and four-year institutions that are co-located and have strong transfer policies in place show better student outcomes and present benefits to both institutions. OSU has partnered with NOC in Stillwater and Tulsa Community College in Tulsa on programs that give transfer students access to additional advising, transfer credit support and campus services that help with the transition.

Dr. Jeanette Mendez, OSU provost, said OSU has made transfer student success a priority and this federal recognition is a reflection of OSU’s commitment to serving the state through its land-grant mission, empowering students to graduate and pursue fulfilling careers, and elevating Oklahoma’s economy.

“Transfer student success is an important initiative at OSU,” she said. “Through our strong partnerships with community colleges across the state, such as the OSU-NOC Gateway Program and the College Park program with Tulsa Community College, transfer students are prepared to succeed from their first day at OSU. We've put into place competitive transfer scholarships, effective transfer agreements between state institutions, and online transfer credit guides so students can understand exactly how their college credits will transfer into an OSU degree program. These and other strategies have led to the success of our OSU transfer students in Stillwater and Tulsa.”

The university has also led the Oklahoma Statewide Transfer Student Success Conference, which unites institutions statewide and provides a platform to share strategies for ensuring transfer student success. OSU-Tulsa is an active member of the Tulsa Higher Education Consortium, which champions transfer student success in the state’s second-largest city. The Tulsa campus has focused on transfer student success since its creation in 1999.

The university’s transfer student retention rate has increased more than 5% since fall 2017 and the four-year graduation rate has increased by more than 7% during the same period.

“As a system, OSU is committed to providing viable pathways for transfer students to achieve their educational goals and graduate with as little debt as possible,” said Jeff Hartman, director of undergraduate admissions. “From traditional transfer students to returning adults, we want students to finish orange and better their future. Establishing strategic community partnerships and creating degree programs that meet workforce demands are helping us do just that.”

The NOC-OSU Gateway program allows students to take courses at NOC-Stillwater while preparing to transfer to OSU. Gateway students have access to a number of campus resources, making the transition to OSU even easier. Students in the TCC-OSU College Park program take their TCC courses on the OSU-Tulsa campus in one of three degree pathways: business, psychology and engineering. Students also have access to campus resources and transfer support.

Both programs are bolstered by the hundreds of Transfer Maps created between OSU and each community college to provide students a guide to making sure all of their classes transfer.

“Oklahoma State University has diligently worked to become a top institution for transfer student success,” said Cheryl Kleeman, director of transfer and veteran services. “We've been leveraging data, best practices and our broader community to guide us in making strategic decisions that enhance transfer student outcomes.”