Academics
Metric Four
Metric 4: Transfer Admissibility and First-Term Grade Point Average at Receiving USG Institutions
Student transfer to USG senior institutions is an integral part of the mission of the state college sector institutions of the University System of Georgia. Transfer is also important in SGSC's current Moving Forward: 2019-2024 Strategic Plan, Goal 3. The data below shows that for all academic years, most SGSC students who transfer out are enrolling at comprehensive universities rather than at another state college, indicating that they are either transferring upon graduation from SGSC or transferring before graduation from SGSC to pursue a bachelor's degree. In either case, students gaining admission to senior USG institutions and transferring from SGSC are considered to have been prepared at SGSC for admission to a USG institution with higher admissions requirements than those of SGSC.
The second year of the pandemic impacted the number of SGSC students transferring to other USG institutions (2021-22), especially to comprehensive and state universities. No one expected the pandemic to continue for as long as it did, and the impact has lingered. Students were questioning their plans to attain a four-year degree in the first place due to perceptions of rising costs, increased burdens of student debt, and a stronger labor market, even for unskilled workers.
| Transfer from SGSC to Other USG Institutions by Sector and Year | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | 2022-23 | 2023-24 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Research Universities | 21 | 36 | 23 | 25 | 14 |
| Comprehensive Universities | 227 | 239 | 129 | 92 | 132 |
| State Universities | 72 | 84 | 42 | 28 | 43 |
| State Colleges | 64 | 47 | 51 | 39 | 26 |
| Total USG System | 384 | 406 | 245 | 184 | 215 |
| Source: USG ADC Census; USG Degrees Conferred Reports - https://www.usg.edu/research/usgbythenumbers | |||||
Analysis and Evaluation of Metric 4
The five-year average GPA of SGSC transfer students at receiving institutions has slightly improved to 2.97. For the 2023–24 academic year, SGSC transfer students achieved an average GPA of 2.91 in their last term at SGSC, and an average GPA of 2.84 in their first term at the receiving institution. SGSC continues to support academic readiness for transfer, demonstrated by an aim to increase this GPA average to a stable 2.90 or higher at receiving institutions.