How Do Transfer Pathways Work?

Transfer Degrees and the Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) are two affordable yet different ways to complete general education requirements at a local community college. 

The OTM is a structured sequence of introductory courses and does not confer an associate degree on its own. It’s a flexible head start for students who have not decided on a major or are beginning through dual enrollment.

For Transfer Degrees, students earn 90 transferable quarter hours (60 semester hours) through an AAOT, AAT, ASOT, AGS, AS, or AST program that pairs the OTM with more advanced coursework related to a student’s major.

Yes. Students who meet all transfer requirements are guaranteed a spot at their college or school of choice. This is the case for general Transfer Degrees, Major Transfer Maps (MTM), and the Oregon Transfer Module (OTM).

For a few considerations:

• Students who earned a general Transfer Degree or pursued the OTM will select a major after transferring.
• Students who pursued a program with an MTM will continue following their course of study, if their major is available.
• If the major is not available, MTM requirements will apply to general education and relevant major requirements.

 Review Transfer Admission Requirements

Private, nonprofit colleges in Oregon structure the year into 15-week semesters, while community colleges and public universities use a system of 11-week quarters. For equivalencies, every 4.5 quarter hours are worth 3 semester hours.

 Multiply community college credits by 0.67 to determine their value at an Oregon private college or university. This means a 90-quarter-hour associate degree will transfer as 60 semester hours. For context, a bachelor’s degree generally requires at least 180 quarter hours (120 semester hours). 

We advise students to start preparing their transfer application when they have earned at least 67 transferable quarter hours (45 semester hours) at their community college. 

Transferring can be a complex, involved process. As such, students should discuss their plans with their advisor when they begin community college to ensure they select the right courses and fulfill any major-specific requirements. This approach also helps avoid delays in enrollment and financial aid disbursement. 

Because we offer rolling transfer admissions, a student can submit their transfer application at any time.

Review All Transfer Milestones

Our transfer road maps are designed to guide each student’s journey forward — not delay educational goals through repeat courses or unclear requirements.

 Entering a new environment also means finding encouragement and a sense of belonging, as well as taking advantage of new and exciting opportunities. Oregon private colleges support our transfer students as they acclimate to campus life, whether they attend in person or online.

We streamline this transition by:

• Improving continuity: Students resume their studies and, in many cases, their athletic standing once they transfer.
• Creating a sense of community: An environment similar to attending community college brings transfers into the fold. Here, students engage with faculty in small classes and can explore their interests in various student-led campus groups.
• Providing hands-on, exploratory learning and career preparation: Internships, studying abroad, volunteering, and other opportunities push the boundaries of students’ knowledge and problem-solving skills. By bridging the classroom and workforce, we prepare our students for their next major transition.
• Offering degrees in a variety of formats: Oregon private colleges offer bachelor’s degree programs in several convenient formats, including on-campus programs with daytime, evening, and weekend classes, as well as online programs. All accept Oregon community college credits.
• Lowering costs through financial aid and scholarships: Multiple institutional awards, plus federal and state aid, put the cost of private colleges in Oregon on par with our public counterparts.

Courses from Oregon community colleges transfer to participating Alliance member colleges in one of two ways:

• Block transfer: A completed associate degree, including with or without a Major Transfer Map, is applied to fulfill nearly all first-year and sophomore courses. The Oregon Transfer Module (OTM) fulfills first-year courses.
• Course-by-course transfer: We review courses individually for students who transfer without a completed OTM or associate degree. Students will proceed based on the results of their evaluation.

Students transferring from community college into a bachelor’s degree program often discover their credits do not go as far as they assumed. Factors like misaligned curricula and major requirements can set them back a semester or more, increasing their costs and time to graduation. Some decide it’s not worth the effort and never finish their studies.

The Alliance continues to engage with Oregon community colleges to clarify these pathways, and our efforts have paid off. According to a 2016 report from the National Student Clearinghouse, Community College Research Center, and The Aspen Institute, degree completion rates for students who transfer from community colleges to in-state private colleges and universities significantly surpass the national average.

 In 2022, the Teagle Foundation and Arthur Vining Davis Foundations awarded us a “Transfer Pathways to the Liberal Arts Initiative” grant. This initiative seeks to strengthen transfer pathways into liberal arts programs and improve bachelor’s degree completion for community college transfer students among participating Alliance member institutions.