Transfer acceptance rate falls

Admission for transfer students at USC is becoming more selective, according to the Office of Admission.

Applications for admission increased by 131, while 26 fewer transfer students were actually accepted to USC for the 2011-2012 academic year.

“We’re seeing an increase in interest and an increase in the number of [applications] we’ve received,” said Dean of Admission Kirk Brennan.

The acceptance rate for transfer students decreased from 17.1 percent last year to 16.6 percent this year.

The Office of Admission said more transfer students enrolled in 2010 and 2011 than the university intended. The enrollment goal was 1,340 transfer students this year and 1,320 transfer students for the previous year.

The Office of Admission’s increased selectivity, however, brought the number of students enrolled this year closer to the target. Last year, 11.2 percent more transfer students enrolled than admissions had aimed for and this year, 6.6 percent more transfer students enrolled.

“Our concern is that we want to make sure we bring in enough students to keep the university full,” Brennan said. “But we don’t [want to] overfill [the university] to make it too crowded or difficult to get housing or food, and there are only so many classrooms and laboratories.”

Nicole Stockdale, a junior transfer student majoring in economics, said  the more selective transfer process increases the prestige of being a transfer student.

“[The increase in selectivity] is definitely more of a compliment for us as transfer students,” Stockdale said. “Often times I don’t tell people I’m a transfer student because they’ll think I got the easier way in.”

According to Zoe Roth, a junior transfer student majoring in narrative studies, transfer students benefit the university by adding their diverse experience to USC.

“Transfer students [use] their different college experience and bring it back to USC,” Roth said. “I’m very grateful [being at USC], since I always wanted to go to here from high school and, even though I didn’t get in, I still wanted to go and knew I wouldn’t settle.”