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Change increases equity in higher education and supports economic recovery

San Francisco – August 11, 2020 – In a move that strengthens equity in higher education, San Francisco State University and City College of San Francisco are proud to announce a new partnership to foster transfer pathways by leveraging existing CSU policies regarding lower-division transfers that expand transfer opportunities to include freshman and sophomore students from the California Community College system. This will allow community college students to transfer to San Francisco State earlier in their educational careers, which is shown to greatly increase educational outcomes.

San Francisco State and City College of San Francisco recognize the urgency for such a move in the age of the COVID-19 crisis and the country’s renewed examination of racial inequities. Strengthening the pipeline to four-year universities like San Francisco State increases equity while also solidifying the role of educational institutions in San Francisco’s economic recovery.

“The difficult landscape created by the current health crisis presents us with an opportunity to plan for economic recovery and strengthen educational equity for low-income and underserved communities,” said SF State President Lynn Mahoney. “We are proud to partner with City College of San Francisco in implementing these new guidelines that will make a significant impact locally. Our regional, post-COVID recovery efforts will require a pipeline of skilled and educated workers who already know, love and want to live in San Francisco and the Bay Area.”

For admission for the Fall 2021 semester, lower division transfers will be available to students who qualify. Evidence abounds that the earlier a transfer student enrolls in a four-year university, the greater their success. This change in admissions policy will ensure more students earn their bachelors’ degrees and in a timelier fashion.

“City College students are overwhelmingly students of color and often the first in their families to go to college,” said Interim Chancellor Rajen Vurdien, Ph.D. “Community colleges provide these new generations of students an opportunity to pursue a higher education, and ultimately create a pathway to four-year institutions and high-wage fields that wouldn’t otherwise be available. This new policy strengthens our students’ ability to achieve their educational and career goals.” 

Both institutions have historically had important roles advancing educational equity and fostering upward mobility for generations of students in San Francisco.

“A real economic recovery requires an equity-focused recovery,” added Mahoney.

The fall 2021 application period begins on October 1, 2020. Requirements for lower-division transfer admission and upper-division transfer admission may be found on .

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About San Francisco State University

San Francisco State University is a doctoral public university serving students from the San Francisco Bay Area, across California and beyond, with nationally acclaimed programs that span a broad range of disciplines. Nearly 30,000 students enroll at the University each year, and its more than 253,000 graduates have contributed to the economic, cultural and civic fabric of San Francisco and beyond. Through them — and more than 1,700 world-class faculty members — SF State proudly embraces its legacy of academic excellence, community engagement and commitment to social justice. For more information, visit sfsu.edu.

About City College of San Francisco

For 85 years, City College of San Francisco (R����Ƶ) has been the region’s premiere public, two-year community college. R����Ƶ is one of the first in the nation to offer free tuition, providing San Franciscans with the opportunity to access a quality college education and workforce training that leads to university transfer and good jobs. Since its founding in 1935, R����Ƶ has evolved into a multicultural, multi-campus community college that is one of the largest in the country. City College offers credit and noncredit instruction and more than 250 degrees and certificates. R����Ƶ students are a highly diverse population, and a reflection of the many cultures, values, orientations, and ethnicities of the great “City by the Bay” and the surrounding region. For more about City College of San Francisco, please visit /.