NJTransfer – Edge’s Newest Affiliated Organization

 Experience Article in View From the Edge Magazine

Many students use community college as a stepping stone in their higher education journey and later transfer to a four-year college or university. Without the right guidance or resources, making a smooth transfer can be challenging. Thankfully, using valuable tools offered through websites like NJ Transfer can allow students, parents, faculty, and staff to navigate the transfer process and ensure a student stays on track. With useful information on course equivalences, transfer programs, and academic and student life opportunities, NJ Transfer is designed to assist with the seamless transfer of courses from a community college to a four-year college or university in New Jersey.

Edge Partners with NJ Transfer

On April 15, 2020, Edge signed a memorandum of understanding with the New Jersey President’s Council to assume management and operation of NJ Transfer. As part of this agreement, Edge will provide support, leadership, business services, and strategy development and planning that helps advance the value proposition of the NJ Transfer organization. NJ Transfer is helpful for students who are currently enrolled or plan to enroll in a community college before transferring to a New Jersey four-year college or university. Each of the 19 community colleges and 25 of the four-year colleges in the State participate. With prior approval from their four-year institution, students can also use NJ Transfer if they wish to enroll in a course(s) at a New Jersey community college and transfer them back to their four-year institution.

When visiting the NJ Transfer site, students can explore the different majors offered at participating schools, which community college courses will fulfill both the Associate and Bachelor degree requirements, and view a course-by-course evaluation. Students can also peruse college profiles and quickly access application requirements, find transfer contacts, and review additional requirements and information. If an individual is interested in attending a transfer recruitment event to learn more about academic and student life programs and scholarship and financial aid opportunities, NJ Transfer has a detailed calendar outlining all upcoming events.

Courses Equivalencies

Most courses reflect both a ‘Course Effective’ date and ‘Evaluation Effective’ date of Fall 2001, as this is the term NJ Transfer came into existence. When a community college develops a new course or revises an existing one, the course is submitted to NJ Transfer with a new ‘Course Effective’ date. On occasion, the four-year college will revise the institution’s requirements, where the original course evaluation will be changed and a new ‘Evaluation Effective’ date is assigned. The four-year colleges are required to review their Transfer Programs every year and make updates where necessary. If a college does not review their institution’s Transfer Programs for two consecutive years, the programs are removed from NJ Transfer until they have been reviewed.

Enabling Successful Transfers

Successfully transferring from a community college to a four-year institution takes planning and students are encouraged to meet with an advisor early in their career to discuss goals and timelines. To assist students and their families in learning more about transferring academic credits and carefully choosing courses for each degree program, NJ Transfer will continue to provide useful resources that are essential for a smooth and efficient transfer experience.

To explore how NJ Transfer helps make the college transfer process a success, visit www.njtransfer.org.