Troy University has seen a trend of decreasing transfer-outs among students, while the transfer-in rates have been steady, according to data provided by the Institutional Research, Planning and Effectiveness department.
The university, including all its campuses, had a transfer-out rate of 5.29 percent in the academic year 2012-13. In the 2011-12 year, the rate was 10.81 percent, and in 2010-11 it stood at 12.81 percent.
The 2012-13 transfer-ins number stood at 10.21 percent, only a slight increase from the academic year 2011-12 when the rate was 10.20 percent. The 2010-11 rate was 11.41 percent.
Kristen Porterfield, sophomore chemistry major from Niceville, Fla., said she transferred from Northwest Florida State College because Troy is away from home. She said Troy has more of a college feel and there are more resources, campus activities and student clubs.
“While I was in band during high school, we came here annually for a band competition, and I thought it was a beautiful campus,” Porterfield said. “So I did some research and found that I qualify for in-state tuition and that they have a good chemistry program.”
Out of the 2,500 new students which the Troy main campus receives each year, 20 percent of those are transfer-ins, according to the university’s office of admissions.
According to Dendy Moseley, community college relations coordinator, while all of Troy campuses receive a total of approximately 3,000 transfer-ins each year, the main campus at Troy receives about 500.
The Alabama Statewide Transfer and Articulation Reporting System reports that nursing, business and education are the three programs receiving the most transfer students at Troy.
Troy has continuous partnerships with 16 community colleges within Alabama where the school has regular recruiting visits. However, the general trend of transfer-ins has been decreasing over the years, according to Moseley.
“Since we rely on Alabama community colleges for transfers, when their enrollment numbers go down, we see our numbers go down,” he said. “But we hope that means that more students are joining four-year colleges, and so our freshman enrollment number goes up.”
However, according to U.S. News & World Report, Troy has a freshman retention rate of only about 70 percent. Hence, the number of transfer-outs is significant as well.
“I transferred out of Troy because I missed being at home, and I missed my dancing,” said Bonnie Moore, a freshman marine biology major at Faulkner State Community College from Gulf Shores. Moore, who is a lindy hop and swing dancer, said that she did not get the opportunity to practice her dance styles in the existing dance-related student clubs here.
“Faulkner is better because it’s cheaper, and you are allowed to live off campus no matter what,” she said.
However, not all students who have moved to different colleges enjoy their new surroundings. April Irving, a junior biomedical sciences major at the University of North Florida from Camden, said she transferred because her husband is in the Navy and he had to move to Jacksonville, Fla. “I miss my classes being so conveniently close to the dorms, classes being smaller and a lot of organizations to choose from for students to be involved in,” Irving said.
Troy also receives an influx of transfers from other countries. Anh Nguyen, a junior finance major from Hanoi, Vietnam, said he transferred here from the Vietnam Troy campus in order to challenge himself to not just study, but observe the U.S., its society and its people.
“People, or to be precise, the environment here — friends, professors, all the facilities — is much better than how it is in Vietnam,” Nguyen said. “The best thing is to make new friends and meet people from all over the world.”
Troy is offering two new scholarships for transfer students starting in fall 2014. The Transfer Merit Scholarship is for students with over a 3.5 GPA, who can receive $3,000 a year. The Transfer Achievement Scholarship is for students with GPAs between 3.25 and 3.49, who will receive $2,000 a year.
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