About National Transfer Student Week
NYSTAA and New England Transfer Association teamed up with the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (NISTS) in the creation of National Transfer Student Week. The week was first celebrated in 2017, and we’re excited to see how recognition of the week has grown! We hope that you find some inspiration from the ideas below about how to celebrate on your campus! Download the marketing kit and make the week your own! Join us for this annual celebration, the third week of October.
#TransferStudentWeek
NTSW Planning Forum
NYSTAA hosted a forum in 2021 for all members with updated ideas on how to celebrate the week. Watch the recording or view the presentation slides.
Educating Your Campus
Tell your campus's transfer story to faculty, staff, administrators and students. Connect your transfer data to the national data.Ways to Spread the Word
- Campus Newsletter Articles
- Student Newsletter Articles
- Daily emails to campus throughout the week with a transfer fact
- Infographic – for a free version, check out Piktochart
- Facts about transfer on TVs around campus
- Social Media posts – Campus Facebook, Twitter, Instagram
- Transfer Symposium – Professional development for faculty and staff
Facts to Share: Two-Year Campuses
- How many students choose to transfer (prior to or after completion)?
- Where are they transferring to? Top 5 receiving institutions?
- Which colleges do you have transfer partnerships with?
- How many students utilize transfer services?
- How many students are in Phi Theta Kappa?
- How many colleges/students participate in your transfer fair each year?
Facts to Share: Four-Year Campuses
- How many transfer students matriculate each year? What percentage of your incoming class are transfers?
- Where do they transfer from?
- What is the average incoming GPA for transfers?
- What are the most popular transfer programs?
- Why do they choose your campus?
- How many qualify for Tau Sigma?
- What is your transfer student retention (compared to first-year)?
Recognizing Successful Students
Celebrate great transfer students and inspire those at two-year campuses to transfer!Two-Year Campuses
- Invite a previous student back to campus to speak in first-year seminar course, on transfer panel, or at a transfer fair
- Highlight students who have received transfer scholarships – and combine with a scholarship application program
- Partner with your Alumni Office to host an Alumni Social. Current students an mingle with alumni and ask questions about their transfer experience.
Four-Year Campuses
- Take a Transfer Student to Lunch – provide lunch vouchers to faculty/staff and encourage them to invite a great transfer student to lunch (for making a smooth transition, for showing great effort in class, for getting involved, etc.)
- Highlight successful transfer students in campus newsletter or via social media
- Nominate a Transfer Student – ask faculty/staff to recognize successful transfer students through simple online survey. Provide recognized students with a certificate and small gift.
Creating a Welcoming Campus
Even though welcome week activities are over, transfer students may still be looking for ways to connect.For Two-Year Campuses: Creating a Culture of Transfer
- Alumni T-shirt Day. Ask your faculty to wear a t-shirt from their alma mater to inspire students to transfer.
- “My Alma Mater” Lunch and Learn event. Faculty talk about their own college experience and career path, give advice to students.
- Create a banner or other visual in a public place. Ask students to write on it and answer: What do you aspire to be? Where do you aspire to go?
- Host a CollegeFish Kickoff Event. Ask your PTK members to assist others connect to transfer colleges and scholarships.
Four Year Campuses:
- Social events (pizza party, ice cream socials, hot cider and donuts meet-up) sponsored by Tau Sigma, Phi Theta Kappa, Transfer Services office or Transfer Mentor group.
- Welcome events by academic departments for their incoming transfer students. Meet all the faculty, tour the office/lab/special facility.
- Designate a Transfer Night at a football game or other regularly scheduled event. New students can attend with transfer mentors. Raffles and giveaways just for transfers!
- Transfer Student T-shirt Day. Provide a free t-shirt to all transfers and ask to wear on a certain day. Encourage participation by offering a small prize if students stop by your office while wearing the shirt or take a picture and share on social media with a specific hashtag.
Inspiring the Work of Transfer to be Campus-Wide
To be effective, transfer services cannot be the work of one person or one office. Engage faculty and staff in the support of transfer students on your campus.- Invite different faculty or staff to assist with your Transfer 101 workshops (two-year campus).
- Host a Transfer Panel in conjunction with current faculty. Major-specific event at two-year campus offered with transfer colleges and student club. Current faculty can share their career path. Transfer colleges present on transfer admissions, program/career information, student Q&A.
- Train Faculty Transfer Mentors – faculty who participate in a training and then agree to be a resource/contact person for prospective and current transfer students.
- Invite current transfer students to recognize a faculty/staff member who assisted in their transition. Share the recognition and small gift with faculty/staff.
- “I was a transfer student too” sticker or magnet. Ask faculty/staff to self-identify if they were themselves a transfer student. Provide them with a sticker or magnet that reads “I was a transfer student too” to display in their office to provide a point of connection and conversation with students.
- Highlight supportive faculty/staff in campus publications or social media.