KCTCS celebrates student success during National Student Transfer Week

During annual National Student Transfer Week, Oct. 19-23, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System is celebrating students who’ve carried their learning and determination from one college to another and arrived ready to achieve and thrive.

KCTCS offers several pathways for students to achieve their educational goals. From dual credit, offering high school students the opportunity to earn college credit before they graduate, to transfer pathway agreements established with Kentucky’s public and private universities across the state, KCTCS creates clear, seamless transitions that help students move seamlessly from a credential to a bachelor’s degree.

“At KCTCS, we know there is no single path to a college degree,” said KCTCS President Ryan Quarles. “Our job is to meet students where they are and make sure they have a clear path to where they want to go.”

Today, transfer students make up nearly 40% of the nation’s undergraduate population. Last year alone, KCTCS transferred approximately 15,000 students to colleges and universites to finish their education. For community college transfer students, public universities remain the primary destination, accounting for 73.1% of transfers nationally. Students who earned a credential before transferring to a public university or private college experience stronger outcomes, with 86.9% returning to their four-year institution the following academic year.

Through KCTCS, students can take advantage of transfer pathway agreements with all eight of Kentucky’s public universities, as well as several private colleges and universities, giving them a higher probability of attaining their goals and receiving an education that will empower them in their future.

“Strong transfer partnerships remove barriers, protect the credits students have already earned and make it easier for them to continue their education and reach their full potential,” said Quarles.

For Keesha Christy, beginning at Hazard Community and Technical College created a direct foundation for continued education. Taking advantage of dual credit, she graduated from high school already holding an associate degree and 62 college credit hours, then transferred to Eastern Kentucky University and continued through graduate school, becoming the first person in her family to earn a master’s degree. Today, she works as a speech-language pathologist, demonstrating how credits earned at KCTCS can become the starting point for advanced degrees and long-term career success.

“Community college played a crucial role in getting me where I am today,” said Keesha. “Being an HCTC alumna means being proud of where I started and grateful for the foundation community college gave me to pursue my career in speech-language pathology. It will always be an important part of my journey.”

Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College gave Mary Schalk the flexibility to pursue multiple goals while keeping college affordable. Through dual credit, online coursework and scholarships, Mary earned an associate degree in business management without accruing any student loan debt. She is now a commercial pilot and marketing professional, illustrating how KCTCS students can build credentials around their individual career and educational goals without sacrificing affordability or flexibility.

“KCTCS lets you explore opportunities without breaking the bank and helps you chase what you're passionate about and make it happen,” said Mary. “There are so many opportunities at a community and technical college. It is the perfect place to get started and have a smooth transition from high school.”

For Brayden Johnson, KCTCS dual credit provided an academic foundation that carried him from Edmonson County High School to Harvard University, an Ivy League institution. With the help of dual credit, Brayden graduated from high school with an associate degree from Southcentral Kentucky Community and Technical College before beginning his studies at Harvard, where he plans to study psychology and neuroscience on his path to becoming a physician. He credits his KCTCS experience with preparing him for college and giving him the confidence to pursue opportunities well beyond his hometown.

“Earning my associate degree in high school represented a commitment to pushing myself beyond my academic environment,” Brayden said. “Beyond the credits I earned, KCTCS gave me the confidence to enter Harvard knowing I was capable of succeeding.”

Bluegrass Community and Technical College provided Caci Hisle with nearly all the prerequisite coursework she needed before transferring to the University of Kentucky and ultimately earning her medical degree. As a low-income single parent, Caci relied on programs including Ready to Work and One Parent Scholar House to help balance education, employment and family responsibilities. Today, she is an internal medicine resident at UK Chandler, providing another example of how students can begin at a KCTCS college and continue through some of the highest levels of postsecondary education.

“KCTCS provided me essentially all of the prerequisites I needed to apply for my bachelor’s program and for medical school,” said Caci. “When KCTCS says, ‘start here and go anywhere,’ they mean just that.”