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Most transfer students will agree: Starting over at a new university is hard.

With that in mind, the University of Wisconsin Oshkosh is spearheading a newly created Titan Transfer Center to help students with the process. The Titan Transfer Center is a partnership between UW Oshkosh, UW-Fox Valley and UW-Fond du Lac and is designed to meet the unique needs of transfer students, said Carleen Vande Zande, Assistant Vice Chancellor for Curricular Affairs and Student Academic Achievement at UW Oshkosh.

“We feel we need to expand services to incoming and continuing transfer students,” Vande Zande said. “The University wants to ensure that transfer students are informed about the availability of high-impact practices, are familiar with academic learning support services and university learning outcomes.”

Vande Zande said she also believes it’s important for to-be transfer students to have help in selecting classes that transfer appropriately, which in the long run will save time and money.

Approximately 40 percent of graduates from UW Oshkosh are transfer students, Vande Zande said. Furthermore, about 1,400 new transfer students come to UW Oshkosh each year. Sixty-six percent of those transfer students come from UW-Fond du Lac and UW-Fox Valley.

“We really want to make sure their unique needs are met,” Vande Zande said.

Prior to the existence of the Titan Transfer Center, transfer students did not meet with an advisor until after accepted into a program.

The Titan Transfer Center is a pilot project funded by the UW Office of Academic Affairs’ Committee on Baccalaureate Expansion. Vande Zande hopes the Titan Transfer Center will be a success and will continue into the future. She is optimistic that other UW universities, such as UW-Eau Claire and UW-Whitewater that also have high transfer rates from two-year colleges would mimic the transfer center model.

Internally, the Titan Transfer Center is a collaborative effort between admissions and advising on the UW Oshkosh campus. Once hired, one person will manage the transfer center and will float between UW Oshkosh, UW-Fox Valley and UW-Fond du Lac.

“We’re trying to encourage students to get in touch sooner if they have an interest in transferring,” Vande Zande said. “This way they can make sure their general ed (credits) are met. Plus, the students will then be able to choose classes more wisely.”

Transfer students or potential transfer students can find more information about UW Oshkosh’s admissions requirements by visiting the Office of Undergraduate Admissions. To speak directly with a Titan Transfer Center representative, call (920) 424-0404.

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