One of the biggest questions a Long Beach City College student may have if they are planning on transferring to a 4-year school soon is, “How will COVID-19 affect my transfer process?” and the answer varies.
During this unprecedented time, CSUs and U.C.s have implemented accommodations for students.
For some schools, deadlines are being extended and SATs and ACTs are not being required, as is the case for California State University, Long Beach.
“I don’t foresee the pandemic affecting transfer rates or making it harder to be admitted into the school,” said UCLA representative Jessie Arias.
“One of the biggest issues students may face is if they decide to live on campus or at home because of remote learning,” said Arias.
As far as the admissions process goes, not much will be different, it simply depends on how many students are applying.
Cal Poly Pomona representative Eddy Reyes said that the admissions process will not be more difficult.
“Many of the requirements are the same. There are still 60 transferable units. If we’re getting more applications, then it might be a little more competitive,” Reyes said.
However, if there aren’t as many students applying to the school of their choice, that could benefit students, as GPA averages may lower.
CSULB representative Diego Monge said there may be a reason for this happening.
“For this academic year, we’re not accepting international students. Because of this we will have more spots available,” Monge said.
COVID-19 has made it extremely difficult for international students to be admitted into a U.S. school as a freshman.
Still there is no reason to believe it will be easy to get into your preferred school.
“Universities still have to maintain their standards, so I don’t think they will accept you just because they need students,” said LBCC transfer staff member Judy Quilaton.
The key is for students to meet the minimum admissions requirements and the Major Specific Criteria (MSC) for their major as well as submitting their applications correctly and on time.
It is also important for students to check what adjustments that the school they are applying to have made to accommodate for COVID-19.