Transfer students on the rise at USCA

As institutions across the country observed National Transfer Week, USCA celebrated an almost 33 percent increase in transfer students.

“Fall 2025 marks the highest enrollment ever recorded for new transfer students at USCA,” said Dr. Stacie Williams, director of the Transfer Center.

Current enrollment is more than 4,200, which represents a more than 5 percent increase at the same time last year.  The university’s student population growth also includes an almost 17 percent increase in graduate students and a 5 percent increase in continuing undergraduate students.

“The admissions team has aggressively engaged prospective incoming students, including transfers,” said Nathan Rice, USCA vice chancellor for enrollment management.

Williams and her staff help ensure a seamless transition for transfer students and those who readmitted to USCA, taking courses on campus for a short time, non-degree seeking students and online undergraduates. 

“USCA provides transfer students with a welcoming and supportive environment from first contact to alumni status. Students are challenged to excel and provided the support and resources to do so,” Williams said.

Shayna Autwell is just one of the transfer students who enrolled in USCA this semester.  She’s a junior who attended Aiken Technical College for two years before making the move to USCA to major in English, with an educational studies minor.

“USCA's transfer agreement with ATC ensured that all of the credits from my first degree transferred,” Autwell said.

“My advisors in the English and Education departments have been extremely helpful during the transfer process, and I've been very thankful for their transparency.”

As part of the transfer process, Autwell worked closely with Williams. She and her team ensure incoming transfer students enjoy the same seamless process Autwell did.

“We listen to their past experiences, provide honest feedback and help them identify ways to connect with opportunities and support that they may have desired, but were unable to access, at their previous institutions,” Williams said.

“Each transfer student is also assured that they are always welcome in our office. Our relationship doesn’t end with their application; we’re committed to their overall success.”

Once on campus, Williams and other faculty and staff help transfer students feel welcome on day one.

“Before transferring to USCA, I was afraid I'd feel less experienced than other juniors in my program, or that I'd be starting out significantly behind. These worries were immediately snuffed out by welcoming faculty and students in the English and education departments,” said Autwell who grew up in Aiken.

“In just these first two months, I've been made aware of departmental internships, upcoming scholarship opportunities, and the possibility to complete independent study later in my program. These are all promising opportunities to receive support and professional experience throughout my program.”

Autwell will graduate in 2027 and said that choosing to transfer to USCA was a natural one.

“It feels like I've always lived right down the road from USCA; I grew up watching the impact USCA has had in our community. Many of my K-12 teachers graduated from USCA or the USC system, and their positive experiences absolutely influenced my decision,” Autwell said.

Autwell is the first in her family to go to college.  Ultimately, she plans to become a high school English teacher and aims to work toward a Master of Arts in Teaching.   

“Growing up in Aiken made me realize the importance of small universities like USCA. Having institutions like ATC and USCA embedded in our community makes education significantly more attainable for Aiken's first-generation college students and their families,” Autwell said.

Although students can transfer to USCA from any two or four-year institution, the Transfer Center has more than 20 transfer agreements with two-year institutions in South Carolina. These partnerships benefit the students as it makes the process even easier. 

“The USCA Transfer Center was developed in 2021 and has shown consistent growth in our services to transfer students, refining of services and development of transfer articulation agreements,” Williams said.

She added that the transfer process is quite simple for students who have attended another college-level institution and attempted one or more courses, regardless of credit earned.  An admissions application; official transcripts from all colleges attended through the time of application; and official high school transcripts, if less than 12 transferable college courses have been completed.

Transfer applications for all disciplines and all supporting documents for the spring semester must be submitted by December 1.

Incoming transfers who have been admitted to USCA are automatically considered for academic scholarships. Additionally, students transferring to USCA for the spring 2026 semester who are interested in a cyber degree may be eligible for a $500 scholarship.  Steelgate LLC has made scholarships available for transfer students interested in cybersecurity, computer science, game and simulation, information technology, data science, software engineering and artificial intelligence. For more information, contact the USCA College of Sciences and Engineering.

More information on the transfer process can be found on the USCA website.

For more information, contact USCA Marketing & Communication at news@usca.edu.