New program expands options for potential transfer students

Transfer students at DePaul will now have greater opportunities to utilize DePaul's resources with the implementation of the DePaul Admission Partnership Program (DAPP).

With DAPP, students transferring from select community colleges with an Associate's degree will be able to utilize DePaul advising to ensure a "seamless" transition, according to Tzong Chang, the assistant director for the Transfer Admission and Adult Enrollment Center.

"Transfer students are very important to us here at DePaul," Chang said. "We really wanted to create a pathway."

According to Chang, 1,530 transfer students enrolled at DePaul this fall, the highest number yet.

"We had a record-breaking year," she said. "That's 12 percent higher than last year."

Chang said the university wanted to create the program to reach out to them even more. She believes it gives students more of an opportunity to follow up and better grasp the classes they need to be taking for their degree.

"With DAPP, they have a more for sure and set path to follow … so they don't have to play the guessing game," Chang said.

Chang also strongly encourages students to complete their Associate's degree and visit DePaul's transfer website to ensure their classes will transfer for the appropriate credits. Additionally, the degree requirements for DAPP students are set, so they don't have to worry about any sudden changes to their intended studies.

Junior Zack Brewer, a business administration major, transferred to DePaul after receiving his Associate's degree from Southwestern Illinois College. His experience with the university prior to enrollment was mostly satisfactory.

"I know that there is a large population of transfer students this year, so I think they're trying to make it a point to acknowledge transfer students," he said.

Brewer also acknowledged a needed improvement in the program: assigning an adviser to transfer students before they come to DePaul.

"Someone to contact you and make sure you have things on your radar that need to be done," Brewer said.

DAPP is only partnering with 12 community colleges in the area. Chang said this decision was based on the colleges' histories with DePaul.

"They're the top community colleges we get transfer students from," she said.

Keva Lane, director of Career and Transfer Services at Olive-Harvey Community College, is enthused about her college's participation in DAPP.

"I think it's awesome," she said. "It's a great opportunity for our students because it gives them the opportunity to go to more of a prestigious university. It's kind of a gateway."

While most students only take a few classes at Olive-Harvey, Lane said that the college is hoping to increase the number of students who transfer to a four-year university. For students who are already planning to do so, she believes DAPP's resources will be extremely useful.