Pasadena City College Earns Second Straight Statewide Transfer Honor

Pasadena City College has received a Pathway Champion of Transfer award for the second consecutive year from the Campaign for College Opportunity, the college announced Tuesday.

The nonprofit’s award recognized colleges and universities working to help students move from community colleges to four-year institutions at a virtual ceremony Oct. 22. The Campaign said its 2026 awards honored 40 California community colleges and California State University campuses for their work on transfer and student success.

PCC said it received the award after issuing 1,534 Associate Degrees for Transfer, which give community college students a defined route toward a bachelor’s degree.

The college also reported that 2,094 of its students transferred to University of California and CSU campuses in the most recently reported statewide figures, the highest combined total among California community colleges. Those are separate measures: one counts degrees awarded, while the other counts students who transferred.

“Transfer can be complicated. The Associate Degree for Transfer helps take the guesswork out of the process and gives students a clear path forward,” said PCC President José A. Gómez.

Under CSU rules, students who earn an eligible Associate Degree for Transfer and meet admission requirements receive priority admission to a CSU campus, though not necessarily the campus or major they choose. Students admitted to a corresponding bachelor’s program can complete it with no more than 60 additional semester units if they satisfy the program’s conditions.

The Campaign also named PCC a Pathway Champion of Transfer in 2025, placing it among colleges recognized for the number of transfer degrees awarded in the 2023-24 academic year. The award program also recognizes campuses for improving success in transfer-level courses and helping students reach CSU degree programs.

“Every one of these degrees represents a student who has worked hard to take the next step in their education,” PCC Board of Trustees President Steven Gibson said in the release.

PCC’s Transfer Center lists 35 Associate Degree for Transfer programs. Its advising materials direct students planning to transfer to review major requirements and develop an academic plan with a counselor.