Make an appointment to meet with your academic advisor at your current college to help you identify what transfer college might be best for you.

Many Kentucky colleges offer opportunities to help make transfer easier. These include:

• Transfer contacts - a specific person on campus designated to help students transfer.
  
  
• Transfer centers - sponsor transfer events, arrange visits by college representatives and can assist with every aspect of your transfer plan.
  
  
• Transfer agreements (Download the 56K Excel file) - agreements between KCTCS and universities which guarantee that courses within a specific major will transfer. Transfer agreements may be available for students with an associate in arts, associate in science or associate in applied science degree.
  
  
• Completer degrees - allow a student with an associate degree in any area to finish a bachelor's degree in a general area of study within a similar time frame.
  
  
• Joint admission/joint enrollment programs - allow students to be admitted to a KCTCS college and a university at the same time and enroll in courses that could count toward both an associate and bachelor's degree.
  
  
• Online degree programs - give students the opportunity to earn their bachelor's degree online at their convenience. For a complete list of online degree programs offered at Kentucky colleges and universities, visit the Kentucky Virtual Campus .
  
  

Most KCTCS colleges have transfer fairs  for students interested in transfer. You can explore your options by talking with representatives of multiple schools.

Once you find the colleges that meet your criteria, visit Web sites  or attend an open house or campus tour. Make an appointment with someone in the department you plan to major to ask about admission requirements & financial aid opportunities.

Transfer requirements differ at every school. Make an appointment with your transfer contact to review your new school’s expectations. Take your transcript.

The transfer planning worksheet (184K PDF) can help you track your information.

The college you plan to attend will review your transcript for general education certifications, which can be one of three levels:

• Category certified - completed at least one, but not all of the categories of the general education core requirements.
  
  
• Core certified (33 hours) - completed all of the categories of the general education core requirements.
  
  
• Full general education certified (48 hours) - completed all categories of the general education core requirements, plus any additional general education requirements of your current school.

These general education certifications guarantee that your transfer school will accept the corresponding general education credits as meeting lower division general education requirements when you transfer. If you qualify for one of these certifications and it is not indicated on your transcript, contact the registrar's office at your current school and ask that it be added.

Grades are a very important part of the transfer process. Poor grades may prohibit credits from being accepted toward your degree at your transfer school. Each college has a minimum GPA policy, but your degree program may have additional GPA requirements. Be sure to ask your advisor or transfer contact.

You can see how your courses will transfer by using the Kentucky Course Applicability System (CAS) . This online transfer planning tool provides information on courses, course equivalencies, and program requirements for participating colleges and universities. See the CAS user's guide for help using the site. 

In addition to credit for college courses, some schools may award credit for military training or professional experience in the workplace. Be sure to ask the transfer contact or your advisor at your transfer school if this is an option.

If it is, you can get a transcript that reflects your military experience or professional work experience and training from the American Council on Education . military experience  or professional work experience and training  from the American Council on Education. These transcripts will recommend how this experience could count as college credit and should be included when you apply for admission.

Most colleges and universities offer scholarships or reduced tuition agreements specifically for transfer students. These are usually competitive scholarships with minimum GPA and credit hour requirements.

Many other types of aid may also be available to help you pay for college, including:

• Grants
  
  
• Scholarships
  
  
• Work-study programs
  
  
• Conversion scholarships/loans
  
  
• Waivers
  
  
• Military benefits
  
  
• National service award
  
  
• Prepaid tuition
  
  
• Student loans
  
  

For more information on each of these types of financial aid, visit the Kentucky Higher Education Assistance Authority Web site . The financial aid office at your transfer school can determine if you qualify for institutional aid not included in the list above. Even your degree program may have scholarships available, so be sure to ask your transfer contact or advisor about possible opportunities.