Hello, Possible Frozen Future Hoos! *Since this is Virginia Community College System (VCCS) school specific, I can say frozen because our whole state was under a winter weather watch and remains under a severe weather advisory = Brr, it’s cold outside.*
You are starting to get to know me...you know I love a side note. *Insert side note😁* One of the many reasons I🧡UVA - did you know that the University opens Clemons Library as a warming center for the community during winter weather? The public is welcome to come in, charge cellphones and devices, and enjoy the shared space. Information on the warming center is available through UVA’s Emergency Management site under Warming Centers. Please stay safe out there!
Ok, back to the main attraction! Guaranteed Admission Agreements and TransferVA portal transfer guides!
Did you hear the collective “Huh?” Don’t worry, by the time we’re done, you’ll be sharing this information with your fellow community college students too!
Guaranteed Admission Agreements (GAAs)
Now, we have a great section on our Transfer website FAQs on GAAs, but let's go through a few things here too.
1) What is a GAA? Great question! If I do ask myself. And I am.😜
I'm not sure I can say it any better myself, so I'm going to quote it right from the agreements.
“An agreement between a two-year institution or the VCCS (system office) on behalf of community colleges and a four-year institution according to which a student is guaranteed admission to the four-year institution by earning a transfer degree or a specified applied degree and satisfying specified academic benchmarks and criteria”.
Um...can I say it better? No. Shorter? Possibly. This is an official agreement between schools at UVA (remember the visual breakdown of the structure of UVA) and state community colleges where, if a student completes a certain specified degree with certain specified requirements, they are guaranteed admission to that school.
Hmm, can I say it even shorter? Challenge accepted! VCCS student: follow these steps – get admitted. Yup, that’ll do!
2) Do all schools/college at UVA offer a GAA?
No. Only certain schools and the College offer an agreement.
- The College of Arts and Sciences
- The School of Engineering and Applied Sciences *Psst: a new GAA was just released for them!*
- The School of Nursing
- The School of Continuing and Professional Studies
3) How do I find out what the requirements are and if I qualify?
We have a website for this! From the Transfer site, click on the section (on the left menu; I'll take the dumplings, please!🥟) for Guaranteed Transfer Admission.
This page offers information on the GAA and lists the most up-to-date documents.
-We know the official documents are not the easiest to digest, *Geez, what’s with the food jargon?!? Oh, it’s lunchtime.😬Apologies.*
-Keep visiting this page – an updated version is soon to be released with summaries of the agreements, in more of a checklist-style format, which we hope will be more concise and easier to follow.
4) If I’m not eligible for the GAA, does that mean I’m not a competitive transfer applicant?
NO! *Oh, sorry to yell.* Let me be very clear - the GAA is only one possible path towards transfer to UVA. Should life happen, and something keeps you from one of the many checklist items you’re trying to follow, please know that that does not mean you are not a competitive applicant to UVA. More students apply through open/competitive transfer than via a GAA.
5) What if I’m not eligible for the GAA or I do not plan to complete a degree with the VCCS?
No problem. Again, many paths towards transfer. Remember that this is Part II? Do you remember what Part I was?!? What did you have to repeat in Part I? OH! You in the back🫵 – say it loud enough for all of us to hear!📢 Transfer Course Requirements! It makes me so proud when you all get this stuff!🥹
Ok! I could keep going on about GAAs, but for now, I think that’s enough. We are getting wordy!
TransferVA Portal - Transfer Guides
There’s a great explanation on the site about what TransferVA is and why it came to be created. Feel free to check it out under their initiative page. The gist is it’s a resource of information for students looking to explore education in Virginia. The piece we want to highlight here is the Transfer Guides.
Now, as much as I want you to apply to UVA, there are guides for colleges throughout the state here. Remember, we’re educators at heart🧡(my heart just happens to be UVA orange😜). We’re trying to teach and support you in this process. If you want to use this information to look for guides for other colleges – great! I'm so glad you know they’re there! Now, if you are looking for UVA’s guides, click the show more option for the menu “Filter by applicable school(s)” and check University of Virginia.
There are not guides for all degree options with the VCCS. There are not guides for all degree options at UVA. *Yet.* This is a new endeavor. It’s a work in progress. It’s ever-changing. It’s a resource. Use it if it's helpful to you. Don’t be bound by it. If you are pursuing an associate degree in Education, to transfer to UVA to the School of Education and Human Development, to get a degree in Early Childhood Education, by all means, use that guide! However, if you are pursuing an associate degree in Visual and Performing Arts: Art, to transfer to UVA to the School of Architecture for a four-year degree– there is not a guide. *Yet.* Will there be in the future? Maybe. TransferVA is trying to get all educational units in Virginia to play nicely in the sandbox. That is a lot of work. That work doesn’t happen overnight. If you do not see a guide for your path – what do you do?!? *Voice in the back of the room, one more time, if you please!* 📢Transfer Course Requirements!📢
Ohhhh – you got this! 🥹
Until next time, happy transferring!💙🧡
– The Office of Undergraduate Admission (OUA) Transfer Team
