College Transfer Process FAQ

College Transfer Process FAQ

Our Transfer Guide below answers many of the most common questions students have about transferring.

Research to find schools that have the program/major of your choice and apply as a transfer student. You also will need to request official transcripts from your HCCC Portal page. It is also advisable to set up a meeting with a transfer or admissions counselor at the school you plan to attend to gain more information about the process and credits transferring.

You technically can transfer at any time in your college career, but transferring out of HCCC before receiving your Associate Degree may result in losing some credits at your transfer school.

Yes! If you complete an Associate in Arts (AA) or Associate in Science (AS) degree before transferring, you are protected by the Lampitt Law. This law is designed to facilitate maximum credit transfer for students who transfer from a New Jersey community college to a New Jersey public four-year college or university. Completing your degree before transferring can save you time, money, and make you eligible for Transfer Scholarship opportunities. Talk to a counselor to learn more about the benefits of completing a degree first.

It is important to pay attention to the degree type of your major. For example, if your major is BIOLOGY.AS, you are pursuing an Associate of Science degree, which is protected by the Lampitt Law. Both AS and AA (Associate of Arts) are protected by the Lampitt Law, so these degrees are designed to transfer to four-year institutions.

PLEASE NOTE: The Associate of Fine Arts (AFA) and Associate of Applied Sciences (AAS) degrees are NOT protected by this law. Although a number of credits may transfer into a four-year program, it is at the discretion of the transfer school to evaluate how many credits will be accepted for transfer.

Students sometimes decide to pursue a different career path when they transfer, and end up switching their major once they are accepted to a four-year institution. The credits that you earned for your previous degree will always be yours, but when you switch majors, those credits may not be applicable to the new major and in turn, may not count towards that program. This can lead to setbacks in your estimated graduation timeline and you may have to take more classes to make up for the new major requirements. Example: Although you may transfer to your four-year college with 60 credits in Psychology, only 30 of those credits may end up being used towards your new major of Business Administration, and you will need to make up the 30 credits that did not transfer, in addition to completing the remaining required credits for the Bachelor’s degree in your new major.

Yes, but keep in mind some scholarships/grants are school-specific and you may not receive the same financial aid package as you did here at HCCC. Just make sure to enter the school code on your FAFSA when it is time to attend your new college.

This largely depends on what program and career you are trying to pursue. For example, if you want to become a veterinarian and are studying Biology here at HCCC, you will need to research what schools offer a doctorate in veterinary medicine. Some schools specialize in certain areas of study, but it is a good idea to research your options early on to make sure you are making an informed career choice.

Sometimes if a student only has one or two classes left before completing their Associate degree, they want to start at their four-year school and finish the classes here in the same semester. While this is possible, you will not be able to receive financial aid for both institutions, and you will not officially have your Associate degree (which could lead to a loss of credits since you are not protected by the Lampitt Law). Be sure to check with your transfer school of choice how this could affect you.

No, you will not. Also, if you are going to a school outside of New Jersey, you typically need to live there for 12 months before you are eligible for state aid. If you are living in NJ and attending an out-of-state school, you will be charged more for your out-of-state tuition.

After completing your Associate degree, your NJ STARS will transfer to a four-year school that is in New Jersey, but if you plan to attend an out-of-state school, your NJ STARS will NOT transfer. Please note that you must graduate within five (5) semesters to be eligible continuously for NJ STARS (you are allowed a sixth semester if you are a nursing student).

All EOF scholars are to contact their assigned EOF advisor. For more information, please click the link Meet the EOF Team at https://www.hccc.edu/student-success/eof/team.html.

You can order your official transcript from your myHudson portal page. In the top left, click on “I need to” and then click “Order a transcript” from the drop-down menu. 

There is an online resource that you can visit at www.njtransfer.org. This site will allow you to see the transfer equivalency of not only individual classes, but of entire programs that we offer at HCCC.

Yes, it does. The main difference is that you run the risk of losing some credits that you may have earned here in New Jersey. You are no longer protected by the Lampitt Law, so it is ultimately up to the transfer school on which credits they will or will not accept. Also, any New Jersey specific scholarships/grants will be forfeited. In order to be eligible for any state aid in the new state, many colleges require students to establish residency in the state and potentially meet other criteria. Be sure to speak with the admissions office of schools you are interested in to learn more about how credits may or may not transfer, residency requirements, and more.

Yes. If you initially received a rejection letter from a school, the original decision may have been based on your high school transcripts or SAT scores. Now that you have a college degree and a new GPA, you can still apply as a transfer student to that same school.

Do you need advisement services such as academic requirements?
Contact:

Journal Square Campus
70 Sip Avenue, 2nd Floor; Jersey City, NJ 07306
Phone: (201) 360-4150
Email: advisingFREElive.HUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE

North Hudson Campus
4800 John F. Kennedy Boulevard; Union City, NJ 07087
Phone: (201) 360-4267
Email: advisingFREElive.HUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE


Do you need more information on transfer opportunities? Contact Transfer Pathways!

Contact Information

For College Partners - Contact Transfer Pathways

Jennifer ValcarcelJennifer Valcarcel
Associate Dean of Career & Transfer

70 Sip Avenue, 1st Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 360-4119
ctpathwaysFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE

Rimsha BazaidRimsha Bazaid
Program Coordinator
70 Sip Avenue, 1st Floor
Jersey City, NJ 07306
(201) 360-5478
ctpathwaysFREEHUDSONCOUNTYCOMMUNITYCOLLEGE

Follow transferpathways on Instragam! @hccc_careerandtransfer