Transfer Services

Your Guaranteed Pathway to a 4-Year Degree in Colorado! 

The Colorado Community College System’s (CCCS) Bridge to Bachelor’s Degree Program ensures new, first-time students attending any CCCS College are guaranteed admission to a participating 4-year college or university upon completion of an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science degree. Save an average of $10,000 by starting your degree at ACC! 

How to Apply 

For new, first-time students at ACC within your first semester: 

1. Declare an Associate of Arts or Associate of Science
2. Opt-in for Bridge to Bachelors through your ACC Admissions Application
3. If you did not opt-in through the ACC Admissions Application, opt-in through the myACC portal under the Bridge to Bachelor’s card by the end of your first semester. Select your top two school choices and save.  

Learn more about Bridge to Bachelor's 

It's never too early to start preparing for your transfer. Starting early allows you to fully understand your transfer degree, transfer credits, and application process to ensure the smoothest transfer possible. Some tips that will help with your planning: 

• Utilize Career Services to explore major options, workplace values, and possible career tracks
• Meet with an Academic Advisor to determine the best program type for your goals and to discuss your intention to transfer
• Use Navigate360 to register for classes, search for guaranteed transfer courses, and set your course plan through graduation. You can also book a transfer appointment with an academic advisor through the appointments tab. 
• Review Transfer Agreements for information about how your ACC courses may transfer within the state of Colorado. 
• Keep your syllabi throughout your coursework at ACC, as they may be requested for the formal evaluation.   

Colorado has a lot of great transfer options to guarantee the transfer of credits. Keep your options open by considering various schools within Colorado, online or out-of-state institutions. As you explore the 4-year schools you are interested in, keep the following in mind: 

• Review transfer admissions requirements and connect with a Transfer Admissions Counselor to understand the application process:
  • Grade point average (GPA)
  • Required prerequisite courses
  • Documents (Official Transcripts, High School Transcripts, SAT / ACT scores)
  • Letters of recommendation
• Create a Transferology account for exploration of different options along with how your courses may transfer into universities within Colorado or out of state.
• Keep in mind the following when researching:
  • Degree programs available
  • Tuition and fees
  • Housing or transportation options
  • Scholarship opportunities
  • Student Life and Clubs 

Financial aid and scholarships are critical parts to consider for your transfer. Here are some of the elements to consider with financial aid and paying for college: 

Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA) 

• You need to add transfer school options to your FAFSA for the year that you are planning to transfer so they can receive your financial aid information.
• Aid awarded at one school (like grants, scholarships, or work-study) does not carry over to another school.
• The new school will determine your aid package based on their own cost of attendance and available funds.
• Check your Pell-Grant and Loan usage and maximums to use FAFSA funds into your next academic journey. 

Scholarships 

• Most scholarship deadlines fall between October and March. This timeframe allows scholarship committees ample time to review applications and distribute funds before the academic year begins in the Fall semester.
• Consider creating an account on RaiseMe, which is a free resource for students to discover micro-scholarships offered at 4-year universities. Micro-scholarships are small amounts of money awarded by 4-year universities based on your achievements, including academic achievements, work achievements, and extracurricular achievements. 

Once you have decided where you plan to transfer, there are some best practices for ensuring a successful transition: 

• Submit your application for transfer admission two semesters prior to your intended start date at the 4-year university.
• Check to see if there are any application fees or options for fee waivers. 
• Send Official Transcripts from ACC, along with any other official transcripts from previous colleges or universities that you’ve attended. 
• Meet with a transfer admission specialist at the school you plan to attend in order to understand the admissions process, requirements, and how your credits will transfer.
• Attend any orientations that are offered at your chosen institution. 

Transferring before completing your associate’s degree? Reverse transfer is for students that transfer to Colorado 4-year institutions before graduating or completing their degree program at ACC. If you have taken at least 15 credits at ACC, you would be eligible for a reverse transfer.   

What to Know About Reverse Transfer 

Once you are attending a 4-year institution, you can ‘opt-in’ to the reverse transfer program around 75 credits. After attending the 4-year institution, the institution will send over your file to ACC to review for additional transfer credits toward a possible reverse transfer degree. Learn more about reverse transfer through the Colorado Department of Higher Education. 

• Reverse transfer degrees are limited to Associate of Arts (general), Associate of Science (general), or Associate of General Studies 

Complete your application for admission to ACC and indicate that you have prior college credits. Keep in mind the major that you select in your application will be how your credits will be evaluated. Re-evaluations can be requested if there is a change of major after the application.  

ACC only accepts official transcripts sent to the Records and Enrollment Services Office from the issuing institution. We accept official transcripts electronically, but only if they are sent directly to ACC. Transcripts issued to the student, hand-carried, or faxed can't be accepted. Colleges or universities using electronic transcripts should send transcripts to: records [at] arapahoe [dot] edu (records[at]arapahoe[dot]edu).  

Learn more about transferring credit to ACC. 

Get an overview of ACC, transcript evaluations, registration and more through the Transfer Student Orientation (TSO). Find the online orientation through myACC and the Orientation card. Follow the link for your transfer student experience to learn how to best maximize your credits and get started. 

Meet with an Academic Advisor for a First Semester Transfer Advising appointment to assist with understanding transfer credit and planning for future semesters. Discuss our Prior Learning Assessment options to see where you may be able to get credit for your experiences.