According to the National Center for Education Statistics, more than 1 million undergraduate students each year transfer to a new university ahead of the fall semester.

What You Need To Know

  • The Biden-Harris administration recently recognized St. John Fisher University as a higher education leader in transfer students’ success
  • Fisher gives each transfer a student a guidance counselor who works with them from the moment they inquire for years at a time to ensure its students success
  • Grace Tursi graduated from high school in 2020 and wasn't able to tour any colleges before applying
  • Fisher was Tursi's third school, and she's loved her experience as a transfer student 

Transferring colleges can be a difficult journey for students struggling to find a new place to call home.

“My college path has definitely been a little unconventional, not like most other students,” said Grace Tursi, a 2020 high school graduate.  

Graduating during the COVID-19 pandemic made it hard for her to choose her next college.

“Most of us, I don’t think, really had an opportunity to go visit a lot of the schools that they were applying to. So it was kind of just like throwing a dart on a map and just deciding,” she explained.

Tursi first chose a school out of state. When it wasn’t a match, she returned home to a community college, where she still struggled to see her future.

“I started to kind of think, ‘Oh, what’s wrong with me? Why can’t I find the school that I like? Is it something that I’m doing wrong?’ Just a lot of questions.” Tursi explained, “I think it’s very easy to start doubting yourself in your abilities when you find yourself in a situation like that, you know? This is my second try and things are just not clicking still.” 

She refers to her college hunt during the pandemic as “probably one of the strangest times of [her] life.”

Tursi applied to St. John Fisher University her third time around.

“My first semester that I was here, we were definitely still adjusting, making COVID adjustments, and all that sort of thing,” she said. “I will say particularly that combined with coming in as a transfer, and it being my first semester at Fisher, it went much smoother than I expected.”

St. John Fisher University was recently recognized by the Biden-Harris administration as a leader in higher education for the institution’s transfer student success rates. Fisher stays on the upper end of the scope at 78% success. 

Tursi says much of her success as a transfer student was owed to her transfer guidance counselors.

“What makes us a little bit unique at Fisher is that we work with the transfer students from the time they inquire through until the application process,” explained Holly Smith, the associate director of transfer admissions. “Then we work with them through acceptance, and then once they submit deposit, we register them for their first semester classes so that we really work with them.”

The ongoing support is what sets St. John Fisher University apart from institutions across the country.

“When a transfer student is coming in, we really try to connect the admission counselors ourselves to not send everyone on a wild goose chase, but we will kind of work with financial services and work with our registrar’s office,” Smith said. 

The extra guidance has made a world of a difference navigating the higher education system for Tursi.

“I would say all in all, especially considering that I’ve technically transferred multiple times, it has been a smooth process. It has been easier than expected,” she said, “I am a completely different person since coming to Fisher, but in all of the best ways possible. I have really found my people here. I found what I want to do for the rest of my life and I feel very happy and confident about my time here as I get ready to graduate in a few weeks.”