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Exploring Transfer

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Vassar and a number of partner colleges have worked together for over forty years to give college students the opportunity to experience being a student in a summer residential liberal arts college.

Exploring Transfer Together

Exploring Transfer Summer 2026: June 29-July 24

We will begin to accept nominations in mid-December; they will close on February 6.

If you are a student seeking nomination, please speak to your college coordinator, listed below, or speak to a faculty member with whom you have taken classes at your home institution. If nominated, you will need to complete an application, due by February 20th. The application will require two short essays about your educational journey plus other relevant information; in addition, you will need to have two letters of recommendation submitted in support of your application.

We encourage students interested in learning more about the transfer process to consider applying for The Bi-Co (Bryn Mawr and Haverford Colleges) Exploring Transfer Together program. This is a free, coed, 10-day immersive experience for community college students interested in transferring to a four-year liberal arts college.

https://www.haverford.edu/admission/bi-co-exploring-transfer-together

Admission decisions for the Vassar Exploring Transfer Program will be made by April 10th, 2026.

Students who have attended the Exploring Transfer program have successfully transferred to a wide range of four-year institutions. Students in the program are typically among the first generation in their family to attend college and are highly motivated academically, with a cumulative GPA of 3.4 or higher. Through a four-week residential program and immersion in the liberal arts, Exploring Transfer enables community college and tribal college students to imagine a broader range of academic opportunities than might otherwise have been possible. The structure of the program includes four days of instruction (Monday through Thursday), with workshops and other transfer-focused sessions on Fridays. Exploring Transfer is a full-time program that requires students to be present on campus with no other outside obligations, such as work or online courses. Students will take one course, co-taught by a Vassar professor and a community college professor.

Exploring Transfer Summer 2026 classes will be in session from June 29-July 24; however, students should be available to arrive on June 25 for orientation. Students are in residence for the length of the program during the week; students will have the option to leave campus on Saturdays and Sundays. Each accepted student receives a scholarship to the Exploring Transfer program that completely covers their tuition, room, meals, and books. Attendance in all program activities (classes, workshops, and transfer success sessions) are mandatory.

Applicants must be actively enrolled at an accredited community college or tribal college. Applicants should have completed or be on track to complete at least 24 credit hours of coursework by the end of their spring 2026 semester. Additionally, students must have completed English 101, or its equivalent. Priority applicants will be those students who have completed less than four semesters of college work by June 2026.

Students who successfully complete the program will receive the equivalent of one college course credit at their home schools.

The program requires mandatory attendance for all classes, workshops, and transfer-focused sessions.

Coordinator Contacts

For information, students at the following community colleges or tribal college can contact their Exploring Transfer coordinator:

Other interested students, please contact us directly at et@vassar.edu.