Luther detailed institutional efforts to bring in more transfer students in a February 12 press release. These efforts include joining the Iowa Private Transfer Collective (IPTC), easing access to transfer course equivalencies and designating an admissions staff member to help transfer students with the admissions process.
Students who transfer to Luther college traditionally make up a small percentage of the new students each year. For the fall 2024 semester, Luther welcomed 24 new transfer students. According to the release, participation in the IPTC is one way the college has become a more transfer-friendly institution.
Luther is one of 18 private four-year colleges and universities to participate in the IPTC. The initiative is funded by a three-year grant from the Arthur Vining Davis and Teagle foundations. According to a press release from Drake University, the grant is used to fund work “aimed at bringing together faculty from community colleges and four-year institutions to ensure the seamless transfer of academic credits and place a greater emphasis on the retention rate for students who transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions.”
In October 2024, fifteen Iowa community college presidents approved the Iowa Private Transfer Guarantee with the IPTC to guarantee admission for students who have earned an associate of arts or an associate of science degree at a community college in Iowa. The agreement is intended to streamline the transfer process for community college students to transfer to a private four-year institution.
In addition to this agreement, Luther’s curriculum committee worked over the summer to evaluate 8,000 courses from regional institutions to determine the equivalent course credit at Luther. Once the equivalencies were determined, the information was added to a free online tool, Transferology, that helps students looking to transfer understand whether or not their course credits will transfer. Professor of Art Ben Moore spoke to Luther News on the importance of this resource.
“Now all [of the information is] in one spot,” Moore said. “We are dedicated to making the process of joining the Luther community smooth for transfer students. Transferology is one part of Luther’s ongoing goal to be a transfer-friendly college.”
Some recent transfer students have noted that their transition to Luther was smooth. In an interview with Luther News, Transfer student and athlete Jermaine Dizon (‘26) described his experience transferring.
“My teammates, coaches and professors took the time to ease me into everything Luther and Decorah-related and made sure I was adjusting well,” Dizon said. “They put me in contact with fellow students within my area of interest. Residence life made it easy to get adjusted by sending me all the necessary information, and the admissions team answered all of my questions and concerns.”
Liz Clement (‘26) transferred to Luther spring semester of her freshman year. She spoke to the difficulties she had transferring in under the old curriculum.
“I am very grateful for the opportunities that Luther has given me,” Clement said. “However, there are some things that Luther could fix for the transfer process. Transferring to Luther under the old curriculum has made it challenging to ensure that I graduate on time. Without my advisor advocating on my behalf to change the flexibility of when I take courses, I would not be able to graduate on time, simply because I chose Luther to transfer to. I hope the steps Luther has taken with the [IPTC] keep this from happening to incoming transfer students.”
Questions about transferring to Luther can be directed to [email protected].
