The Peru Gazette

PLATTSBURGH, N.Y. – Students at one of the four community colleges in close proximity to SUNY Plattsburgh or its branch campus in Queensbury can find out within 20 minutes if their application is complete for transfer during a new initiative called Instant Decision Days.

About 40 percent of all new students who enrolled at SUNY Plattsburgh in 2017 were transfer students, said Carrie Woodward, director of admissions at SUNY Plattsburgh.

“Given the importance of transfer students to our overall student profile, the admissions office has been actively working to reduce barriers to enrollment,” she said. “Our initiatives include these Instant Decision Days at partner community colleges, increased personal outreach and improved transfer articulation agreements and credit evaluation processes.”

Direct Access to Admissions Advisers

More than half the college’s transfer students come from either Clinton Community, North Country Community, Hudson Valley Community colleges or SUNY Adirondack.

“By offering regular Instant Decision Days at these community colleges, we give applicants direct access to advisers who review their applications and complete their credit evaluations,” Woodward said.

According to Woodward, the three questions most transfer students ask are:

• What is needed to complete the application?
• Are all credits transferable?
• How long will it take to finish the degree?

“At an Instant Decision Day, we are able to answer all of those questions for a student in 20 minutes or less,” she said. “In most cases, we provide a decision and a credit evaluation on the spot and explain the next steps needed to complete the transfer process.”

Collaboration with Area Community Colleges

SUNY Plattsburgh collaborates with each of the four community colleges to promote Instant Decision Days on their campuses. Students register online, and members of SUNY Plattsburgh’s admissions office reach out to them ahead of time to ensure they submit everything we need to deliver a decision and a credit evaluation to them during the event.

Compared to the regular admissions process, Instant Decision Days are much more personalized and efficient.

“Students can get done in a day what sometimes takes weeks when we are communicating back and forth via email or on the phone.”

Students Benefit ‘First and Foremost’

This process benefits the students “first and foremost because it eliminates the need for students to travel to our campus to have a face-to-face meeting with a transfer adviser,” Woodward said. “They also streamline the process and ensure students have access to a professional who can answer their questions about their credit evaluation and the next steps to enroll.”

Upcoming Instant Decision Days include:

• North Country Community College, Monday, Oct. 23 from 9 a.m. to noon at the Saranac Lake campus and 2 to 4 p.m. at the Ticonderoga campus
• Clinton Community College, Tuesday, Oct. 24 and Thursday, Nov 30 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• Hudson Valley Community College, Tuesday, Nov. 28 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
• SUNY Adirondack, Wednesday, Nov. 29 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For more information or to register to attend one of the Instant Decision Days, visit https://web.plattsburgh.edu/admissions/instant-decision-days.php or contact admissions at 518-564-2040 or admissions@plattsburgh.edu.