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NTSW CELEBRATION IDEAS

National Transfer Student Week celebrations can be meaningful and impactful regardless of your institutional size, function, or available resources. These ideas are designed to work with your existing capacity and campus culture, helping you create authentic recognition for transfer students while building broader understanding of the full transfer student experience.

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Every institution has unique strengths and serves different roles in supporting transfer success. Whether your campus primarily helps students prepare for transfer, welcomes new transfer students, or supports students moving through various pathways, these celebration ideas can be adapted to highlight your specific contributions to transfer student success.

Image by Erika Fletcher

RECOGNITION & CELEBRATION

​Create visible symbols of transfer pride and acknowledge the contributions of both transfer students and those who support them.

Transfer Pride Initiatives

  • Create buttons or stickers saying "I'm a Transfer Student" or “Transfer Pride” to build community visibility

  • Design institution-branded items exclusively for transfer students, perhaps asking them to swap something from their previous school

  • Share transfer student success stories on your website homepage, email newsletters, or social media channels

  • Create social media graphics highlighting the diversity of transfer pathways at your institution using #TransferStudentWeek

  • Display swag from your institution's top partner schools in a visible campus location

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Appreciating Transfer Champions

  • Present certificates or small awards to faculty and staff who go above and beyond in supporting transfer students

  • Create "I ♥ Transfers" or "I Support Transfer Students" materials for campus community members who demonstrate transfer understanding

  • Send thank you notes to faculty and staff who champion transfer student success

  • Invite campus community members to nominate outstanding transfer champions for recognition​​

For Transfer-Sending Institutions:

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  • Celebrate students building toward transfer goals and recognize faculty/ staff who provide transfer guidance and preparation support.

For Transfer-Receiving Institutions:

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  • Welcome new transfer students and appreciate staff who help with transition support and campus integration.

BUILDING COMMUNITY

Create opportunities for transfer students to connect with each other and campus resources while strengthening support networks.

Connection and Networking

  • Host a social event specifically for transfer students, inviting campus partners to network and share resources

  • Organize a panel presentation featuring faculty and staff or students  who share their own transfer experiences

  • Create opportunities for transfer students to connect across class years and academic programs

  • Partner with student government or student organizations (especially Tau Sigma or Phi Theta Kappa if available) to co-host events

  • Create bulletin board or chalk spaces where students can share their transfer journeys, goals, or advice

 

Skill Building and Support

  • Offer workshops focused on transfer-specific topics like pathway planning, credit evaluation, or transition strategies

  • Partner with Career Services for sessions like "Leveraging Your Transfer Experience in Job Searches"

  • Collaborate with offices whose services might be under-utilized by transfer students (study abroad, undergraduate research, service learning)

  • Send encouraging emails to transfer students with helpful campus resource links, especially meaningful at midterm

Timing Tip: Mid-October represents a critical moment when transfer students may need extra encouragement and connection to campus resources.

EDUCATION & AWARENESS-BUILDING

Help campus communities better understand transfer student experiences and build empathy that leads to more supportive practices year-round.

Storytelling and Data Sharing

  • Work with Institutional Research to create infographics showing transfer student impact on your campus

  • Coordinate with University Relations to publish transfer student profiles throughout the week

  • Ask students, alumni, and staff to share how specific moments or people were important to their transfer success

  • Create displays showcasing the geographic diversity or academic pathways of your transfer population

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Campus-Wide Engagement

  • Send informational emails to colleagues highlighting transfer student contributions and campus data

  • Organize department-level discussions about policies and practices that affect transfer students

  • Offer professional development workshops for faculty and staff about supporting transfer students

  • Create campus-wide activities like scavenger hunts that highlight transfer-relevant resources

Remember: Choose stories that highlight the diversity of your transfer population and the complexity of transfer pathways. This normalizes transfer and builds understanding that transfer experiences vary widely and all deserve support.

QUICK START IDEAS

Short on time? Limited resources? No problem.
These activities require minimal planning but create meaningful recognition for transfer students and build campus awareness. October is always busy, so these ideas work with your existing capacity.

Digital Recognition

• Post daily facts about transfer students on social media

• Send a simple encouraging message to transfer students

• Share one transfer success story through existing communication channels

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Physical Campus Presence

• Set up a simple table in a high-traffic area with transfer-themed information or small giveaways

• Create a single bulletin board highlighting transfer student contributions or tips for success

• Leverage existing programs by adding a transfer focus to October activities

MAKING IT HAPPEN: PLANNING TIPS

Start Where You Are

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  • Choose activities that align with your current capacity and resources. A single social media post celebrating transfer students is more valuable than an elaborate event that exhausts your team. Success builds momentum for future years.

Connect with Campus Partners

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  • Academic advising, career services, student life, financial aid, and other departments all have connections to transfer success. Collaborating distributes the workload while building broader campus engagement with transfer support.

Think Beyond Transfer Week
 

  • Use National Transfer Student Week as a launching point for ongoing transfer advocacy. The conversations, connections, and awareness building that happen during the week can inform policy discussions and program development throughout the year.

Adaptation is Key: The most successful celebrations feel authentic to your specific campus culture and student population. Use these ideas as starting points, then modify them to reflect your institution's unique role in supporting transfer success.

Students Chatting

SHARE YOUR CELEBRATION

Planning to participate in National Transfer Student Week?

 

Use #TransferStudentWeek on social media to connect with institutions across the country and share your creative approaches to celebrating transfer success.

 

Your celebration, whether a simple social media campaign or comprehensive programming, contributes to a national movement that validates transfer journeys and builds stronger support systems for transfer students everywhere.

Ideas for Programming
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