SANTA MONICA—For the 26th year in a row, Santa Monica College (SMC) has topped the list of community colleges in California for transferring the most students into the University of California (UC) system. The University of California Information Center released transfer data from the 2015-2016 academic year on Wednesday, October 26.

According to their official website, from 2015-2016 Santa Monica College “transferred a total of 1,097 students—an all-time record high for the college—to the UC system, maintaining its long-held reputation as the number one transfer institution. SMC outranked the second- and third-ranking UC feeder schools by a significant margin; they transferred 831 and 764 students, respectively. SMC transferred 2,264 students total to the UC and CSU systems combined.”

SMC Superintendent/President Dr. Kathryn E. Jeffrey stated “At Santa Monica College, we are elated that we continue to hold our spot as California’s leading transfer institution. This is a testament to the solid preparation that students receive, thanks to SMC’s top-notch instructors, counselors, and the array of support services the college makes available.”

Most students from SMC from the beach community transfer to several UC schools with a few remaining close to home or by the ocean. Nearly 42 percent or 459 students transferred to the closest UC school in UCLA. UC San Diego came in second with 137 students while UC Berkley and UC Santa Barbara came in third and fourth respectively.

For more information on the academic and support services SMC provides its transfer students, visit http://www.smc.edu.

To find information about the UC system, visit https://www.universityofcalifornia.edu.