Transient versus transfer

Transient students have to deal with worrying about how their credits
will transfer, just like traditional transfer students, but transient
students have the luxury of discussing what will happen to their
credits prior to taking the courses.

What does transient student status mean?
A transient student is just visiting; a transfer student plans to
attend the new institution permanently. Transient students normally
take classes at the new school for one term, and then enroll at their
home institution the following term.

How a student can become a transient
The application process for transient students differs from that of
transfer students. Transients must fill out an application for admission, and provide the new school with a transient permission letter from the home institution. For transient study at Clayton State University, this letter must contain certain criteria that secure the student’s eligibility for transient status. The letter must include:

• Proof that the student is on good academic standing at the home institution, and is therefore qualified to return
• A list of courses the student has permission to take as a transient
• Recommendation for transient study and appropriate signatures

At Clayton State, transient students can attend classes on a space available basis. We hold a special transient registration period shortly before the beginning of each semester. Not all schools have this restriction, and many allow transient students to register long before classes begin.

Transferring transient credit back home
The list on a transient permission letter is important because those are the courses the student has discussed with his or her adviser for transfer purposes back to the home institution. It is the responsibility of the student to provide his or her advisor with course descriptions from the catalog of the transient institution to prove transfer equivalency. The transient student knows how the credit will be applied at another institution, while a transfer student may not.

Some schools, such as the University of Georgia, have an open transient permission letter. This means that the transient student can register for the courses of his or her choice, which may seem advantageous to the student, but may cause issues with transfer equivalency if the student has not spoken with an adviser at the home institution.

Some advantages of transient study
Transient study can be a complicated process. It’s not as simple as, “I think I’d like to take a class somewhere else this summer.” There are deadlines, policies, required documents, and research involved that make this student status quite complex. However, there are many perks to transient study. It is a good way to try out a new school, boost a grade point average, or just get a temporary change.

Both transient and transfer students should be concerned about how the credits they earn at one institution will be applied to a degree at another. A transient has an advantage over regular transfer students if he or she chooses to continue at the new school as a transfer student. Because the transient student is already accepted and attending classes, he or she can meet with an adviser or registrar’s office employee to discuss the transferability of the credits from his or her home institution. Advisers normally do not meet with prospective (unaccepted) transfer students, and the registrar’s office does not evaluate credits until the admissions process is complete.

Being a transient student is a good way to test a school for a possible transfer. The student is still technically a student of the home institution while under transient status. If the student wishes to remain at the new school as a transfer student after the transient term, he or she would need to go through the admissions once again, with a slightly different application.