The year before Sydney Anderson arrived at St. Catherine University last fall, she visited its St. Paul campus four times for events tailored to would-be transfer students like her. She stayed overnight in a dorm and scored an invite to the private college’s Day of the Dead bash.
I was involved in the St. Kate’s community before I even came here,” said Anderson, who attended Inver Hills Community College at the time.
In recent years, the state’s private universities and colleges have made a major push to draw community college students to campus. Transfer students make up roughly a quarter of enrollment at the 17 campuses that are part of the Minnesota Private College Council. Half of those students come from two-year community colleges. For the first time Monday, private institutions across the state will host campus visits geared for such students, with more joining in for a follow-up event in February.