Private colleges aim to draw community college students to campus

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.

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