Phi Theta Kappa Names 2026 Transfer Honor Roll Recognizing Nation’s Leaders in Transfer Student Success

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society (PTK) has named 275 four-year colleges and universities to its 2026 Transfer Honor Roll, recognizing institutions that have demonstrated exceptional success in creating pathways that help community college transfer students earn bachelor’s degrees.

The Transfer Honor Roll is one of the nation’s most comprehensive recognitions of transfer excellence. Institutions are evaluated using data from the National Student Clearinghouse along with data collected through PTK Connect, Phi Theta Kappa’s online platform that connects our nation’s top community college students with transfer opportunities.

Rather than measuring a single outcome, the Honor Roll evaluates how well institutions support transfer students from admission through graduation. Colleges are assessed across five dimensions shown to influence transfer success:

• Transfer student success outcomes
• Credit mobility and degree applicability
• Financial support for transfer students
• Recruitment and admssions practices
• Campus engagement and support for transfer students

Institutions that complete the PTK Connect institutional profile receive a Transfer Friendliness Rating. The Transfer Honor Roll recognizes the top-performing institutions based on this comprehensive evaluation.

“This recognition is about much more than transfer agreements,” said Dr. Lynn Tincher-Ladner, President and CEO of Phi Theta Kappa. “Successful transfer happens when institutions intentionally design policies, practices, and campus cultures that help students thrive after they arrive. These colleges have demonstrated that transfer student success is not accidental. It is a strategic priority.”

The 2026 Honor Roll institutions demonstrated exceptional performance across multiple measures of transfer success. Among this year’s recognized institutions:

• Average percentage of transfer students in the undergraduate population: 56%
• Average bachelor’s degree completion rate for transfer students: 77%
• Average percentage of transferred credits applied toward a degree: 88%
• Average percentage of transfer students receiving merit-based financial aid: 76%

The Transfer Honor Roll has grown into a national benchmark for transfer excellence. This year, 1,117 colleges and universities completed PTK’s institutional profile, providing students with transparent information about transfer opportunities while allowing institutions to benchmark their transfer practices against peers nationwide.

“Recognition matters because it shines a light on what works,” said Heather Yush, Senior Director of College Relations for Phi Theta Kappa. “When colleges are recognized for transfer excellence, they create powerful examples that inspire other institutions to strengthen their own transfer pathways. Ultimately, that means more students earn the bachelor’s degrees they set out to achieve.”

Members of the 2026 Transfer Honor Roll are:

Adelphi University	Albion College	Alfred University
Allegheny College	Alma College	Antioch University Santa Barbara
Antioch University Seattle	Appalachian State University	Arcadia University
Arizona State University	Athens State University	Augsburg University
Augustana College	Baldwin Wallace University	Barry University
Barton College	Bay Path University	Belhaven University
Bellevue University	Belmont University	Beloit College
Bennington College	Bentley University	Binghamton University
Blackburn College	Blue Mountain Christian University	Bradley University
Brewton-Parker Christian University	Bryant University	Buena Vista University
Caldwell University	Canisius University	Capital University
Carroll College	Carson-Newman University	Carthage College
Central Michigan University	Champlain College	Chatham University
Chestnut Hill College	Clarke University	Cleveland State University
College for Creative Studies	Concordia University, St. Paul	Cornell College
Cumberland University	Dallas Baptist University	Delaware Valley University
DePaul University	Dominican University (IL)	Drake University
Drexel University	Duquesne University	East Stroudsburg University
East Texas Baptist University	Eastern Illinois University	Eastern Kentucky University
Eastern Oregon University	Eckerd College	Elizabethtown College
Elmhurst University	Elmira College	Emerson College
Emmanuel College	Faulkner University	Ferris State University
Florida International University	Florida Southern College	Franklin University Switzerland
Freed-Hardeman University	Friends University	Georgia Highlands College
Georgia Southern University	Georgian Court University	Gonzaga University
Goucher College	Governors State University	Grand View University
Greenville University	Gustavus Adolphus College	Hamline University
Hilbert College	Hiram College	Holy Family University
Hood College	Hunter College – CUNY	Illinois College
Illinois Institute of Technology	Illinois State University	Immaculata University
Iona University	Iowa State University	Juniata College
Kansas State University	Kean University	King’s College
Knox College	La Salle University	Lake Forest College
Lawrence University	Le Moyne College	Lebanon Valley College
Lee University	Lees-McRae College	Lenoir-Rhyne University
Lesley University	LIM College	Lindenwood University
Lipscomb University	Long Island University	Loras College
Loyola Marymount University	Loyola University Chicago	Loyola University Maryland
Loyola University New Orleans	Marietta College	Marist University
Marquette University	Maryville College	Massachusetts College of Liberal Arts
McDaniel College	McMurry University	Menlo College
Mercy University	Merrimack College	Metro State University St. Paul
Metropolitan State University of Denver	Millikin University	Millsaps College
Minneapolis College of Art and Design	Mississippi Christian University	Mississippi State University
Missouri University of Science & Technology	Monmouth College	Mount Saint Mary’s University Los Angeles
Mount St. Joseph University	Mount St. Mary’s University Emmitsburg	Nazareth University
Nebraska Wesleyan University	Neumann University	New York Institute of Technology
Newman University	Niagara University	North Carolina Wesleyan University
North Central College	North Dakota State University	Northeastern State University
Northern Arizona University	Northern Illinois University	Northern Michigan University
Northwest Nazarene University	Notre Dame of Maryland University	Nova Southeastern University
Oakland University	Oglethorpe University	Ohio Dominican University
Ohio University	Ohio University – OHIO Online	Ohio Wesleyan University
Pace University	Pacific University	Palo Alto University
Peru State College	Portland State University	Radford University
Randolph-Macon College	Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute	Rider University
Roanoke College	Robert Morris University	Rockhurst University
Roger Williams University	Rollins College	Roosevelt University
Rowan University	Russell Sage College	Rutgers University – Newark
Saint Joseph’s University Philadelphia	Saint Michael’s College	Saint Peter’s University
Saint Xavier University	School of the Art Institute of Chicago	Seattle University
Simpson College	Southeast Missouri State University	Southern Illinois University Carbondale
Southern Wesleyan University	Southwestern College (KS)	Southwestern University (TX)
Spring Hill College	Springfield College	St. Cloud State University
St. Edward’s University	St. John Fisher University	St. John’s University
St. Mary’s College of California	St. Mary’s College of Maryland	Stephens College
Stetson University	Stevenson University	Stockton University
Stony Brook University	Suffolk University	SUNY Cortland
SUNY Geneseo	SUNY Oneonta	SUNY Polytechnic Institute
Tabor College	Tennessee Wesleyan University	Texas A&M University – Central Texas
Texas A&M University – Corpus Christi	Texas Lutheran University	Texas Tech University
Texas Wesleyan University	The College of New Jersey	The University of Arizona
The University of Arizona Global Campus	The University of Baltimore	The University of Iowa
The University of Kansas	The University of Southern Mississippi	The University of Tampa
The University of Texas at Arlington	The University of Texas at San Antonio	The University of Texas Rio Grande Valley
The University of Toledo	The University of Tulsa	Thiel College
Thomas Edison State University	Towson University	Trine University
Tulane University School of Professional Advancement	University of Arkansas at Little Rock	University of Central Missouri
University of Cincinnati	University of Colorado Boulder	University of Colorado Denver
University of Dubuque	University of Evansville	University of Lynchburg
University of Maine at Farmington	University of Maine	University of Massachusetts Lowell
University of Minnesota Morris	University of Mississippi	University of Missouri
University of Mount Union	University of New Haven	University of Northern Iowa
University of Pittsburgh Greensburg	University of San Francisco	University of the Incarnate Word
University of Wisconsin – Stout	Ursinus College	Ursuline College
Utica University	Valparaiso University	Wagner College
Washington & Jefferson College	Washington State University Global Campus	Wayne State University
Webster University	Wentworth Institute of Technology	Western Governors University
Western Illinois University	Western Kentucky University	Whitworth University
Wichita State University	Wilkes University	William Carey University
Wilmington College (OH)	Wilmington University (DE)	Worcester Polytechnic Institute
Xavier University (OH)	York College of Pennsylvania

About Phi Theta Kappa

Phi Theta Kappa Honor Society recognizes the academic achievement of students at associate degree-granting colleges and helps them grow as scholars and leaders. Recognized by the American Association of Community Colleges as the official honor society for two-year colleges, PTK also serves as the nation’s largest honor society in higher education, with more than 4.5 million members and nearly 1,200 chapters in 11 countries, including approximately 220,000 active members in colleges today. Through scholarships, leadership development, and transfer and career pathways, PTK helps students turn their potential into opportunity. Learn more at ptk.org.