The Passport Breakfast on February 15 celebrated another year of student success for the Passport Program. The event highlighted the program’s achievements in areas spanning student retention and graduation, academic excellence, event attendance, and more.
The Passport Program helps students who are transferring from Ivy Tech Indianapolis to IUPUI. Since its establishment in February 1990, the program has continued to serve thousands of students.
Kim Priesmeyer, managing director of the Center for Transfer and Adult Students, commented on the importance of the program and the faculty and staff who work within it.
“The Passport advisors work directly with the Ivy Tech students on the Ivy Tech campus, so as soon as we know an Ivy Tech student plans to transfer to IU Indianapolis, we can assist them with planning the most effective courses or program for transfer and be sure they meet application deadlines, so they can transfer on their timeline,” Priesmeyer said.
Students who participate in the program are given access to services such as pre-transfer advising, information on the Passport to IUPUI scholarship, and other resources to help ease the transition.
The program’s offerings have continued to develop and expand. On February 6, the two institutions announced a new Dual Admission Program.
The program is an extension of the Passport Program and will provide a more seamless transition for Ivy Tech Indianapolis students who desire to continue their studies in an IU Indianapolis bachelor’s program. Through the program, students will be able to view their complete bachelor’s degree pathway while still at Ivy Tech, have access to select support services at both institutions, and benefit from increased coordination between the institutions. These new facets will aid students in avoiding unnecessary or void credits and help them make an even more effective transition between the institutions.
Priesmeyer hopes that the program will allow transfer students to develop a stronger understanding with the IU Indianapolis campus before their full transition.
“Dual Admission students will work with the IU Indianapolis Passport Advisors from day one,” Priesmeyer said. “So, there will be consistency in their advising, and they will hopefully be able to build a familiarity with the IU Indianapolis campus through special programming during the time they are working on their Ivy Tech degree.”
Student engagement with the Passport Program has dramatically increased in recent years. A 2024 report observed that student attendance at transfer fairs, workshops, and presentations increased by 71% and communications increased by 54%.
413Event Attendance in AY 21-22
706Event Attendance in AY 22-23
2,706Passport Office Contacts with Students in AY 21-22
4,171Passport Office Contacts with Students in AY 22-23
Data shows that the program has lead to high representation of Ivy Tech transfers within the IUPUI student body, with at least 12% being Ivy Tech transfers.
Of these transfers, most enroll within a specific school. In the 2022-2023 academic year, the largest enrollment rates for transfers were seen in Science (16.9%), Business (12.7%), Engineering and Technology (13.7%), Informatics and Computing (9.0%), and Liberal Arts (10.1%). Ivy Tech transfer students made up more than 15% of all IUPUI bachelor’s degree earners in the 2022-2023 academic year and had an average GPA of 3.29.
The program has also seen an increase in overall student diversity. In the past academic year, a rise in the number of African American and Latinx first-time transfer students is distinctly evident.
| Students of Color | AY 21-22 | AY 22-23 |
|---|---|---|
Students of Color | 38.8% | 43.8% |
African American | 16.7% | 21.2% |
Asian American | 7.1% | 6.8% |
Latinx | 9.8% | 11.2% |
Native American | 0.0% | 0.3% |
Native Hawaiian | 0.0% | 0.0% |
Two or More Races | 5.2% | 4.2% |
Moreover, several graduating students from the program are seeing higher full-time employment rates at 66.8%, in comparison to similar counterparts from other institutions with a rate of 61%.
Marva Barlow is one student who has been academically inspired by the program. Barlow, a student in the School of Education, was part of the student panel during the Passport Breakfast.
Barlow originally applied to IUPUI but was informed that the Passport Program might serve her better. Upon arriving at Ivy Tech, she felt overwhelmed and lost.
“The last time I had sat in a classroom, learning looked completely different," Barlow said. "The standard notebook, pen, and calculator were still in play. But turning in assignments on a computer, along with other electronic platforms, was new for me for school."
While at Ivy Tech, Barlow learned about the support from the Passport Program, which helped her make a seamless transition to IUPUI.
Barlow shared how her experience coming from a low-income background, being African American, and being an adult student pursuing a degree at an older age has made her college journey different than many of her classmates, and she commended the Passport Program for intentionally serving students like her.
“I would like to personally thank the two institutions, IUPUI and Ivy Tech, with their one mission to student success practice in allowing me to share today all of my processes, progress, and statistics, but more importantly, my story.”
The Passport Program’s transfer application for the 2024 fall period will close on July 1.
For more information, contact the Division of Undergraduate Education Office of Communications at duecomm@iu.edu.
