Taylor University is working to assist prospective transfer students from Trinity International University (TIU) after it announced the discontinuation of its residential undergraduate programs. The change will be effective after the end of this spring semester on May 13.
The Trinity Evangelical Divinity School in Illinois and Trinity Law School in California will continue in-person programs. TIU’s graduate program will only be available online starting in fall.
After the school’s announcement Feb. 17, TIU hosted a college transfer fair Feb. 27 with Taylor University being among the universities who attended.
Jared Burgess, Taylor University assistant director for admissions, went to the fair. He said TIU students were able to engage with admissions faculty and provide them with transcripts for further evaluation.
“We understand they did not choose this, they did not walk themselves into this,” Burgess said. “And so we want to give as much grace and compassion there and that looks like flexibility when it comes to some of those options.”
Each case is different, but Burgess said admissions standards and financial eligibility will remain the same for transfers as they are for every Taylor applicant.
Nevertheless, Nancy Dayton, Taylor University Dean of Arts, Humanities, Business and Higher Education, said the university is working to be flexible with transfer credits for students from TIU.
“What we were trying to do is help them make a transition to Taylor as smooth as possible, given the circumstances,” she said.
The university will be evaluating and comparing core requirements with TIU’s. Taylor’s department chairs will assess respective majors. University Registrar Janet Rogers and Registrar Operations Specialist Cindy Ruder have been the main point of contact for this process.
The school has a 50% rule in place where transfer students can bring in 50% of the credits needed for graduation and 50% of the credits needed for their major. For TIU students who may have already finished a majority of their core classes, Taylor may be willing to waive the 50% rule, Dayton said.
That is, with the note that every transfer case is unique. The waive may only occur if the core curriculum is similar to Taylor’s.
“We're not looking at this as, ‘Oh, we're getting more students,’” she said. “We're looking at this as, you know, ‘we want to help, and this is unfortunate.’”
Andy Gammons, Taylor University executive director of admissions, said six students from TIU have applied so far with three others who are interested. As of this past fall, the university anticipates 40 transfers annually.
TIU is among the list of schools that have closed after the repercussions of COVID-19, due to decreased enrollment and struggling finances. An article from the Trinity Newsroom said the school's current plan to discontinue their residential undergraduate program will position the university for long-term growth and excellence.
