A little over a year ago, ACC and Texas State University launched the Bats to Cats program with a bold promise: to eliminate the red tape from the transfer process, protect our students’ hard-earned credits, and significantly boost completion rates.

Today, that promise is translating into real, measurable momentum. ACC has seen a surge in lifetime declaration forms over the last week, bringing our current total as of June 23 to 1,426 students who are officially on the path to becoming Bats to Cats students.

“This isn’t just about moving students from point A to point B,” says Transfer Service Executive Dean Renee Esparza. “It’s about proving that with the right support, data, and partnership, we can rewrite the narrative around student transfer success in Texas.”

The College hopes to get more students to submit their declaration form by the July 1 deadline for the next cohort. 

  • Current Submissions: 1,410
  • Ideal Goal: 1,500 by July 1
  • Stretch Goal: 2,000 by July 1

Why the Program Matters

Transfer success is a core component of our North Star goal. The Bats to Cats program allows ACC students to seamlessly transfer to Texas State. Eligible students receive:

  • Personalized advising 
  • Assured scholarships  
  • A clear pathway that ensures their ACC credits count toward their bachelor’s degree 

For the student, it means less stress and potentially saving up to $19,000 in tuition and fees.

“I started at ACC right after high school and I was just kind of just doing my own thing — going to class, going home,” says Katelyn Haygood, ACC Bats to Cats Transfer student. “I actually found out more about the Bats to Cats program, (and) it felt meant to be because I’m still figuring things out — but this program (saves) me time and money, and it’s helping me continue my education. So I’m really excited to transfer with Bats to Cats.”

The Strategy Behind the Surge

Reaching this milestone required a sophisticated blending of data science, academic leadership, and grassroots campus engagement.

To help expand awareness and drive those final declarations, several targeted campaigns launched over the past few weeks:

  • Targeted Business Student Push: Dean Dr. Lorlie Braxton sent a direct communication to eligible Business Administration students. 
  • Smart Tracking: The Office of College Relations & Marketing (OCRM) integrated UTM tracking links into student emails, enabling the team to monitor website activity and engagement to see exactly how students are interacting with the Bats to Cats page.
  • Campus & Digital Awareness: The Transfer Team hosted a series of information sessions, both in person and virtual, for prospective and current students to learn more about the program, ask questions, and talk directly with the transfer team. 
  • Targeted Emails: Student Affairs Communications mapped out a campaign timeline to share relevant messages, including text messages to students eligible for the program. 
  • Catch Them Online: The Office of Institutional Research & Analytics provided lists of eligible students who would be most prime for the declaration form, and OCRM used that for targeted social media boosted posts and mailers.

Designing for Scale

Highlighting the long-term vision for the initiative, Research, Effectiveness & Grants Vice Chancellor Jenna Cullinane Hege emphasized that current success is just the foundation for future growth:

“We are really pleased with the meaningful progress we’ve seen in Year 2 Bats to Cats participation and admissions to Texas State. We are, however, far from done. We remain laser-focused on reaching our institutional goal of 4,000 successful transfer students each year. We need another 800 students to reach that goal. 

“That means, we are reflecting on what has worked well to date and implementing adjustments for Year 3 to grow our outreach to current students who are interested in a bachelor’s degree, working directly with academic departments to steer students to the clear and aligned Bats to Cats program maps, and readying students with financial, academic, and social supports to make the transition to TXST.”

How You Can Help

You are our best ambassadors. If you are advising students or teaching classes over the next two weeks, please remind eligible students about the benefits of the Bats to Cats program and encourage them to submit their declaration forms before July 1.