Transfer success at UMBC begins with the student experience — and the Registrar's Office is driving the improvements that make that success possible. For the Transfer Services team, every transcript, evaluation, and policy update is centered on one goal: ensuring students have the information they need to move forward.
Smart Technology Meets Smart People
Launched in 2022, Smart Panda has transformed how transfer credit evaluations are processed.
Before its implementation, staff manually entered each course detail from incoming transcripts — a time-consuming task made even more challenging by the growth in electronic and dual-enrollment transcripts after COVID-19. Now, Smart Panda's Raptor tool assists data entry by capturing transcript data, and its Rule Builder helps create course equivalencies that populate directly into the student record system.
This shift allows staff to focus on quality checks and complex evaluations rather than repetitive data entry. "Technology can make us faster, but it doesn't replace our expertise," one team member explained. "Equivalencies change, and it takes knowledgeable people to keep everything accurate."
The project — more than five years in the making — highlights the team's persistence and creativity. "We approach these projects as a team," the Transfer Services staff shared. "Everyone brings different strengths. We brainstorm, problem-solve, and learn together to create the best possible outcomes for students."
Meeting Students Where They Are
The Transfer Services team works closely with offices across campus to ensure credits are evaluated fairly and efficiently.
- Daily coordination with Admissions keeps transcripts moving.
- Support for registration and graduation helps ensure students meet prerequisites and degree requirements.
- Ongoing collaboration with Study Abroad and academic departments builds new equivalencies that recognize the full range of student learning experiences.
The Maryland Transfer With Success Act has also expanded flexibility, allowing credit to be awarded for a broader range of coursework and for new forms of prior learning. Combined with Smart Panda's efficiencies, these efforts support the new 20-day turnaround goal — giving students faster decisions and clearer pathways forward.
The impact is clear: fewer repeated general education courses, more transferable credits, and a smoother start at UMBC.
"There's no such thing as a typical transfer student," the team emphasized. "Every situation is unique — and our job is to meet students where they are and help them move forward."
Looking Ahead
The coming year will focus on ensuring that new tools and policies are fully integrated and used consistently across campus.
For the team, success looks like this: "when students and advisors can easily find the information they need — and when our inbox is quieter. Fewer questions usually mean smoother processes."
As long as the work stays centered on the student experience, the team believes they'll continue moving in the right direction.
At its core, this work reflects the UMBC ethos: curiosity, collaboration, and commitment to student success. Whether through new technology or stronger partnerships, the Registrar's Office is making sure that every student's transfer journey starts on the right foot — and leads to success.
The Transfer Services team includes Ciera Clay Valian, Pat Toliver, Nichole Coster, Julie Do, and Brittany Flook.