National recognition of Stetson continues to roll in with the university named to Phi Theta Kappa (PTK) Honor Society’s 2026 Transfer Honor Roll.

“By the numbers and by our success stories, we knew we were a great destination for transfer students because we are creating pathways that help community college transfer students earn bachelor’s degrees. It is an honor to achieve this recognition and the added visibility we’ve earned from PTK,” said Caroline Lipthratt, senior associate director of Admissions at Stetson.

Students who are members of PTK join a prestigious honor society, which was recognized in 1929 as the official honor society for two-year colleges by the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC). Membership is by invitation only with most chapters requiring students maintain a 3.5 or higher GPA.

One such student is Paul Napolitano. When the senior standout decided to transfer to Stetson, he already had a long history of setting and achieving his goals, as evidenced by a long list of recognitions throughout high school, his early induction into the honor society, and his performance on the field as a freshman at Seminole State. 

“I worked hard over the summer after freshman year to graduate and enrolled at Stetson for my sophomore year,” he said. “All my credits transferred, and I also knew that the baseball coaches were phenomenal. My brother had a great experience at Stetson when he played here in 2023 and 2024 as a graduate student, and I feel exactly the same. The relationships I’ve developed here makes me feel like there are a lot of people in my corner. My professors care about me and the work I’m doing to earn a degree in English. That’s one of the benefits of Stetson – it really feels like a family here in all aspects.”

Stetson’s effort to earn the Honor Society’s Transfer Honor Roll began three years ago when Lipthratt began assessing the university’s data. “We have a unique profile beyond high achievement in benchmarks like recruiting, retaining, and graduating transfer students,” said Lippthratt. Unlike many universities that require specific prerequisites before transfer, Stetson allows students greater flexibility to complete needed coursework after transferring, creating more opportunities for prospective students.

Earning the recognition was a true team effort that grew with the addition of Sherard Howell, senior associate director of International Admissions who supplemented Lipthratt’s focus on domestic students and athletes by taking on responsibility for international transfers. Harrison Gordon has recently come on board as an admissions recruiter supporting Florida-based transfers. A concerted effort by the entire admissions staff ultimately led to the university earning the recognition.

The PTK 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 the 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 admissions practices
• Campus engagement and support for transfer students

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%

“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.”

-Deb Lovett