From ACC to the Hilltop: Transfer Students Thrive on Their Path to a Bachelor’s Degree
St. Edward’s and Austin Community College hosted a celebration at ACC’s Eastview Campus to commemorate transfer student success stories and the future of ACComplish @ St. Edward’s.
During the event, St. Edward's President Montserrat Fuentes and ACC Chancellor Russell Lowery-Hart engaged in a thoughtful conversation with three transfer students whose educational journeys have been strengthened by the innovative partnership.
Michaela Monroe ‘27
B.B.A., Accounting
Accounting major Michaela Monroe transferred to St. Edward’s in Fall 2025 after earning her associate degree in Business Administration from ACC in August.
The Topper Transfer Experience
“When I took a tour of the campus in January 2025, I instantly felt at home here. Everyone was so kind and so welcoming, and I knew this university was the right one for me,” said Monroe. “The final deciding factor for me was the university’s acceptance of my credits from Austin Community College. Other universities in Texas would not have accepted all of my credits, yet St. Edward’s accepted every single one.”
Affordability Meets Quality
“When I first researched the university, I was initially concerned about the cost. Yet after meeting with the advisors in St. Edward’s Admissions and Financial Aid departments, I was pleasantly surprised at how affordable attendance was,” said Monroe. “The scholarships they offered me, along with FAFSA, covered the majority of the cost of attendance.”
Hilltop Housing
“My experience with campus housing has been excellent. I currently live in St. Andre Apartments,” said Monroe. “As a transfer student, housing was very important to me. It actually was a very strong deciding factor in which school I chose. When I saw that SEU had fully open housing, and that the application process was easy and affordable, SEU was my first choice.”
A Community-Centered Campus
“I believe that the same amount of community that a lot of students experience at Austin Community College, they will easily transform and find more of their people in their own community at SEU,” said Monroe. “I know I personally did from the time I stepped on campus. I knew that this was the campus for me, because I could see where everyone really operated like a family. And that's something that's very important to me.”
Ricardo Lefranc Pierantozzi ‘24
B.A., Ethics and Leadership
Ethics and Leadership major Ricardo Lefranc Pierantozzi transferred to St. Edward’s in Fall 2020 after studying Communication at ACC.
The Topper Transfer Experience
“I was a senior in high school in 2017 when I applied to ten different universities throughout the state of Texas. However, I was admitted into only eight of them. The two rejections were the University of Texas at Austin and St. Edward’s University,” said Pierantozzi. “Instead of giving up, I kept moving forward by attending ACC for three years, sharpening my educational skills, which then allowed me to apply and get accepted into St. Edward’s.”
“For me, when I eventually got to campus in 2022 after COVID restrictions were lifted, I felt a need to connect with other transfer students who started online like myself,” said Pierantozzi. “So, I worked with Tracy Canales in Admissions on the Transfer Student Association as a secretary to have a safe space for transfer students from all over the country and all over the state who are coming into this. I eventually became vice president, and it helped to have a community for transfer students.”
Affordability Meets Quality
“With the generous and continued support from the financial aid team, as well as my own hard work and conscientious financial planning, I was able to graduate from St. Edward’s with no student loans, emphasizing the idea that it is possible to attend and graduate from a private institution debt-free.”
A Community-Centered Campus
“I understand that there are numerous roadblocks and barriers within all of our lives. However, those should not be discouraging factors when considering St. Edward’s. The best thing to do is reach out, take a day to visit the campus and meet with the staff because they want us to succeed.”
Leslie Galvan ‘25
B.B.A., Marketing
Marketing major Leslie Galvan began her journey at St. Edward’s in Spring 2023 after earning her associate degree in Arts from ACC.
The Topper Transfer Experience
“Being a first-generation student who is applying to colleges can be scary and confusing. But there is a wonderful team at St. Edward's and the transfer admissions advisors are very helpful. They held my hand through the first day and never let go,” said Galvan. “What drew me in most was the university’s environment — the privacy and peacefulness of the campus, the tight-knit community and the feeling of shared identity and purpose among students. It felt like a place where I could belong, grow and be supported both academically and personally."
Affordability Meets Quality
"I was pleasantly surprised by the resources St. Edward’s offers — on-campus job opportunities, a wide range of scholarships and personalized academic planning," said Galvan. "While I navigated my college expenses with the help of scholarships and some loans, the experience taught me how to manage my responsibilities, stay disciplined and appreciate the balance between school, life and personal growth."
A Community-Centered Campus
“As soon as I set foot on campus at SEU, I knew that this school was for me. You just have that sense of belonging there,” said Galvan. “Once you start attending classes, it's so easy to talk to your desk neighbor and just simply make connections. I feel like SEU is the perfect spot for building strong relationships.”
Enjoy More Photos from the St. Edward's University and ACC Transfer Event
Begin Your Transfer Journey
Fifty percent of students who transfer to St. Edward’s are graduates of ACC. Since launching ACComplish @ St. Edward’s, more than 50 students have successfully transferred directly from ACC for the Fall 2025 semester.
