Higher Education Technology Startup Launches New Product to Help Students Navigate the Maze of Transfer Options

Stellic launches new Explore product to help colleges drive transfer enrollment and streamline the credit transfer process for students

SAN MATEO, Calif., Nov. 6, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- Stellic—the developer of the innovative academic planning and degree management platform that now serves than 1 million students across 90 colleges and universities—today announced the launch of a new solution—called Explore—designed to help institutions boost enrollment and re-engage transfer, returning, and prospective students by removing barriers and accelerating the transfer credit process. Explore enables colleges to evaluate transfer credits more efficiently, convert prospective learners into enrolled students, and give students real-time insight into how their prior coursework and learning experiences apply toward degree requirements at prospective institutions.

"Credit transfer has always been one of higher education's biggest challenges but also one of its greatest opportunities to improve student success and expand access," said Sabih Bin Wasi, CEO of Stellic. "We built Explore after listening to students, educators, and institutional leaders, who all shared the same frustration: the process is slow, confusing, and unclear. Explore is designed to bring transparency and consistency to every step, giving students the information they need to make confident decisions while helping institutions streamline transfer management and grow their transfer population."

Nearly 1.2 million college students transferred to new institutions in fall 2024—a 4.4% increase over the previous year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. Meanwhile, more than 43 million Americans fall into the "Some College, No Credential" population, a group that continues to expand each year. Despite this growth, transfer and returning students face steep barriers: on average, students lose 43% of their previously earned credits when transferring, and one in seven loses all of them entirely. Only 31.6% of community college students who intend to transfer do so within six years.

Even the most well-designed transfer processes can be slowed by the complexity of evaluating prior learning and managing varying credit agreements. To help close that gap, Explore helps institutions streamline this work by automating and standardizing evaluations, making the process more efficient and transparent for students while allowing staff to focus on helping students navigate the transfer and enrollment process.

Designed for enrollment management, student success, and registrar teams, Explore transforms a traditionally complex process into an opportunity for institutions to more effectively reach and meet the needs of transfer and returning students. The product helps prospective students identify institutions that best align with their goals and earned credits, while simplifying the credit evaluation process so colleges can support students in charting clear, efficient pathways to completion.

"With more than 27,000 students, Santa Monica College serves one of the most diverse student populations in the country, with students who are balancing work, family, and educational goals," said Dr. Esau Tovar, dean of enrollment services at Santa Monica College. "By automating the maze of credit decisions and rules that govern our credit transfer process, we're giving students immediate clarity on how their credits apply and removing a major obstacle to completion. This is about creating a seamless process for transfer and enrollment — and freeing up teams to focus on guiding students toward their goals."

Built to remove barriers and simplify the student journey, Stellic's suite of tools—including Progress for degree management, Care for proactive advising and roster management, and now Explore for transfer evaluation—helps institutions create more affordable, efficient, and transparent pathways to completion.

Founded by Sabih Bin Wasi, a first-generation immigrant and first-generation college student, Stellic began as a student venture during his time at Carnegie Mellon University. Today, the company works with institutions of every type and size, including community colleges, public and private universities, and major research institutions.

To learn more about Stellic Explore and request a demo, visit www.stellic.com/explore.

About Stellic. Stellic is a leading student success and academic planning platform used by over 90 higher education institutions worldwide and more than 1 million students. The company empowers students, advisors, and administrators with modern tools to streamline degree progress, automate transfer evaluations, and make data-informed decisions that drive completion and engagement. Learn more at www.stellic.com.

SOURCE Stellic