To examine the relationship between school and community characteristics and the transfer of black students from two- to four-year colleges, a study was conducted of black transfer rates and institutional characteristics at 53 colleges in North Carolina. Transfer data were obtained from the National Center for Academic Achievement and Transfer and linked to demographic information on schools and counties in National Center for Educational Statistics files for 1991. Analyses of the data revealed the following: (1) with respect to institutional characteristics, larger colleges showed higher black transfer rates than smaller colleges, although the percentage of black students in the college population as a whole was negatively related to black transfer rates; (2) the existence of day-care facilities was positively correlated to transfer rates; (3) while a vocational emphasis at an institution had no effect on black transfer rates, higher ratios of black to white students in such programs resulted in lower transfer rates, indicating that disproportionately minority programs are often devalued and lead to further inequalities; (4) with respect to community characteristics, mean income was positively related to transfer rates; (5) while the percent of black residents in a community was also positively related to transfer, colleges in predominantly black communities had greater percentages of black students and disproportionately more blacks in vocational programs, both of which depressed the transfer rate and offset net positive effects. Contains 22 references. (KP)