The kinds of students that transferred into or out of 30 postsecondary institutions, including universities, senior colleges, junior colleges, and community colleges, were studied. Several types of institutions were assessed: residential, commuter, traditionally black, and special focus (military, medical, technical, and agricultural). Also considered were the performance of transfer students. The study population consisted of over 63,000 transfer students who were attending a state college system in 1983. Students who transferred within the system itself were the primary focus. Comparisons were made by level of institution and were broken down by gender and minority status. The numbers of students transferring and their performance before and after transfer were also assessed by type of institution. It was found that when students transfer, typically their grade point average (GPA) increases, with the exception of students transferring to universities. Some institutions were sending a large number of students experiencing difficulties at that institution (typically at the universities) to other institutions where the students experienced an increase in GPA. (SW)