Opportunity in this country is more and more a function of education. Education matters. Headlines tell the story. On average, the individual with an associate's degree will earn 20-to-30 percent more than the worker who only has a high school diploma. The worker with a bachelor's degree will earn 40 percent more than the high school graduate. The poverty rate in households headed by a high school dropout is 10 times higher than that in households headed by a college graduate. At the same time, those with the most education are also less likely to experience violence, addiction, illness, or incarceration. And education leads to greater job flexibility, improved working conditions, and lower unemployment rates. For the vast majority of Americans today, the only route to the middle class will be through postsecondary education and training. And that means, for nearly half of the students who enter higher education today, that what community colleges offer and how transferable the coursework is to other institutions is of the utmost importance to students, their families, states, and the nation as a whole. This article explores this issue in the following sections: Role of Community Colleges in Providing Postsecondary Access; An Alarming Opportunity Gap; the Community College Transfer Function; Policy Barriers That Hinder Transfer; and State and System Policy and Practice Recommendations. A brief list of resources is also included.