At Athens State University, every student is a transfer student. As an institution that enrolls mostly non-traditional students, faculty and instructional designers understand the importance of accommodating the unique instructional needs of each student in order for them to have a seamless transition into the environment of an upper-level…

Athens State University (ATSU) is one of the few remaining upper-division institutions of higher education in the United States. At the undergraduate level, only students who have earned 36 transferable semester hours from an accredited institution are eligible for admission to ATSU. Athens State University strives to provide quality teaching and…

As the overall demographics are changing in post-secondary education, the importance of attracting and retaining transfer students into 4-year institutions is becoming more and more important. This is, however, a challenging shift for many institutions. Becoming a "transfer friendly" institution requires a multi-faceted approach that…

This case study examines the transfer experiences and sense of belonging in STEM among historically marginalized and excluded students transitioning from Pima Community College to the University of Arizona. Utilizing mixed methods, survey data from two student cohorts are analyzed to gain insights into their transition process. The study…

The information asymmetry and inequitable consumer dynamics that have existed in the market for used cars are strikingly similar to problems encountered by transfer students in higher education. Specifically, we can think of transfer articulation as a marketplace, where students are the buyers, colleges and universities are the sellers, and…

Nationally collected data reveals that transfer students encounter added difficulty graduating on time from four-year institutions than non-transfer students. Since transfer students traditionally graduate at a lower rate, targeting and improving transfer students' graduation percentages is one way to augment an institution's overall graduation…

Community colleges represent a main pathway for students seeking to earn bachelor's degrees. This path allows students who may be unable to enter a 4-year university to gain access to higher education, often at a decreased cost. Science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) students are utilizing this pathway as state and federal…

More than nine million students enroll in community colleges annually (Fink et al., 2023) making them accessible entry points for individuals of diverse backgrounds (Fink et al., 2023). Upward transfer from community colleges to four-year institutions creates critical pathways to baccalaureate degree attainment, but only 33% of community college…

Recent research reveals that many students are "swirling," or transferring more than one time, and not always vertically. This rise in swirlers suggests that some students choose transfer institutions that do not fit their needs. Yet, very little research examines the choices students make as they seek to transfer from one school to…

Roughly 80% of community college students indicate that they intend to transfer to a four-year institution, 30% of those students eventually transfer, and 13% of those students persist to graduate with a baccalaureate degree. There has been previous research on transfer students and on first generation students, but the intersection of…

Transfer students comprise half of all undergraduate students, yet their educational experiences may differ in meaningful ways from those of traditional students. Importantly, the transfer student population is diverse and not monolithic. Achievement emotions, which occur in an iterative pattern with past experiences informing current and future…

This study explored the lived experiences of first-generation transfer students (FGTS) and their utilization of support structures at a mid-size, public university in New England. Using Schlossberg's Transition Theory as a framework, this case study presents results that sought to center the voices of FGTS as it relates to the support services…

Better understanding of how students achieve vertical transfer is vital for advancing equity in science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) majors. Among the many sources of barriers, delays, and complexities demonstrated in previous research as influencing vertical transfer outcomes, the transfer admission process has been generally…

Educational practitioners, researchers, and policymakers have focused on increasing community college transfer rates as an equity strategy for improving social and economic mobility among historically underserved populations. While there is a vast amount of research on students who have successfully transferred, there is limited evidence base on…

The study of transfer in Canadian post-secondary education is a fractured terrain, with vast inter-provincial differences and deep schisms between participating communities. At the time of writing, there exists no comprehensive review that maps the predictors and associated outcomes of transfer in Canada, thus complicating the advancement of this…