In recent years, transfer and articulation has become a hot topic within the higher education research and policy literature. This is evidenced by the myriad of terms whose roots trace to the broader issue of transfer and articulation. Common course numbering across public 2- and 4-year sectors, guaranteed acceptance of the associate's degree by 4-year institutions, reverse transfer agreements, and guided pathways are a few of the most recognizable issues. Despite continuous innovations in both research and practice, the general view of transfer is of verticality, assuming that students transition from a single 2-year institution (or community college) to a single 4-year institution (a regional college or university). While this is certainly true for some students, the notion of vertical transfer (or simply "transfer" for most of us), fails to recognize the actual patterns of transfer for many students and their mobility across institutions and sectors. For this reason, the authors argue that a more comprehensive understanding of college transfer is needed, particularly at the state policy-making level, because states and not the federal government are the primary players in transfer policy. They argue that in order to more accurately tell the transfer story, research and policy should incorporate what they term a dynamic model of transfer that more accurately reflects the swirling enrollment, credit accumulation, and multiple paths toward degree completion that is the reality for the majority of today's college-going students. These patterns suggest new state and institutional policies should take into account changing patterns of enrollment and transfer, as well as adapting to recent shifts to year-round Pell funding. Alabama is used as a case study to highlight these changing patterns and needed policies.