Examining the Landscape of Transfer Support: Results from the 2021 National Survey of Transfer Student Initiatives

Transfer students are an important yet often understudied and underserved population within postsecondary education. Millions of students rely on the transfer function of community colleges and two-year schools to earn bachelor’s degrees. Yet, low student transfer and bachelor’s degree completion rates indicate a leaky transfer pipeline. Given the growing interest and increase in transfer and transfer-intending students across the postsecondary landscape and the longstanding degree completion challenges these students often face, institutional leaders and staff must understand how they can best support transfer students and bolster their persistence. For this reason, the National Resource Center for The First-Year Experience and Students in Transition created the inaugural National Study of Transfer Student Initiatives.

This report details the results from the 2021 National Study of Transfer Student Initiatives and is intended to provide leaders, researchers, and policymakers with a national overview of transfer-related policies, practices, and procedures as well as institutional and bureaucratic barriers to their development, coordination, and implementation. In addition, it prompts discussions for leaders and staff as they consider how transfer-related efforts may be improved to better meet the needs of students.