Perceptions of Success for Transfer Students

Abstract

Students who have transferred from either a community college or other four-year institution comprise about 38% of the undergraduate student population (Shapiro et al., 2018). However, only 42% of transfer students complete a degree in six years compared to 58% of those students who begin and end their educational career in the same institution (Shapiro et al., 2018). This study attempted to address gaps in transfer student degree completion through examination of participants’ characteristics, engagement, and satisfaction as a function of success. The purpose of this study was to explore the perceptions of the participants in order to understand the essence of success and how that in turn relates to transfer students’ experience at the four-year institution with a mind toward understanding what supports are needed to enable transfer students to succeed. This is an especially important issue since it is economically disadvantaged students who see attending a community college as a way to manage costs to earning a bachelor’s degree. It appears that the perceived savings are not realized as the time to degree is actually lengthened. This was a mixed methods study which included a survey of the undergraduate student population within a public four-year institution’s College of Communication as well as individual interviews with participants. There were a total of 439 survey respondents and 19 interviews conducted. The survey used was based on the National Survey of College Graduates (2017) developed by the National Science Foundation for the US Census Bureau. Of the survey respondents, quantitative results indicated that transfer students at the college were more likely to be men, white and Mid-Atlantic state residents. The majority of transfer students had previously attended a community college prior to the four-year institution. Transfer students were also more apt to have enrolled in the spring semester and the majority of their reported GPAs fell within the 3.1-3.5 range. Aspects which were found to be significant for transfer students’ satisfaction were campus atmosphere and social opportunities. Additionally, being a transfer student, number of semesters attended, hours worked at a paying job, and hours spent playing video games had a positive impact on students’ satisfaction. The aspect which negatively influenced student satisfaction was hours spent involved with a club or school activity. Transfer students were also found to be less satisfied with advising, academic support services, and their academic progress. Qualitative results indicated themes relating to students’ academic and nonacademic experiences. The interviews elaborated upon and supported these findings. The interviews also indicated themes associated with how transfer students and non-transfer students define success, students’ strategies for success, as well as students’ access to information at the institution. These findings provide insight into transfer students’ experience, institutional engagement, and ultimately their perception of success. The implications from this study inform policy and practices for supporting transfer students’ experiences and degree attainment. Additional research is needed to further examine other nuances of transfer in higher education today such as dual enrollment programs, or internal transfer amongst different colleges within a broader institution.