Community colleges enroll almost half of U.S. undergraduates and were predicted to produce 12% of the workforce for STEM professions in 2018. Half of these students are the first in their families to attend college and therefore are more likely unfamiliar with the steps required to transfer to four-year universities or internship programs.…

Most of the students who set out to earn degrees in community colleges never do. Interventions that simplify the complex organizational structures of these schools are promising solutions to this problem. This article is the first to provide rigorous evidence of the effects of structured transfer programs, one such intervention. Leveraging the…

Changes in the traditional applicant pool have promoted the development of nontraditional educational pathways in collegiate schools of nursing. The authors describe a cooperative arrangement with a provision that allows students to transfer to a bachelor's nursing program before completing their diploma studies. (Author/MLW)

Describes an open enrollment program at Ohio County Schools (West Virginia) that allows parents to request transfers for their children. After a decade of experience, the program is judged as minimally disruptive. School choice seems to be based on child care considerations, rather than quality of education concerns. (MLH)

Describes a study of student attraction to and the effectiveness of "plus two" programs at a major midwestern research university, which ensure transfer of associate degrees without credit loss. Reports that "plus two" students had to complete fewer credits than traditional students to obtain baccalaureates. (DMM)

Describes a study of the effectiveness of the Colorado Core Transfer Program (CORE), or general education course requirements at all state community colleges. Indicates that students who completed CORE transferred more credits and completed courses at a higher rate than noncompleters, but that no significant differences in grades were found. (AJL)