Feeling a part of a university community is an important factor in college students' success, yet little is known about how transfer students construct a sense of community at their new institutions. Drawing from surveys and interviews of transfer students at a highly selective university, we used a multi-method approach to understand the elements of community membership for transfer students and the factors that influence their membership within the four-year institution. Findings from structural equation modeling (SEM) indicated that community could be measured through elements of belonging, validation, and personal support. We also found that transfer Students of Color and older students may experience some aspects of community differently than younger White transfer students. Time, place, and people could be important factors in transfer students' experiences with and establishment of community. We offer a model for sense of community membership for transfer students based on these findings.