For too many community college students, transferring to a four-year institution for a bachelor's degree (i.e., vertical transfer) remains an unrealized aspiration. Prior research suggests that forms of capital can assist students in realizing their goals. Therefore, we sought to explore how relationships both within and outside of their…

Community colleges are important settings for the development of social capital as well as institutions of higher learning. The democratic mission, geographic dispersion, and close relationship with multiple stakeholders throughout their service regions allow community colleges to be well-suited to act as liaisons and social architects…

Navigating the landscape of higher education takes more than just attending classes, passing courses, and graduating. It requires a set of skills known as "college fluency," or the knowledge and a corresponding set of abilities that enable students and staff to effectively locate and use relevant college services, programs, and…

Navigating the landscape of higher education takes more than just attending classes, passing, and graduating. It requires a set of skills known as "college fluency." Libraries play a pivotal role in helping fluency flourish, training their employees and other faculty and staff members across their institution to adapt to the needs of…

Navigating higher education requires more than attending classes and completing assignments; it requires "college fluency," a set of skills that enables students, faculty, and staff to effectively locate and utilize institutional resources. College fluency can empower students, faculty, and staff to navigate the complex culture and…

Despite their sizable presence on U.S. college campuses, few institutions have comprehensive programs to support student-mothers' success. However, research suggests that access to even one supportive or encouraging institutional agent can make a difference in a student's college trajectory. Based on interviews with 57 student-mothers at 2- and…

This study investigated the likelihood of bachelor's degree completion among nontraditional-aged transfer students. Using national data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, this study provided insight into the success of first-time nontraditional-aged students who initially enrolled at a community college and transferred…

Institutional practices and conditions at community colleges can improve rates of transfer, as can access to transfer student capital. However, we know little about how institutions attempt to build students' transfer capital, or about students' experiences within community colleges as they accumulate transfer capital. In this paper, we examine…

Although open-access Hispanic Serving Institutions (HSIs) continue to expand across the United States, they are often under-resourced and lack adequate institutional support services. This article presents findings from a qualitative case study of an asset-based, peer support program for Latinx students in an open-access HSI in the Southeast…

Former foster youth are one of the lowest-performing groups at the college level, despite existing support programs at colleges. Former foster youth often age out of the foster care system only to be faced with housing insecurity, food insecurity, and a lack of social capital providing support. Former foster youth student-single parents may face…

Transfer student capital encompasses the knowledge, skills, and experiences that transfer students acquire before transitioning to a new institution from their previous ones, communities, and cultures. This capital plays a crucial role in shaping their academic and social transition, identity development, and overall success in the new…

The purpose of this explanatory sequential study was to identify factors associated with Pell grant recipients' persistence in a community college setting and to understand the influence of institutional actors on the formation of academic capital. Students completed a survey designed to measure the formation of students' academic capital (St.…

A "critical access point in the STEM pipeline for Latinx students and other students of color" (Herrera et al., 2018), community colleges provide a seminal breeding ground for academic pursuits (Bahr et al., 2017). However, how personal networks influence STEM pathways of two-year college students remains largely unexplored. This mixed…

This qualitative multiple-case study provides insight into the experiences of English language learners (ELLs) attending classes in a community college setting. Community colleges in the US play a significant role in the access to higher education for ELLs, a sizable student population that includes US high school graduates, adult immigrants,…

This study examined opportunities for enhancing transfer outcomes for community college students through summer research opportunities at a university. It emphasizes the significance of academic capital, derived from Bourdieu's cultural capital theory, in facilitating successful transfers. By offering ten-week paid summer research opportunities at…