Adult students are critical to addressing the college completion crisis. Retention and completion for adults lags behind students who enter college directly from high school. However, higher education has largely been built around service to younger high school graduates, and institutions are slow to change. A shift in focus to accommodate the…

This study models reverse transfer, lateral transfer, and college withdrawal behavior for a national sample of students who began college at bachelor's granting institutions. Descriptive data illustrate statistical differences in the characteristics, habitus, early college experiences and supports, and institutional characteristics of students who…

One of the issues at the heart of transfer is the mobility of credits across institutions--moving credits from one institution to another is a crucial process for the transfer pathway to be a viable option. Credit loss is a critical issue for transfer students enrolled in highly sequential degrees, such as engineering. A student could be set back…

Research conducted on transfer student outcomes consistently shows that there is a bachelor's degree completion gap between transfer students and nontransfer students. Researchers have explored several factors thought to impact bachelor's degree completion for transfer students, including demographic characteristics, number of credit hours…

Research demonstrates that student mobility, or students transferring schools, significantly affects student academic outcomes, making it a critical concern for policymakers and practitioners. Within-school-year transfers, in particular, often reflect sudden, unexpected circumstances. However, research on the prevalence, risk factors, and patterns…

This study describes course withdrawal behaviors in the Texas public higher education institutions and examines the predictors of course withdrawal by using statewide administrative datasets. The findings showed that two-thirds of the college students in the sample withdrew from at least one course, highlighting course withdrawal as a prevalent…

As they navigate the social and academic expectations of a new college, transfer students commonly suffer "transfer shock," or a sudden drop in GPA. However, little is known about why some students suffer transfer shock, why some bounce back, and the consequences in terms of student retention. This analysis of over 25,000 transfer…

A growing body of research has documented extensive credit loss among transfer students. However, the field lacks theoretically driven and empirically supported frameworks that can guide credit loss research and reforms. We develop and then test a comprehensive framework designed to address this gap using novel administrative credit loss data from…

The transition to university is a time of great change and adjustment. The challenges of university life can lead to numerous negative consequences for the students. Despite the importance of successful transition for both the student and the university, the current body of literature comprises methodological inconsistencies and disparate…

The internal lateral transfer student population, defined as students who transition from one bachelor's granting campus to another within one multicampus institution, is often left out of the literature in the field of transfer studies (Cepeda et al., 2021; Jaggars et al., 2023). The present study investigates the relationship between stigma,…

Beginning with the revision of the existing Comprehensive Articulation Agreement (CAA) in 2014, North Carolina policymakers have implemented several articulation agreements that create structured pathways between two- and four-year colleges. The purpose of this article is to detail the demographic makeup and post-transfer outcomes of transfer…

This dissertation is a quantitative research study designed to investigate the influence of articulation agreements on completion of a baccalaureate degree by community college transfer students holding an associate degree. The research study examined the relationship between four variables (age, gender, associate degree completion, and transfer…

This qualitative study examined the experiences of ten American Indian/Alaska Native transfer students attending a four-year land grant research institution. It used semi-structured interviews utilizing a narrative inquiry when telling their story. The theoretical frameworks used in the study were the Tribal Critical Race Theory (TribalCrit) and…

Transfer students are a significant and growing population on campuses across the US. However, little is known about students' perceptions of themselves as transfers and how these may be informed by their experiences. In this study, we used an in-depth qualitative case study approach and the intersectional model of multiple dimensions of identity…

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…