Transfer students’ success rates have barely budged (opinion)

We recently returned from the annual meeting of the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students (nests), an organization that focuses exclusively on the needs of transfer students, especially those who wish to transfer from a community college to a four-year institution to obtain a bachelor’s degree. As long-time attendees, we were inspired to once again be in the company of hundreds of other transfer advocates, gathered to share practical strategies and best practices to support student transfer and success. But we can’t help but think about an alarming statistic discussed during the meeting’s opening session that overshadows all our hard work: 16%.

This number comes from new research released by the Community College Research Center at Teachers College, Columbia University; The Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program; And the National Center for Student Information Exchange Research. Frustratingly, their New search It shows that while nearly 80% of first-time community college students have a laudable ambition to complete a bachelor’s degree, only 16% manage to do so within six years. The percentages are lower for the most vulnerable students, including low-income, Black, Latino, and older students.

Sixteen percent. This number has not changed much since the data was first collected; Earlier Report from 2016, which tracked community college students who first enrolled in 2007, found a bachelor’s degree completion rate of 14 percent. In short, despite years of dedicated work, we have not set the wheels in motion for transfer student success.

As lifelong transfer champions, this result is a punch in the gut. But even more tragic for the large numbers of students left behind is a triple set of atrocities: some college, without a degree that can translate into a family-sustaining wage and student loan debt. In the United States, we have it now 40.4 million former students With some colleges and no degree.

In recent decades, education professionals and policy makers have highlighted the issue of transportation; implementing new laws and policies to simplify the transportation process; Support more tips to help students navigate this complex transition; He advocated for transfer orientation programs, student transfer centers, and on-campus housing for transfer students. Organizations like NISTS regularly shared information about programs that effectively serve transfer students and advocated relentlessly for their equitable treatment in undergraduate education. At least nationally Thirty-six states have implemented statewide transportation policies Designed to simplify the process for students and ensure, to the greatest extent possible, that their courses will transfer for full credit.

However, the harsh reality is that even two in 10 students who start at a community college do not earn a bachelor’s degree.

How did we get here?

Some big picture takeaways have emerged. First, transfer between two- and four-year institutions is complex – to state the obvious – but the evidence suggests there is no collective desire to simplify the system. As students attempt to navigate the transportation transom, they are navigating the college’s 1,000-piece ecosystem Nearly 4,000 institutions. All of these institutions handle the transfer process differently, whether it’s through a unique set of admission requirements, precise credit admission practices or specific enrollment requirements. This inherent complexity results in an ambiguous, unclear, and confusing transfer pathway for students, especially our most vulnerable students who have little or no “college knowledge.” While we celebrate the independence of a widely dispersed educational market that caters to the needs of different students, this institutional diversity also creates enormous headaches for students who transfer from one institution to another, often resulting in lost credits, “transfer shock,” and lower degrees. Completion rates.

Second, we as a nation must understand that credit mobility—the ability of students to transfer their college credit from one institution to another—is an equity issue. As things stand, our country’s most disadvantaged students are the most vulnerable to losing grades along their academic paths. Recent research has shown Only 58 percent of transfer students were able to transfer 90 percent or more of their credits to community colleges, with approximately more than one in 10 losing their credits. This lack of credit mobility means that these students are less likely to graduate with the degree they sought. (While we do this, finding a way to give academic credit to working adults for their workplace learning is essential. Institutions have no problem giving academic credit for internships to students in the traditional era. Fairness demands that we find a way to give academic credit to students in the traditional era. Do the same for working Americans.)

After everything is sorted out, what are our next steps? Some believe that the last two decades of work have paved the way for increased conversion rates in the future. maybe. Sure, things like common course numbering and Universal Credit public education plans It has reduced the complexity for students. Others will argue that more substantive innovations – such as guided paths and… Large-scale reform of therapeutic courses At community colleges – I didn’t have enough time to play. Over time, these innovations will build momentum toward a more robust transportation path.

Our view is that this work must include more comprehensive reform linked to broader transformative changes in U.S. higher education. Although it is important to maintain current efforts—transfer guidance, more advising, better articulation agreements, and creating transfer-affirming campus environments—the data show that these efforts are unlikely to significantly improve outcomes for the number of transfer students we need to serve. Instead, we should integrate these efforts into a broader network of national initiatives that are more likely to boost completion rates for all students.

What are these initiatives? Back to “basics”. For decades, this nation has spent billions to provide exceptional access to college for our most vulnerable students. Now that we have largely achieved access across the largest mix of open community colleges in the world, we must provide comprehensive life support to help students maintain momentum toward a bachelor’s degree.

Currently, life support for our students is insufficient. at least 8 percent of undergraduate students experienced homelessness in the past month. Another 22.6 percent reported that they were food insecure. more than 22% of students play the role of parents They often lack affordable childcare. at least 16 percent lack reliable access to the Internet, a commodity we learned during the pandemic that is essential for going to college. To dramatically improve educational attainment, we need to address these fundamental issues, Many of them are represented in a series of initiatives from the ECMC Foundation, Stephen serves as the Strategy Director for Postsecondary Education Transformation. When we make it easier to earn a degree for our most vulnerable students, we improve the educational path for all of our nation’s students.

Transfer advocates will argue that community college students seeking a baccalaureate degree need special attention. We agree. The special challenge faced by students who change institutions midway through their college careers should not be ignored. In California, a two- to four-year transfer pathway has been one of that state’s core principles Master plan for higher education for the past six decades. Moreover, interinstitutional transfer is now a fact of post-secondary life For the majority of all undergraduate students. CCRC data shows this as well Only 8% of all bachelor’s degree recipients who start at a community college follow the traditional 2+2 vertical transfer path.; “2+3, 3+3, and 2+4 patterns were slightly more common, although no single pattern applied to the majority of transfer students,” the center reports. In addition, “one in five students stopped studying for a year or more, re-enrolled, and then completed their bachelor’s degree.” Even a well-designed transportation center will have difficulty meeting the needs of students in all these different circumstances.

There’s nothing good about a 16 percent success rate. We must meet the needs and circumstances of all of our nation’s students, regardless of the number or types of institutions they attend. Can we do better? we have to.