More than one-third of all college students transfer. And research from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center shows almost half of those students transfer more than once.
Sometimes, students make lateral moves from one two- or four-year college to another. Other times, they go from a community college to a four-year school or vice versa. In fact, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, nearly one in five students who transfer start in four-year schools and then go to community colleges.
Transfer is ubiquitous. So, as student success is increasingly considered the responsibility of institutions, colleges must figure out how to make transfers as smooth and cost-effective as possible.
In a seminar for higher education journalists, Kerin Hilker-Balkissoon, executive director of college and career pathways at Northern Virginia Community College, and Joyce Romano, vice president of student affairs at Valencia College in Florida, explained how their schools do just that.
DirectConnect to UCF offers a solution for both Valencia and the University of Central Florida, which in 2004 admitted more freshmen from South Florida than the Central Florida region it claimed as its home. Romano called it a problem of local access. UCF now pledges to admit anyone with an associate degree from one of four regional community colleges, partnering with the colleges on a range of initiatives that get students through two-year programs and on to four-year degrees.
Central Florida students can complete bachelor’s degrees from UCF on their community college campuses thanks to new university branches. UCF integrated advising services between its campus and community college partners, developed joint philanthropy initiatives for targeted scholarships, and helped align curriculum from the community college to the four-year level. Partner schools meet regularly for strategic planning and data sharing.
“Of all the bachelor’s degrees that UCF awarded last year,” Romano said, “25% went to a Valencia graduate.”
Valencia transfer students earn half of UCF’s business degrees and over 40% of its engineering credentials. Two-thirds of its nursing graduates started at Valencia. And the community college has helped diversify the UCF student body. Fully half of the Valencia graduates who go on to Central Florida are students of color.
At Northern Virginia Community College, the pathway program starts in high school, spanning three institutions. Tenth grade students who qualify for the program are promised a spot at university partner George Mason University or any other public school in Virginia. The Pathway to Baccalaureate Program started in 2005, helping students through their last two years of high school, time at a community college and transfer to a four-year program on their way to a bachelor’s degree.
NVCC encourages dual enrollment while students are at the community college, working with George Mason University to provide a single financial aid package. Students in the program have access to George Mason resources like its library. And they benefit from wrap-around support services through their entire student careers.
Like at Valencia, NVCC sends its local university thousands of transfer students every year. Romano and Hilker-Balkissoon agree reverse transfer programs are key to student success in the workforce and outcomes data for students. Community colleges are assessed based on student completion, and the number of degrees awarded does not take into account that students transferring to four-year programs have often succeeded. Reverse transfer can help address that, getting students useful diplomas and ensuring community colleges are assessed on their outcomes.
While almost a dozen states are developing statewide reverse transfer programs to facilitate the process, Romano said there is still work to be done. Even though UCF has a close working relationship with Valencia College, it still needs to get student permission to send back the credits so students can get their degrees.
“Tightly controlled student-level data sharing rules work against students sometimes,” Romano said.
Such close partnerships between community colleges and local universities, though, inevitably work for them.
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