State and nationwide efforts to tackle student equity and close the gap on access and affordability for all students have cost millions of dollars and have required mass coordination between higher ed stakeholders. The latest enrollment figures for upward transfer students from two-year institutions to four-year institutions illustrate life-bearing vital signs.
The National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, a nonprofit dedicated to tracking student enrollment across higher education, found a 7.7% increase in upward transfers in Fall 2023 compared to the year before. Even more promising is the fact that this uptick in enrollment is mainly driven by students coming from economically disadvantaged groups.
“That means that the students are taking advantage of more options for finding the best programs and institutional fit for their needs,” said Doug Shapiro, executive research director at the Clearinghouse. “These increases are a good sign.”
While Shapiro noted that the overall six-year completion rate for college students starting at the two-year level is increasing at a slow pace, it’s a sign of optimism amid the lot of “bad news in recent years,” said Shapiro. Indeed, the Department of Education found last year that only 13% of Title IV students who start at community colleges ultimately earn bachelor’s degrees within eight years.
Similarly, the Common App experienced a surge in applications for students interested in attending an institution in the 2023-24 academic year thanks to interest from underrepresented minorities and lower-income students.
Here are the several historically disadvantaged groups who experienced upticks in transfer enrollment rates.
- Transfer rate of previously stopped out students, regardless of race/ethnic background: Up 3.7%
- Transfer rate of learners aged 40 and older: up 11.8%
- Transfer rate of students from neighborhoods in the bottom three income quintiles: up between 5% and 6.3%
- Transfer rate of Black students: up 7.8%
- Transfer rate among Hispanic students: up 5%
- Upward transfer rate of rural students: up 12.1%
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