Why Do Transfer Students Have Lower Academic Success and Intent to Persist Scores? Using Survey Data to Assess the Roles of Student Inputs and Campus Environments

• In Event: 14.045 - Roundtable Session 3
  In Roundtable Session: 14.045-9 - On the Move: Examining the Experiences of Students in Transition

Abstract

This paper uses new survey data to examine the role of campus climate on Academic Success and Intent to Persist among students who have transferred from public community colleges to public research universities. By using new survey data and a newly developed scale for measuring students’ perceptions of campus climates, we find that although transfer students have statistically significant lower scores on measures of Academic Success and Intent to Persist, they do not have significantly different perceptions of their campus climates. Our findings will help researchers and practitioners better serve transfer students by clarifying relationships between student inputs, campus climates, and student outcomes.

Authors

• Frank Joseph Fernandez, The Pennsylvania State University - University Park

• Susan Rankin, The Pennsylvania State University