Students' Use of Information in College Transfer

• In Event: Bridging the Gap: Transfer Students, Advising Styles, and Academic Support Structures

Abstract

Community colleges are positioned as a cost-effective way for students to complete the first two years of a bachelor’s degree, yet informational barriers to the transfer process are well documented. We examine how students access information in the transfer process and whether information use is pattered by students’ demographic characteristics. The research team analyzed data gathered through an original survey and administrative data from college students in the San Francisco Bay Area who had recently transferred or were in the midst of making transfer decisions. We find that students access information from a range of sources, often blending information from advisors and websites, two-year and four-year colleges, and material developed by postsecondary institutions with knowledge from friends and family.

Authors

• Beth Hart, WestEd

• Joanna Mathias, WestEd