Which Policies and Practices Influence Vertical Transfer and Baccalaureate Attainment Among Community College Entrants?

• In Event: Contemporary Policy Issues at the Student and Institutional Levels

Abstract

This study used a multilevel design using the 2012/17 Beginning Postsecondary Survey to identify factors that influenced vertical transfer and baccalaureate attainment of community college students. At the student level, meeting with an academic advisor, staying continuously enrolled as a full-time student, working part-time or less, and choosing a transfer-oriented major were positively associated with vertical transfer or baccalaureate attainment, while transferring horizontally was negatively At the institution level, the local unemployment rate and percent Pell recipients was related to these outcomes. Cooperative agreements and statewide articulation guides were positively related to vertical transfer or baccalaureate attainment at the state level. The results offer insights that may be useful to higher education stakeholders and policymakers.

Author

• Raymond Brown, The University of Texas at Austin