Transfer Receptivity Through Transparency: Exploring Publicly Available Data to Assess and Evaluate Transfer in Engineering

• In Event: Quantitative Methods and College Access

Abstract

Community colleges serve as an important access-oriented pathway through the postsecondary system in the United States, and also depend on 4-year institutions to streamline vertical transfer. The extent to which 4-year institutions are receptive to community college transfer as a viable pathway to engineering degrees may play a significant role in its efficacy. This paper examines how transfer policies and institutional characteristics of 4-year institutions in the U.S. relate to the public availability of data and tools to assess, evaluate, and enhance transfer enrollment and graduation in engineering. We find that there is a need for more transparency of transfer student data and that our understanding of transfer matriculation remains well ahead of graduation outcomes.

Authors

• Dustin Michael Grote, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University

• David Knight, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University