Skip to content
News and Updates

Category: Transfer

HPTP Data Note 6: A Typology of Transfer Partnerships

While there is increasing interest in how transfer partnerships between colleges and universities impact student outcomes, a clear definition of partnerships remains elusive. Researchers at the Community College Research Initiative (CCRI) developed a framework that institutions can use to evaluate the quality of existing partnerships, or as a guide for starting new partnerships.

Continue reading “HPTP Data Note 6: A Typology of Transfer Partnerships”

HPTP Data Note 4: Joint Staff, Shared Resources Important to Transfer Partnership

While Data Note 1 gave a broad overview of the areas of activity involved in transfer partnerships between two and four-year institutions, Data Note 4 takes a deep dive into the most promising practices. By analyzing the practices of institutional partners in one of the High Performing Transfer Partnerships (HPTP) states, CCRI researcher Lia Wetzstein found that dedicated partnership staff and shared resources positively impact student outcomes.

Continue reading “HPTP Data Note 4: Joint Staff, Shared Resources Important to Transfer Partnership”

HPTP Data Note 2: Racial Equity as and Transfer Outcome Measure

Research using large-scale national datasets reveals the pervasiveness of the problem of low transfer rates but offers limited information about the underlying reasons for why transfer processes fail, especially for students of color. The tendency to treat transfer and transfer research as race-neutral endeavors masks the extent of inequity in the transfer process. As a result, it is difficult to see how systems and institutions may be adversely impacting the outcomes of minoritized students. This Data Note describes the state of current research measuring equity in transfer and describes our methodology for identifying variation in the performance of transfer partners, according to equity-focused measures.

 

Continue reading “HPTP Data Note 2: Racial Equity as and Transfer Outcome Measure”

HPTP Data Note 1: Characteristics of Successful Transfer Partnerships

As costs of higher education increase, enrollment in community college and plans to transfer are increasingly common. The partnership between two and four-year institutions plays a role in how accessible and effective the transfer process is for students. In 2018, CCRI started a study on High-Performing Transfer Partnerships (HPTP) that advances knowledge about transfer, and provides colleges and universities with resources to strengthen their partnerships.

HPTP is funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. This is Data Note 1, the first of nine briefs that summarize research findings from the project as it has progressed. For this first study, researchers conducted a review of existing literature on transfer collaboration. They found that the common characteristics of collaboration fell into into three broad categories: culture, policy and practice. Each one is outlined below.

CULTURE

  • Presidential/leadership support for partnership practices
  • Transfer-affirming messaging at both partner institutions
  • Trust built between institutional partners • Presence on partner institution campus
  • Strong, non-hierarchical, collaborative relationships between faculty & staff at partner institutions
  • Shared responsibility & accountability between partner institutions for student success
  • Shared commitment to continually assess and adapt to student needs

POLICY

  • Policies to ensure curricular rigor & alignment between institutions
  • Budgetary support for transfer practices
  • Formalized credit arrangements (program maps/articulation agreements)
  • Shared polices to help students navigate financial aid processes across both institutions
  • Transparent transfer credit policies
  • Transfer targets and admissions preferences

PRACTICE

  • Regular one-on-one meetings between senior leaders at partner institutions
  • Regular conversations between senior academic and student services administrators at partner institutions
  • Frequent collaboration between faculty, advising staff, & financial aid counselors at partner institutions
  • Collaborative cross-campus recruitment and programming
  • Faculty involvement in admission process, articulation, and design and implementation of partnership practices
  • Data sharing about transfer outcomes for assessment, planning, and improvement

For more information on this study and its findings, download the full Data Note below.

Download Data Note 1

This Data Note is part of CCRI’s High-Performing Partnerships Study (HPTP) funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. The study focuses on how higher performing transfer collaborations between two and four-year colleges and universities work on the ground. Researchers identified high-performing partnership pairs from a dataset collected for the national initiative on reverse credit transfer called Credit When It’s Due (CWID). Read the full series of Data Notes and more about the project here. 

CWID Data Note 11: Reverse Credit Transfer and Degree Progress

As reverse credit transfer expands around the country, it is important to understand how receiving an associate’s degree after transfer influences students’ momentum and progress toward their baccalaureate degree. In Data Note 11, researchers share findings that suggest reverse credit transfer can facilitate students’ progress toward the bachelor’s degree. Continue reading “CWID Data Note 11: Reverse Credit Transfer and Degree Progress”