UCLA

With the enrollment of community college students at four-year institutions increasing in recent years, this study examined the institutional efforts of three private religiously affiliated universities in California to aid transfer students in their transition to the new college setting. With the critical issue of transfer student retention in mind, the study sought out to find the institutional, personal, and interpersonal elements community college students identified as influential to their transition. Additionally, student affairs officers were asked to provide their reflections on the individual and institutional factors they deemed were the most salient in the retention of transfer students at their respective campuses.

Data collection was in the form of an online survey provided to all community college transfer students who had entered the university in the fall 2016 semester. Students were sent the survey after the completion of one semester at each of the three institutions studied. The survey was comprised of questions about the various aspects that affect a student’s academic and social experiences while in college. Additionally, two student affairs staff at each of the sites were interviewed to learn more about institutional efforts in relation to transfer student programming, on-boarding, and assimilation to the new campus community.

The findings of the study suggest the importance of students’ academic and social experiences as they transition to the four-year setting. Transfer students experience culture shock when arriving to the university and events such as new student orientation help them acclimate to the campus culture. Furthermore, survey and interview data showed the importance of academic advisement for smoother transitions, how financial aid exacerbated transfer versus native student disparities, and the influence of on-campus housing on persistence. Lastly, the campus religious context as either a facilitator of or barrier to adjustment was discussed. These findings support the notion that multiple factors are at play when it comes to the retention of transfer students at private religiously affiliated liberal arts universities in California. Various offices within the institution need to work collaboratively to support the needs of transfer students in this transitionary period.