Abstract
This study, conducted by the Foothill-De Anza Community College District in California, examined the college-related experiences of 1980 high school graduates who entered higher education in one of six San Francisco Bay area community colleges on a full-time basis in the fall of 1980 and were still enrolled in the college of origin in the fall of 1984. Researchers interviewed almost half the total population of such students.
The study initially presumed that these students were "non-transfers." Unexpectedly, 28% of the students had already transferred to a four-year school but were still taking classes at their original community college. Half of the students who had already transferred were concurrently enrolled in a four-year state college as well as the community college. Thus, the label "non-transfer student" is a misnomer for almost a third of the students remaining in two-year colleges four years after their initial entry as full-time students. For these students, transfer is not an either/or, once-and-done event; rather it is a both/and, dynamic, back-and-forth process.
Multiple college enrollment patterns exhibited by students prompt questions regarding the accuracy of state-wide transfer statistics and student enrollment data for two- and four-year colleges.
Results indicate that financial problems and lack of direction were the main deterrents to transfer for those who had not transferred. Student responses confirm the importance of good teaching and personal contact with faculty and counselors in facilitating transfer.