Last year, the National Student Clearinghouse released the third in a series of Signature Reports, Reverse Transfer: A National View of Student Mobility from Four-Year to Two-Year Institutions. Last month at the AACRAO Transfer Conference, Dr. Afet Dundar, Associate Director of the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, discussed the third Signature Report--which followed 1.2 million "reverse transfer" students who began at 4-year institutions in Fall 2005 for six years and examines subsequent enrollment in 2-year institutions, the timing of transfer or mobility, and completion rates by enrollment pathway--and a fourth report, Completing College. Completing College started with the entering cohort of Fall 2006 “ 1.9 million unique students in all types of institutions “ and counted all first-credential completions (a degree or certificate) within six years. Results are reported by enrollment intensity and student age (traditional as 24 or younger and adult as over 24).
Key findings from the study of reverse transfer students illustrate that of the students who enrolled at a 2-year institution during regular, non-summer term, 17% returned to the institution of origin. However, more than a quarter subsequently moved to a different 4-year school and more than half did not return to the four-year sector at all during the time frame of the study. The study found that at least 22% of completions are never captured using traditional methodology “ namely the starting institution's graduation rate. Current methodology for measuring student completion rates does not credit institutions serving students who do not earn a credential at the institution at which they enroll initially but who go on to become successful completers at a subsequent institution. Of all the students in the study, including both those who eventually earned a credential and those who did not, one-fifth completed a first credential (certificate or degree) somewhere other than where they initially enrolled, rendering their successful outcomes invisible to tradition graduation rate calculations.
The report breaks down enrollment and completion trends in many ways that institutions of all types will find useful. Two of the groupings discussed specifically at this session were type of institution at which students were initially enrolled, traditional-aged and adult learners, and full-time status.
As expected, there are substantial differences between where students eventually earn a credential between those who start at a 2-year institution and those who begin at a 4-year school. Students with an initial enrollment at a public 2-year institution are more likely to complete a first degree or credential at a subsequent institution than at the institution where they started. Of those that started at a 2-year public institution, one-third completed somewhere else. Twenty-four percent completed at the institution where they originally enrolled. For students with an initial enrollment at a 4-year public institution, the figures differ. Of the students who completed a degree or other credential during the 6-year span, 80% completed at the institution where they started and 20% completed elsewhere.
The report covers additional institutional types, such as public and private 2- and 4-year schools as well as the for-profit sector. In general, the findings emphasize the point that one institution's failure┬" is another institution's success “ and usually, that success goes unacknowledged.
A second group of students discussed are those who initially began at a 4-year institution and transferred. The strongest predictors of who will move on from a 2-year to a 4-year institution and graduate from the 4-year are traditional age and full-time enrollment. However, when the data is examined further, one sees that students for the students enrolled exclusively part-time, adult learners actually complete at a higher percentage than traditional students. Traditional students had higher completion rates in all other categories.
The report calls for higher education to redefine success,┬" but still equates a credential with being successful, which is illustrated in census data and employment rates for those with credentials at various levels and those without. However, one participant asked a more fundamental question about how we define success and whether or not success┬" always means completion.┬" When we are talking about student success, aren't we really ensuring institutional success? Is the data that we're collecting telling us what we need to know?┬" This led to an interesting discussion.
For most professionals trying to get an accurate picture of students and the factors that assist them in attaining their goals, understanding completion rates, regardless of where those completions occur, is an important piece of the puzzle and these reports provide hard data behind the anecdotes and speculations. The reports are available at Research Center Reports:
http://research.studentclearinghouse.org/. The report calls for higher education to redefine success,┬" but still equates a credential with being successful, which is illustrated in census data and employment rates for those with credentials at various levels and those without. However, one participant asked a more fundamental question about how we define success and whether or not success┬" always means completion.┬"
For more cutting-edge conversations on issues in Transfer, be sure to join us for the 2014 Transfer Conference, to be held July 12-14 at the Marriott Harbor Beach in Ft. Lauderdale, FL!