Transferring schools during college more common than expected
As many as one-third of college students transfer at least one time in five years during their post-secondary academic career, according to a new report by the National Student Clearing House Center. Sometimes, once was not a enough, with 25 percent of transfer students switching schools more than once. The report didn’t find much difference in transfer numbers between students attending school full time and those going part time.
The frequency of transfers has had a negative impact on the nation’s college graduation numbers. Because the federal government tallies the figure by only counting first-time college freshmen who go to school full time and earn their degree at the same school in which they started, graduation numbers are largely skewed. Students who transfer schools and don’t receive a degree from the college they originally enrolled in are considered dropouts, even if they earn a degree elsewhere. The crossing of state lines by transfer students further complicates the matter, according to the report.
“Over one quarter of all transfers crossed state lines, which, among other things, demonstrated the limitations of institution and state-based enrollment reporting,” explains the report’s abstract.
The majority of transfer students did so during their second year, at 37 percent, but a surprisingly high number of fourth- and fifth-year students transferred as well, reaching 22 percent. The research did not find much difference among school types when it comes to transfer rates, which ranged from 32.6 percent to 34.4 percent for two- and four-year colleges and public and private non-profit institutions. Private for-profit schools saw the lowest transfer rates, according to the report, reaching 16.3 percent for two-year institutions and 19.6 percent for four-year schools.
