A report series on the transfer enrollment and pathways of undergraduate students. How many students transferred, where they transferred to and from, and transfer student demographics are reported for fall 2020 through fall 2024.
This report series seeks to understand the educational trajectories of millions of U.S. adults who left postsecondary education without receiving a postsecondary credential and are no longer enrolled.
Transfer enrollment represents 13.2 percent of all continuing and returning undergraduates in fall 2023. The number of students who transferred into a new institution in fall 2023 grew 5.3 percent in fall 2023 compared to fall 2022 (+62,600), driven by students transferring from a two-year institution to a four-year institution (upward transfer, +7.7%).
A national view of how students are affected by college closures, detailing the subsequent enrollment pathways and completions of more than 143,000 students that attended 467 closed campuses.
This report series measures academic progress in each subsequent academic year for six years after entry, broken out by the type of starting institution and enrollment intensity at entry (full-time vs. part-time). Results do not account for enrollment intensity changes after entry.
As the ninth report in the series, this edition highlights notable transfer enrollment changes and student persistence post-transfer over a two-year period since the pandemic started, disaggregated by academic year, student demographic characteristics, and institution sector and selectivity.
By the end of year four, 43.7 percent had completed a postsecondary credential, while 23.0 percent were no longer enrolled. By the end of year six, 64.3 percent had graduated, while 26.6 percent had left college without earning a credential.
By the end of year four, 42.1 percent of individuals who began college in fall 2011 had completed a postsecondary credential, while 23.5 percent were no longer enrolled. By the end of year six, 63.1 percent had graduated, while 27.4 percent had left college without earning a credential.
By the end of year four, 40.5 percent of individuals who began college in fall 2010 as full-time degree-seeking students had completed a postsecondary credential, while 24.5 percent were no longer enrolled. By the end of year six, 61.1 percent had graduated, while 28.5 percent had left college without earning a credential.
This snapshot goes beyond traditional measures of postsecondary attainment by tracking the fall 2009 entering cohort over time, and showing persistence, stop-out, and completion rates at the end of each subsequent academic year. The model tracks outcomes for both full-time and part-time starters, and takes spring and summer terms into account.
The first Signature Report separates fact from fiction on the Great Recession’s impact on higher education enrollment, bringing college administrators and policymakers the knowledge on how the changed economy has altered student behaviors in enrollment and persistence.