A Transfer Students Access to a FourYear Public CollegeUniversityHas the Landscape Changed

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A Transfer Students Access to a Four-Year
Public College/UniversityHas the Landscape
Changed?

• Bill Kraus
• Associate Vice President Enrollment Management
• The University of Akron

2
Professional ExperienceVariety of Experiences
and Perspectives

• Thirteen years in the community college
  environment
• Thirteen years in the four year college
  environment
• 8 years in an urban college/university environment

3
Enrollment Planning ProcessThe Roadmap (Fall
2006-09)

• First time freshmen
• First time/full time
• Adult
• Transfer students
• Returning student
• Graduate students
• Student success and retention

4
Transfer Student Focus

• An enrollment management perspective on the
  behaviors of transfer students

5
Internal and External Review of the Current
Landscape

• Wealth of Resources
• The University of Akron
• SUNY College at Buffalo
• SUNY APC Data
• OBR
• Other college/university data and research

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Transfer Student Enrollment

• The University of Akron
• Total Enrollment 24,704
• Fall 2007 916
• Fall 2006 911
• Fall 2005 828
• Fall 2004 793
• Fall 2003 867
• Fall 2002 929

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SUNY Campuses
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Transfer Student Enrollment

• Buffalo State College
• Total Enrollment 11,129
• Fall 2007 1116
• Fall 2006 1133
• Fall 2005 1081
• Fall 2004 1014
• Fall 2003 1011
• Fall 2002 1102

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Transfer Student Themes

• Transfer student admissions behaviors
• Role of geography
• Transfer student success
• Stop-Outs/Swirling
• Affordability and access

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Transfer Student Application BehaviorsUniversity
of Akron

• When Students Apply for the Fall Term
• As of April 1 for Fall 2007
• - 92 of all freshmen applicants
• have applied
• - 40 of all transfer applicants
• have applied

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Transfer Student Application BehaviorsUniversity
of Akron

• Yield (for Fall 2007)
• - 43 of all accepted freshmen enroll
• - 66 of all accepted transfer
• students enroll

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Transfer Student Application BehaviorsSUNY

• Number of Application Choices (Fall 2006)
• Applicants 12,211
• Applications 17,206
• Source SUNY APC

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Why?

• Each transfer situation is unique
• Uncertainty is a common theme
• Unlike first time freshmen, no consistent process
  across all colleges
• Admissions decision is based on college work

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AGILITY
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Role of Geography

• Defining your effective recruitment range

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SUNY Campuses
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GeographySUNY Community Colleges

• Erie Community College 588 transfer-out to SUNY
• colleges/universities
• Buffalo State College 265
• University at Buffalo 231
• Fredonia 33
• Brockport 18
• Source SUNY IR (2004)

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GeographySUNY Community Colleges

• Cayuga Community College 168 transfer-out to
  SUNY colleges
• Oswego 67
• Cortland 16
• Brockport 11
• Buffalo State 7
• Source SUNY IR (2004)

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GeographyBuffalo State CollegeTop Feeder
InstitutionsFall 2003

• Erie Community College 265
• Niagara Community College 100
• University at Buffalo (SUNY) 56
• Genesee Community College 16
• Monroe Community College 24
• Nassau 5
• Suffolk 3

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GeographyIn-State Retention Rate after
Graduation (Ohio)

• Cuyahoga Community College 88
• Lakeland Community College 91
• Lorain Community College 91
• Sinclair Community College 89
• Source OBR

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GeographyUniversity of AkronTop Feeder
Institutions

• Number of Students
• Cuyahoga Community College 127
• Kent StateMain 113
• Stark State 63
• Toledo 33
• Ohio State 32
• Lakeland Community College 29
• Lorain Community College 28
• Kent StateStark 27
• Bowling Green 22
• Ashland University 17
• Reflects 51 of all new transfers
• Note 88 of the OSU transfers have a home
  address in the Akron area

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Dont Fight Geography

• Effective use of limited resources

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Transfer Student Success

• Various views and perspectives
• Community College (sending institution)
• Four Year College (receiving institution)

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Community College Student SuccessFirst to Second
Year Persistence by Institution Type (Ohio)

• Same Any
• Statewide 68 77
• Community Colleges 56 61
• Main Campuses 75 85
• Main Campuses with
• Open Admissions 65 75
• Source OBR

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Transfer Student SuccessImpact on Junior Level
Status (Ohio)

• Statewide Total 38,968
• Avg. GPA
• No previous credit at two year 76 3.0
• 45 or fewer credits earned 14 3.0
• More than 45 credits earned 10 2.8
• University of Akron 3,090
• No previous credit at two year 80 3.1
• 45 or fewer credits earned 10 3.1
• More than 45 credits earned 9 3.0
• Source OBR

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Transfer Student SuccessPersistence of First
Time StudentsBuffalo State College

• Fall 2000 New Students
• First Time Still Enrolled Fall 2001 77
• Transfer Still Enrolled Fall 2001 80
• Transfer students had a higher persistence rate
  at 11 of the 13 SUNY Colleges
• Source SUNY IR

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Graduation Rate ComparisonBuffalo State College
Fall 2000 Cohort

• Freshmen (First Term Fall 2000)
• After Four Years 15
• After Five Years 36
• After Six Years 44
• Transfer (First Term Fall 2000)
• After Four Years 59
• After Five Years 62
• After Six Years 64

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Transfer Student SuccessPersistence and
Graduation RatesLarge Public University in
Virginia

• First-Year Persistence
• First-Time Students 79.9
• Transfer Students 80.6
• Transfer 4-Year Graduation Rate 62
• Freshmen 6-Year Graduation Rate 50

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One States Perspective on Transfer Student
SuccessAn Example of Bias Against Transfer
Students

• One states frame of reference
• Three-year bachelor degree graduation rate of
  transfer students who earned an associates
  degree
• Compared with three-year bachelors degree
  graduation rate of native students who enrolled
  three years prior and were still enrolled

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So Guess What?

• The graduation rate of transfer students was
• 5 to 20 points lower

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Transfer Students Succeed

• Typically at rates higher than the first
  time/full time cohort
• Bias against behaviors transfer students bring to
  the institution

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Stop-Outs/Swirling Students

• National Student Loan Clearinghouse Data
• Returning student recruitment
• Retention research

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Stop-Out Student Analysis (NSLCH)

• Attended Spring 06Not Enrolled Fall 06
• Number 1363
• Entered UA as Transfer 272
• Attending Another College 427
• Entered UA as Transfer 130 (48)

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Top Institutions of Non-Persisting Students

• 1. Kent State 56
• 2. Stark State 54
• 3. Ohio State 35
• 4. Walsh University 16
• 5. Lorain County CC 16
• 6. Youngstown State 14
• 7. Cleveland State 14
• 8. Cuyahoga CC 13
• 9. Ohio University 12

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Transfer Defined by Geography

• Colleges and universities within a 45 minute
  drive of The University of Akron
• Community Colleges 4
• Public Universities 3
• Private Colleges 8

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Affordability and Access

• The key change in the transfer student landscape

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Affordability and Access

• SUNY Tuition
• Average Community College 3,200
• SUNY College Tuition 5,300
• Ohio
• Average Community College 2,800
• University of Akron 8,400

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Pressure to Increase Quality (SUNY)

• Buffalo State College Freshmen Denials
• Fall 2005 1840
• Fall 2004 1454
• Fall 2003 1402
• Coupled with a 50 reduction in the special admit
  program

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AffordabilityStudent Debt

• Ohio is ranked tenth in the nation for the
  average student-loan debt for students graduating
  from a public four-year university (18,854)
• Average credit card debt for students in the
  Midwest is 2,49815 higher than the national
  average
• Source Nellie Mae

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AffordabilityLoan Default

• Poor academic performance is the number one
  reason for student departureand departure before
  degree is the number one reason for loan defaults
  
• Extending college attendance beyond five years
  has a negative impact on defaulteven for
  borrowers who are successful at completing their
  degree
• Sources Vockwein/Cabrua
• Steiner/Tezler

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Seamless Transfer

• Value and Respect Transfer Credit (Currency)

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Lessons LearnedAs more things change

• Targeted scholarships
• Value and respect transfer credit (currency)
• Relevance of agreements
• Community colleges are looking for real
  collaborations
• Partnerships
• Dont fight behaviors
• Dont fight geography
• Agility
• Seamless
• Consistency of information and processing
• Transfer student support services at the
  four-year campuswithout labels