Transfer Student Challenges

Like FG students, transfer students are also typically older than non-transfer students and spend more hours per week working and caring for dependents (Kuh, 2003). Compared to first-time freshmen, transfer students typically receive only modest support and do not participate in campus activities designed to engage new students (Thomas et al., 2021). One reason for the decreased academic performance and greater attrition observed in transfer students is the phenomenon of “transitional trauma” or “transfer shock” (Hills, 1965; Lakin & Elliott, 2016). Transfer shock refers to the difficulty transfer students have in adapting to university culture, norms, and expectations, and these challenges frequently cause an initial dip in transfer student GPA and their ability to succeed. Transfer shock refers to the difficulty transfer students have in adapting to university culture, norms, and expectations, and these challenges frequently cause an initial dip in transfer student GPA and their ability to succeed (Laanan, 2001). Transfer shock is usually greater for those transferring to a university from a community college (McGuire & Belcheir, 2013) and it occurs most strongly during the first term at the University. Causes of transfer shock include ineffective institution-provided guidance regarding STEM degree pathways and which credits will transfer (Chin-Newman & Shaw, 2013; Packard & Jeffers, 2013), poor academic preparation, unfamiliarity with university academic expectations, and difficulties establishing social networks; Inadequate academic preparation is one of the primary reasons that students leave college (Daley, 2010; Stinebrickner & Steinebrickner, 2014). Collectively these factors can leave transfer students feeling discouraged and unwelcome which can result in declines in their retention (NASEM, 2016; Reyes, 2011; Seymour & Hewitt, 2000; Thomas et al., 2021).

While at the university, transfer students experience information overload, stigmatization, and reduced feelings of connectivity. When transfer students first start, they are inundated with a plethora of information about tuition, financial aid, geographic factors, and degree programs which can be quite overwhelming (Chin-Newman & Shaw, 2013). Transfer students can also feel overwhelmed by the sheer number of university-related emails they receive, which may cause them to stop checking them (Foster et al., 2020). Transfer students are often stigmatized because they are “late comers to science”, or because the community colleges they come from are viewed as being less rigorous than four-year institutions (Chin-Newman & Shaw, 2013; Laanan et al., 2010; Shaw et al., 2019). Transfer students are often stigmatized because they are “late comers to science”, or because the community colleges they come from are viewed as being less rigorous than four-year institutions. Transfer students are also less likely than non-transfer students to be involved in cocurricular activities (e.g., community service, internships, study abroad programs etc.) and student organizations (Ishitani & McKitrick, 2010), and are less likely to interact with peers and instructors (Terris, 2009). This may be because transfer students miss the bonding activities and social clique formation that usually happen during the first year (A. Miller, 2013). Older transfer students have also been shown to be less likely to interact with younger students and less likely to participate in out-of-class learning experiences (Allen & Zhang, 2016). Overall, these reduced interactions lead to feelings of isolation (Jacobson et al., 2017), and can result in a reduced pace of progress through college (D’Amico et al., 2014; Thomas et al., 2021). Reduced participation and feelings of not being connected to the university are both risk factors for attrition (Fink et al., 2016); consequently, only 17% of transfer students obtain a bachelor’s degree (Jenkins & Fink, 2015).