Community colleges play a critical role in the pathway to a baccalaureate degree for millions of students, especially among women and ethnic minorities. This study investigates the complexity of the transfer experience among students who began their postsecondary education at a 2-year college and transferred to a large 4-year university. Specifically, the goal of this study was to move beyond the "transfer shock" concept by examining the role and relevance of "transfer student capital" for student retention. Using the L-TSQ instrument, the 133-item online survey reported data from over 900 students regarding their demographic characteristics, community college experiences, and university experiences. Two hypotheticals were employed to understand the factors that influence academic and social transfer adjustment. The findings of this study inform student affairs professionals, admissions oficers, retention programs, students, and faculty.

This chapter reviews the current literature on support programs tailored to assist the community college transfer student at the four-year institution. The authors discuss useful strategies that may assist administrators and faculty members at four-year colleges and universities in addressing the needs of transfer students through support programs. Support programs, academic performance, and the persistence of transfer students are discussed. Making the Transition to the Senior Institution Latrice E. Eggleston, Frankie Santos LaananAbundant research has been conducted regarding community college transfer students in conjunction with their academic performance, baccalaureate attainment, and persistence at the four-year college level. A large portion of this research has focused on the transfer shock phenomenon, in which transfer students experience a dip in their grade point average during their first or second semester at the four-year institution (Knoell and Medsker, 1965;Cejda and Kaylor, 1997). However, a limited amount of research has been done to study the transfer student' s adjustment process, once he or she has reached the senior institution.Support programs have proven to be an essential element in the success of native students in their academic performance and baccalaureate degree attainment, and such successes are often used as a recruitment tool for various colleges and universities. Support programs tailored toward community college transfer students would have the same effect. A review of the current literature on support programs tailored to assist community college transfer students and literature that deals with the retention, academic performance, and persistence of transfer students provides information to assist administrators and faculty members at four-year colleges and universities in addressing the needs of transfer students through support programs. Understanding the elements that hinder or enhance academic performance, persistence, and graduation rates among transfer students can advance the knowledge currently available regarding the performance and success of community college transfer students at senior institutions.At least one out of five community college students transfer. Transfer rates vary between 22 and 25 percent nationally among community colleges NEW DIRECTIONS FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGES, no. 114, Summer 2001