Dr. Doug Shapiro
“We’re observing that students have become more mobile in terms of transfer behaviors as we put the pandemic disruptions further behind us,” said Dr. Doug Shapiro, executive director of the NSCRC. “We found that 1.2 million students transferred or entered into a new institution this fall (2024).”
52% of all transfers for fall 2024 are students returning from stop-outs (one or more semesters of not enrolling). This data does not include incoming freshmen or dual enrollment.
“We see this as a further indication that students are adjusting their post-secondary goals in response to changing education and labor market conditions,” said Shapiro. “That’s similar to what we saw in the changing patterns of freshmen and overall enrollment.”
Black students saw an even higher transfer rate at 8.3% overall and 8.9% among returning students who had stopped out for at least one semester prior to their current enrollment. This is three straight years of transfer growth for both Black and Hispanic students and transfer enrollment for both groups have been above 2020 levels since 2022. White students were the only group to see a decline in transfer enrollment from fall 2023 to fall 2024.
The data also shows more transfers into community colleges and shorter-term programs and certificates. These are both students transferring from one community college to another as well as people transferring from four-year institutions to community colleges. These reverse transfers showed a 6.3% increase.
“There are transfers emblematic of students struggling in one school,” said Shapiro. “We feel that students who found their previous programs a poor fit for their plans are now more able to transfer by finding colleges that better meet their needs, especially for those who are now returning from stop-outs.”
