This year’s transfer and mobility report from the National Student Clearinghouse contains good news and troubling news. While young students and four-year colleges saw an increase in transfers and transfer stability in fall 2021, the numbers for community colleges, returning students, and female students took a hit.
This report is the second to study the effects of the pandemic on transfer enrollment and builds on the Clearinghouse’s latest report detailing the continued enrollment decline in higher education. Since fall 2020, over one million potential students have elected not to enroll in college, with community colleges bearing the brunt of the loss.
Dr. Mikyung Ryu, National Student Clearinghouse
Over 19,300 continuing students (2.3%) were able to successfully transfer this year. But students trying to return to education after a period of stopping out saw a 5.8% decrease in transfers, just under 36,000 students.
The only sector of students that was able to completely recover from fall 2020 losses were those aged 18 to 20. That recovery was consistent through all types of transfer, whether it was upward, from a two-year into a four-year, lateral, a two-year to another two-year, or reverse, four-year to two-year.
“Transfer growth is driven by young students,” said Ryu. “Compared to older adults that have family duties, the 18- to 20-year-old feels more comfortable to remain as a student. And they may have more resources, relative to their older peers.”
For many potential students, the choice between attending school or accepting a well-paying job isn’t really a choice at all. Studies have shown that it becomes harder for students to return to school the longer they stay away.
