Transfer Partnerships,Transfer Capital,and Student Experiences of Vertical Transfer

Objective: Scholars theorize the benefits of intentionally designed transfer partnership alliances for facilitating the success of transfer students. The aim of this study was to understand how students who move from a community college to a baccalaureate-granting institution with and without the support of a transfer partnership program describe their transfer experiences and their access to transfer capital for navigating this transition. Methods: An interpretive qualitative analysis of 28 interviews was conducted using open coding methods and deductive analytic memos. These analyses compared 13 students who took part in a transfer partnership program with 15 students who transferred to the same baccalaureate-granting institution without the support of this program. Results: Participants from the two groups described their transfer experiences in very different ways. Those who took part in the transfer partnership program perceived a streamlined transition that alleviated the need for preexisting transfer capital. By contrast, students who transferred without the support of this partnership program described their experiences as more arduous, filled with unexpected challenges that disproportionately impacted first-generation college students, compared with their continuing-generation peers. Notably, transfer partnerships did not eliminate inequality based on generational status; instead, evidence suggests certain challenges may reemerge as students begin upper-division coursework following program completion. Contribution: These findings demonstrate how transfer partnerships can alleviate inequality between students based on generational status. Implications for research are discussed alongside implications for expanding transfer partnership alliances, relationships, and resources within and across institutions designed to promote transfer student success.