The 5 Pillars of the Transfer Student Experience—Laying the Groundwork for Student Success
- NISTS Team
- Oct 1
- 7 min read
Written by NISTS
The landscape of higher education is shifting, and with it, our understanding of the transfer student experience. For too long, we've viewed transfer through a narrow, transactional lens. This limited perspective overlooks the broader context of a student's educational journey, often emphasizing institutions over students.
Both researchers and higher ed professionals are questioning this traditional conceptualization, proposing an expanded definition that fundamentally reframes our understanding. At NISTS, we believe the transfer student experience includes everything from the moment a student begins considering transfer as part of their higher education journey to the moment they achieve their goal and everything in between.
To address the full transfer journey, we've identified five pillars that form the foundation of a successful transfer student experience. The transfer experience should be Prioritized, Equitable and Inclusive, Comprehensive, Collaborative, and Student-Centered.
These pillars provide an intentional way of seeing each student and appreciating their value. Our goal in this article isn’t to dive straight into solutions, but rather to focus on finding a common language for transfer professionals, departments, and institutions to use when reflecting on ways to better support transfer students.
Recognizing that every institution will approach transfer from a unique starting point, the pillars and reflection questions that follow are intended to help transfer professionals better identify where they are, along with the next steps they can take. We look forward to hearing how these concepts show up in your work.
For faculty and staff, please have a sense of understanding for transfer students. Transferring is not an easy decision because moving from one space to another is a life-changing decision. Please provide patience, understanding, and guidance to those who transfer because you are a part of the environment they choose to transfer to.
Pillar 1: Prioritized
First, transfer must be prioritized. From the student perspective, this means they feel supported in making the transition from one institution to another. At a minimum, when transfer is prioritized, students can easily find and access tangible and intentional resources, including people at both their sending and receiving institutions, who can guide them to make informed decisions.
When a student steps onto a campus or enters a virtual learning environment where transfer is prioritized, this shows up in three areas: culture, structures and policies, and climate.
In a culture where transfer student success is prioritized, everyone at the institutional, departmental, and individual level sees transfer as critical to the institution’s success. They view supporting transfer students as part of their role and have the resources to do so. Ideally, transfer is part of the institutional mission and strategic priorities.
From here, structures and policies flow out of the culture. These more formal rules and processes are designed with transfer students in mind and with their input. Also, faculty, staff, and administrators review and revise existing structures and policies to ensure they work for students. In particular, we take an honest look at where we have inadvertently created barriers for transfer students and are willing to make the changes that ease a student’s transition.
In a transfer-friendly climate, not only are systems in place to support students, but they also feel that support. Students feel valued, welcomed, and connected—both inside and outside of the classroom—as they acclimate to their new campus environment (whether in person or online), build meaningful relationships, and discover ways to engage in high-value personal, social, and academic activities.
All three of these areas rely on adequate funding and staffing to function in a way that effectively supports transfer students.
Pillar 2: Equitable and Inclusive
We fundamentally believe transfer students deserve the same chance at success as their direct entry peers. There are two ways in which equity and inclusion come into play when talking about transfer. First, because most four-year, degree-granting institutions were designed to meet the needs of first-time-in-college (FTIC) students coming straight from high school, transfer students must navigate a system that was not built for them. This becomes an equity issue because, as a result, students face unclear pathways to graduation, as well as a lack of access to necessary classes, scholarship funds, and high impact practices such as honors programs and undergraduate research. They may also lose equitable credit for work done prior to transfer.
Second, issues with access, persistence, and success disproportionately affect historically underrepresented students. Many of these students choose to start their higher education journey at community or technical colleges because they are often more affordable, flexible, and supportive. When transfer works, it can open the door to educational and economic advancement for students from a wide variety of backgrounds and communities. And when it lets them down, it’s all the more disappointing.
While recognizing that many institutions were not built with today’s mobile learners or their situations in mind, we, as transfer champions, must commit to identifying and dismantling the barriers students face. We are uniquely positioned to influence change at our institutions and address inequities. By prioritizing and implementing research-backed practices tailored to their unique context, institutions can begin to ensure that all transfer students have the support they need to succeed.
Pillar 3: Comprehensive
In addition to being equitable and inclusive, the transfer experience should be comprehensive. Comprehensive support means being there for students at each stage of their experience. We want to move away from viewing transfer as simply an enrollment transaction. It’s a dynamic process that may take several years and involves collaboration between professionals within and across multiple institutions.
We define the beginning of a transfer student’s journey as the moment they begin to consider transfer as a possibility. And the end of the journey is when they reach their goal—both in terms of earning credits or a degree (or credential) and in terms of what that progress or degree can mean for them and their families (e.g., employment and increased social mobility opportunities).
The full journey can be divided into five phases: planning, matriculation, adjustment, integration, and completion. A comprehensive transfer experience includes support at each of these phases. As transfer professionals, making personal connections with students in each of the five phases is key. Even if it doesn't look like it on the surface, you can positively influence all phases of the student journey.
Pillar 4: Collaborative
Because transfer students need access to a wide range of administrative, academic, and co-curricular programs, they need support from a variety of offices and individuals. It’s impossible, then, for one department (or one institution) to “own” the transfer process. Instead, we want higher ed professionals, both within and between institutions, to see transfer as a collaboration and shared responsibility.
Internally, this means that departments keep each other informed and up-to-date (especially, as policies, processes, and academic pathways change), rather than being siloed. It also means that they work together to build programs, policies, and processes that benefit everyone involved (i.e., creating shared goals and effective communication processes).
Externally, collaborations between transfer-sending and -receiving partner institutions can be built on mutual trust, responsibility, and respect. When we look at transfer through the lens of the student and aim to provide a comprehensive experience, it’s clear that no one institution bears all the responsibility for transfer student success. Instead, each institutional partner is invested and actively participating.
Although developing and maintaining effective transfer collaborations can be challenging, the benefits to students outweigh the cost. Transfer professionals play an essential role in facilitating these collaborations, serving as a bridge between departments and institutions.
Pillar 5: Student-Centered
Although “student-centered” has become a buzzword in higher education, we want to infuse it with meaning again. Students must be at the center of the transfer conversation. After all, students are the ones suffering when their credits don’t count or they are given the runaround and forced to navigate bureaucratic red tape. Simply put, students shouldn’t have to figure out everything about transferring on their own.
To truly understand what drives students in their pursuits, as well as the obstacles they face, it is critical to go to the source and create regular opportunities to gather feedback about their experiences. These efforts enable institutions to better align their services and resources to support not only transfer students, but also quite likely others with unique challenges (e.g., military-affiliated, student-parents, and first-generation students).
When we offer more accessible programs and services and look to solve problems by keeping students at the center of the solution, everybody wins.
Conclusion
As we reflect on the language we use and are intentional about how we might help transfer students overcome the biggest barriers to their success, it’s important to remember that behind every transfer story is a student with unique experiences, challenges, and aspirations. By focusing on these five pillars, we can lay the groundwork for student success and create a more welcoming and supportive environment for all students.
It's our collective responsibility to ensure that these students receive the support they need to achieve their educational goals and unlock their full potential at every stage of their journey.
Reflection Questions:
As you consider how you might incorporate these five pillars into your transfer student experience, answering the following questions may be helpful:
What does all of this mean for us (i.e. my institution, my role, the students I work with)?
How might improving success for transfer students fit in with our current initiatives focused on other, perhaps overlapping, student populations (e.g., military-affiliated, student-parents, and first-generation students)?
Of the 5 pillars, which is our strongest and which is our weakest? Perhaps create a ranking of all 5.
How can we leverage our strengths to bring about change?
Considering the 5 pillars, what is one change, initiative, or policy we could implement to improve the transfer student experience? (It’s okay to start small.)
Who are our biggest supporters? Who can I count on to collaborate with us in the effort to improve support for transfer students?
How are we listening to our transfer students? This could be informal conversations or more structured interviews or focus groups.