The Relationship between Participation in a Statewide Associate-to-Bachelor Transfer Pathway Program and Baccalaureate Student Outcomes

Abstract

Over the last two decades, more than 30 states have implemented statewide transfer agreements between community colleges and four-year institutions (Jenkins & Fink, 2015; Kirk-Kuwaye & Kirk-Kuwaye, 2007; Roksa & Keith, 2008). Although research indicates that those earning associate’s degree before transferring are more likely to earn a bachelor degree (Crook, Chellman, & Holod, 2012; Kopko & Crosta, 2016), few studies have examined the relationship between participation in a statewide transfer program and student outcomes among associate degree earners following transfer (Baker, 2016; Jenkins & Fink, 2015). This causal-comparative study examined the relationship between participation in a statewide associate-to-bachelor (A2B) transfer program and bachelor degree outcomes at a regional public university in the Northeast. Three research questions guided this quantitative, non-experimental, causal-comparative study:

1.) Is there a significant difference in bachelor degree attainment between students who participated in the A2B program and those who did not?

2.) Is there a significant difference in bachelor degree time to completion between students who participated in the A2B program and those who did not?

3.) Is there a significant difference in the total number of credit hours earned at the time of bachelor degree completion between transfer students who participated in the A2B program and those who did not?

The sample included students who arrived at the site institution between the Fall 2013 and Spring 2016 semesters (N = 1438). Ex-post facto data were analyzed using one-way ANOVAs to test for differences between A2B program participants and other subsets of the transfer population. Results from the study showed that A2B participants were significantly more likely to earn a bachelor’s degree and required, on average, one fewer semester, to earn a bachelor’s degree than standard transfer admits.

This study filled a gap in the literature by examining degree completion outcomes among those who transferred from two-year, public community colleges to a regional public university via a common, state-sponsored, A2B transfer program. The results may have implications at the state system level and among institutional constituents to ensure that the transfer program, as designed, delivers on its intended outcomes.