Supporting Transfer Students Series: Topic Intro | Part 1 | Part 3 | Part 4
Supporting Transfer Students Series
Part 1:
Understanding and Supporting Transfer Students
Overview
Transferring from a two-year college to a four-year university is an effective route for many students seeking flexibility and affordability. Transfer students represent a diverse collection of backgrounds and experiences; as such, these students have needs and expectations that can be much different than their peers on more traditional pathways (Lester, Leonard, & Mathias, 2013). Part 1 of this series shares insights into UC Davis’s transfer demographics before exploring common challenges that some transfer students face. Not all transfer students face the same challenges, nor do they only face challenges presented in this series. This content will help predict some challenges, but it is important to regularly check in with students to understand the support they need.
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Characteristics of UC Davis Transfer Students
Transferring is a popular option among students from a variety of underrepresented populations, including first-generation students, veteran students, and those from low socioeconomic backgrounds (CCCSE, 2012; Durosko, 2017; Fauria & Fuller, 2015, Mullin, 2012). Thacker et al. (2021) and Jacobson et al. (2017) add that transfer students “tend to be older, married, working full-or-part time, and are less likely to have been in the top ten percent of their high school graduating class.” Two-year colleges often offer much more flexibility in course scheduling, including night classes, which can make attendance easier for nontraditionally-aged students, students with dependents, and students working part- or full-time.
In 2025, nearly 2,800 transfer students enrolled at UC Davis. The Transfer Admission Guarantee (or TAG program) supports students enrolled at California community colleges; however, in 2025, UC Davis still drew 18 non-California and 139 international transfer students. Additionally, 26 students from the 2025 transfer cohort were veterans or in the military.
The chart offers a more detailed breakdown of 2025 transfer student demographics. For more detailed information, instructors can utilize UC Davis’s KnowYourStudents application to retrieve aggregate student demographics and academic data at the course level as well as student testimonials about their background and experience at UC Davis.
2025–2026 Transfer Student Demographics |
Total |
| Total Admits | 2,799 |
| Enrolled Full Time | 2,492 |
| Has dependents | 402 |
| Single parent | 402 |
| Enrolled in evening course | 1,397 |
| First-Generation | 1,215 |
| Low income | 974 |
| Under-Represented Minority | 926 |
| Military or Veteran | 26 |
| Non-CA Resident | 18 |
| International | 139 |
| Average Age | 21.6 |
Recognizing transfer student experiences
The Survey of Entering Student Engagement (SENSE, 2022) found that 83% of community college students aimed to transfer to a 4-year college or university. However, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, only 32% of community college students successfully transferred. This disparity in intention versus execution reflects the complexity of transfer students balancing life and learning.
The transfer student experience can be broken down into five key support aspects (NISTS, 2025):
- Prioritized: Transfer students must feel supported in their transition from one institution to another, with clear access to institutional support systems.
- Equitable and inclusive: Four-year universities were designed for students coming directly from high school. Students that enter via a different path must also exit from a path that diverges from the traditional college experience.
- Comprehensive: Students should have access to institutional support at every stage of their journey—not just at the beginning or end, but through planning, matriculation, adjustment, integration, and completion.
- Collaborative: The transfer process requires communication between multiple institutional bodies that should avoid making the student the single point of contact between all of them.
- Student-centered: Student perspectives and experiences need to be considered as students balance learning with navigating university bureaucracy.
These five aspects underscore many of the challenges and solutions proposed in the “Supporting Transfer Students” series. Part 1 of the series focuses on identifying common external challenges that transfer students face and providing suggestions for educators on how to support transfer students. For classroom strategies that align with the five aspects, see Part 2 of the series.
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The importance of recognizing your students’ current life situations
Transfer students face a variety of challenges outside of school that may have a significant impact on their success in school (e.g., CCCSE, 2012; Miller, 2013). These situations may include proximity to school, work schedules, family obligations, or financial limitations. It is important to realize that some social, cultural, environmental, and financial factors might be out of a student’s complete control (Brinkley-Etzkorn and Cherry, 2022) but still influence their decisions and outcomes. One impactful way instructors can help promote transfer students success is by being willing to work with transfer students if/when their extracurricular responsibilities interfere with their curricular ones.
Below are some additional extracurricular challenges transfer students may face, and some suggestions for how to respond supportively:
| Challenges | Explanations | Teaching Suggestions |
| External time demands | Transfer students often commute, work many hours, and have unusual schedules. They may have part-time enrollment status, interruptions in their enrollment, and occasional impediments to their persistence due to a variety of factors. | Creating transparent assignments allows students to focus their time on learning rather than deciphering instructions. The TILT Framework offers a model for creating clear and actionable assignments. Additionally, designing assignments that do not require students to work on campus can help reduce fatigue for commuting students that might not have the resources (e.g., time or money) to be on campus every day or for prolonged periods of time. Breaking larger assignments down into smaller parts and using the syllabus to establish manageable goals for your students teaches time management skills and the research process. Students may also benefit from UCD’s Success Coaches who offer workshops, coaching, schedule templates, and self-assessments. |
| External family demands | Transfer students may concurrently support dependents or may otherwise work through demanding family situations. | Create open lines of dialogue with students through consistent check-ins. Emphasize the importance of communication and be sensitive and responsive to students who contact you. Use the syllabus and class time to demystify office hours and encourage students to visit to discuss course-related and non-course-related questions. Building flexible assignment submissions and attendance policies or offering alternate assessment types offers flexibility that some students might need to be successful. |
| Financial hardships | Financial issues persist for all types of students. Students that are primary caregivers for family members or commute to campus (i.e., gas and parking costs) might struggle more than others. | Be cognizant of the financial burdens of requiring students to purchase supplies, textbooks, or apps. Academic Fair Use offers you protection in using copyrighted material for educational purposes, and Open Educational Resources are becoming an increasingly viable and accessible option. If you are designing a course that requires students to spend money, ensure that there are no other options to achieve the learning goals with less investment. Otherwise, dedicate yourself to maximizing that material’s educational potential.
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| Veteran or a nontraditionally aged student | According to the US Department of Education, the average age for returning veteran students is 25 (cited in Durosko, 2017). Similarly, many transfer students may also be nontraditionally-aged students who have returned to school after a long absence. These students may feel out of place around their younger peers, or may have difficulty engaging socially on campus. | Try to vary your approach to working with students in a way that considers their age and life experiences. Encourage students to utilize their prior knowledge and experience in coursework, and to share their unique perspectives during class discussions. For example, you could build in time before major exams or projects for students to discuss study methods that have been helpful for them in similar classes, and develop problem-solving strategies for when they get stuck. |
Fostering inter-student success in your classroom
Connections are a critical part of student success for transfer and non-transfer students alike (CCCSE, 2025). CCCSE (2025) found that in the face of adversity, it was often a single individual that inspired students to stay in college. But is one connection enough? A classroom is an ecosystem of diverse experiences, interests, and needs, with the instructor as a liaison between these unique individuals and course content. One way to support students within the classroom ecosystem is to cultivate a culture of caring that helps students believe in their own ability to succeed and balances high standards with institutional support. In return, student engagement and success increases and students feel empowered to form deeper connections on campus (CCCSE, 2025). Brinkley-Etzkorn and Cherry (2022) found that a university needs a combination of institutional and student-focused strategies to drive transfer student outcomes and make them feel valued. The CARES Framework is one approach compiled from First-Gen scholarship.
| Strategies | Teaching Suggestions | |
Foster peer-to-peer collaboration with active learning strategies
| Active learning activities help facilitate student interaction, increase student agency, and create opportunities for students to bring their own knowledges and skillsets into the classroom. Over time, students | |
Encourage networking and professional development on and off campus | Show interest in your students’ extracurricular activities and professional networking efforts. This could include building an experiential or service-learning component into your course, having an expert as a guest speaker (in-person or video conference), or offering extra credit for attending networking events or meetings with professionals in the field. Also, engage students through outside-of-class activities on campus, such as poster days, presentation opportunities, competitions, professional organizations, and independent studies. Use the syllabus to establish the guidelines and support you can offer regarding professional development and use course announcements or discussion boards to inform your students about upcoming opportunities and connect students with similar interests. | |
Help build support networks
| Encourage all students to create networks of support (i.e., to “shrink” a larger campus into a more manageable community). Highlight various cultural, ethnic, religious, hobby, interest, or discipline-oriented clubs on campus that can offer social and academic support. Research has shown that engagement in these activities can have a positive effect on their educational outcomes (Ishitani & McKitrick, 2010; Lester et al., 2013). For students with off-campus commitments, the UC Davis All Events calendar contains links to video streams of campus activities. Also, see Additional Resources for more campus partners. |
- Additional Resources
- Transfer Student Resources
- Office of the Transfer Student Representative
- Transfer and Reentry Center
- Academic Assistance and Tutoring Centers
- Academic Retention Centers and Initiatives
- Veteran Success Center
In addition to this resource, we would also suggest referencing our “Supporting First-Generation University Student Series,” as the experiences of transfer students often parallel those of first-generation students more broadly.- Citation
- Center for Educational Effectiveness [CEE]. (2018). Supporting Transfer Students Series. Just-in-Time Teaching Resources. Retrieved from https://cee.ucdavis.edu/JITT
- References
Brinkley-Etzkorn, K. & Cherry, L. (2022). A lens for transfer: A history of the theoretical frameworks and conceptual models applied to the study of transfer students. Journal of College Student Retention: Research, Theory, and Practice, 24(1), 99-125.
Center for Community College Student Engagement [CCCSE]. (2012). A Matter of Degrees: Promising Practices for Community College Student Success (A First Look). Austin, TX: The University of Texas at Austin, Community College Leadership Program.
Community College Survey of Student Engagement: CCSSE. (2025). Essential conditions for community college student success: Maximizing student engagement by fostering a culture of caring. https://cccse.org/culture-of-caring/reportDurosko, H. (2017). Five ways to support veteran transfer students. Journal of College Admission, 235, 42-43.
Fauria, R. M., & Fuller, M. B. (2015). Transfer student success: Educationally purposeful activities predictive of undergraduate GPA. Research & Practice in Assessment, 10, 39-52.
Lester, J., Brown Leonard, J., & Mathias, D. (2013). Transfer student engagement: Blurring of social and academic engagement. Community College Review, 41(3), 202-222.
Miller, A. (2013). Institutional practices that facilitate bachelor’s degree completion for transfer students. New Directions for Higher Education, 2013(162), 39-50.
Mullin, C. (2012). Transfer: An indispensable part of the community college mission. American Association of Community Colleges Policy Brief 2012-03PBL. Retrieved from http://www.aacc.nche.edu/Publications/Briefs/Pages/pb10082012.aspxUC Davis Budget & Institutional Analysis [BIA]. (2017). Data visualization. Retrieved from http://budget.ucdavis.edu/data-reports/high-level-dashboard.html