A new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center provides insight into undergraduate transfer enrollment and pathways in the fall of 2021. The report analyzed over 12 million undergraduate students including 1.3 million transfer students. Highlights of the report are below:
- Transfer student enrollment steadied in fall 2021 while non-transfer student enrollment declined.
- Transfer enrollment declined by only 0.8% in fall 2021, compared to 9.2% in fall 2020.
- Non-transfer enrollment declined 4.1% in fall 2021, compared to 2.3% in fall 2020.
- Transfer enrollment rates among continuing transfer students* increased in fall 2021, while returning** transfer students transfer rates decreased in fall 2021.
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- Continuing student transfer rates increased 2.3% in fall 2021.
- Returning student transfer rates declined 5.8% in fall 2021.
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- Continuing student transfer enrollment rates varied by type of higher education institution.
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- Continuing student transfer enrollments increased 7.7 % at private nonprofit four-year institutions in fall 2021.
- Continuing transfer student enrollments increased 1.5% at public four-year institutions in fall 2021.
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- Student transfer and mobility patterns varied among different pathways (lateral, upward, reverse***) in fall 2021.
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- Lateral transfer rates rose 0.2% in fall 2021.
- Reverse transfer rates decreased only 0.9% in fall 2021.
- Upward transfer rates decreased 1.6% in fall 2021.
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*Continuing transfer students are those who had at least one valid enrollment record in the spring term or summer term and enrolled in the fall term at an institution different from their last enrolled institution.
**Returning transfer students are those who had previously enrolled in postsecondary education but had stopped out up until the fall term, and re-enrolled in the fall at an institution different than their last enrolled institution.
***Lateral transfer is when students transfer to the same level of institution, reverse transfer is when students start at a four-year institution and transfer to a two-year institution, and upward transfer is when students transfer from a two-year college to a four-year institution.
