Education Department Releases New Data on Transfer

Inside Higher Ed

Sara Weissman

November 10, 2023

The U.S. Department of Education this week released new data highlighting the community colleges and universities that best serve transfer students and the most successful transfer partnerships between two-year and four-year institutions across the country.

Department officials announced the new data Thursday at a summit on improving transfer policy at Northern Virginia Community College. About 200 higher ed leaders and government officials from 11 states were in attendance, according to a press release from the department.

Miguel Cardona, U.S. secretary of education, said in a video message to the group that problems plaguing the transfer process, such as institutions not accepting each other’s credits and students having to retake courses as a result, disproportionately affect students of color, who attend community colleges in large numbers. He noted that such cumbersome processes cause too many students to give up on their studies.

He added that the U.S. Supreme Court ruling this summer that banned using race as a factor in admissions gives new “urgency” to streamlining the transfer process to ensure universities continue to serve diverse student bodies.

“No one will solve this challenge in isolation. We need leaders across higher education to collaborate intentionally,” Cardona said. “Today I’m excited to announce that the department is releasing data on transfer student outcomes across institutions for the very first time. You won’t find this data anywhere else. We need to hold ourselves accountable.”

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