Survey Finds Up to 56% of College Students Likely to Transfer
Peachtree Corners, GA (PRWEB) April 21, 2014 -- According to a new survey by the National Transfer Network, up to 56 percent of students who are currently enrolled in college are likely to transfer to another institution. The survey of 1,027 college students also found that “transfer of most credits toward degree” is the most important factor when selecting another institution.
Sean O’Brien, the Director of Strategic Partnerships at Ashworth College, said, “Estimates vary considerably regarding how many college students transfer. So, we decided to conduct our own survey. We discovered that 27 percent of the students who are currently enrolled in college say they are completely or very likely to transfer, another 29 percent are somewhat or slightly likely to transfer, and only 44 percent are not at all likely to transfer to another institution.”
He added, “There are several reasons why college students consider transferring to another institution. This includes continuing their education, reducing their costs or expenses, and seeking more or better program choices. When selecting another institution, the survey found that the most important factor is whether they can transfer most of their credits towards a degree, followed by their ability to reduce their costs or expenses, and find more or better program choices.”
The survey also asked college students, “Where do you attend classes?” And 60 percent of the respondents said “on campus”, 17 percent said “online”, and 23 percent said “both”.
The survey asked college students, “How likely are you to transfer to another institution?” And 14 percent of the respondents said they are completely likely to transfer, 13 percent said they are very likely to transfer, 18 percent said they are somewhat likely to transfer, 11 percent said they are slightly like to transfer, and 44 percent said they are not at all likely to transfer.
They survey also asked college students, “What is your primary reason for considering transfer to another institution?” And 43 percent of the respondents said they were seeking “to continue my education”, 18 percent said they were seeking “reduced costs/expenses”, 15 percent said they were seeking “more/better program choices”, 11 percent said they were seeking “a better fit”, 9 percent said they were seeing “an institution with a better reputation”, and 4 percent gave other reasons.
Finally, the survey asked college students, “Which of the following will be the most important factor when selecting another institution?” And 27 percent of the respondents said “transfer of most credits toward degree”, 23 percent said “reduced costs/expenses”, 20 percent said “more/better program choices”, 15 percent said “availability of financial aid”, 12 percent said “institution with a better reputation”, and 3 percent cited other factors.
Former university president and education consultant, Dr. Michael Hillyard, said, “The National Transfer Network’s study provides the supporting evidence those of us who have worked with students have long known through experience, and that is that students have many and varied educational interests, limited time, and scarce resources; yet they share a burning desire to achieve a degree. The path to a degree is oftentimes complicated by their personal factors, and our job as higher education leaders is to alleviate the additional burdens currently experienced in transferring of credits and institutions to help these people achieve their lifelong goal and enable them to more fully contribute to society.”
A comprehensive research report, including additional insights, can be downloaded for free (registration required) on the National Transfer Network page.
Methodology
Written by the National Transfer Network, the survey was conducted using Google Consumer Surveys in March 2014. Google Consumer Surveys is a fast and accurate market research tool that was considered the #1 online poll and #2 overall poll in predicting the 2012 Presidential election. Users complete survey questions in order to access high-quality content around the web, and content publishers get paid as their users answer.
To target a specific audience, the survey used a screening question: “Are you currently enrolled as a college student and, if so, at what type of institution?” Out of 7,407 respondents, 5 percent said “yes, at a 2-year public institution”, 1 percent said “yes, at a 2-year private institution”, 7 percent said “yes, at a 4-year public institution”, 3 percent said “yes, at a 4-year private institution”, and 84 percent said “no, I’m not enrolled in a college”. Only the 1,027 respondents who said “yes” to the screening question were then asked the subsequent four questions. This means 32 percent of the respondents to the rest of the survey were at a 2-year public institution, 5 percent were at a 2-year private institution, 42 percent were at a 4-year public institution, and 21 percent were at a 4-year private institution.
About the National Transfer Network
The National Transfer Network is a non-profit organization founded in 2014 by progressive institutions acting proactively to solve the US College Transfer Problem for its member institutions and students. The Network is designed to clear a path for students to achieve their goal of earning a recognized, bachelor’s degree from a member 4-year school in the most affordable, flexible way possible. The Network has been developed to make this as seamless as possible for students. For more information, visit http://transfer.ashworthcollege.edu/the-transfer-network/about-the-network/ .
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