An article from Dive Brief Transfer enrollment ticked up 4.4% in the fall, report finds

Previously stopped-out students starting at new institutions made up a majority of transfers, the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center found.

Published March 5, 2025 Ben Unglesbee Senior Reporter

• post
• share
• post
• print
• email
• license

SDI Productions via Getty Images Dive Brief:

• Nearly 1.2 million college students transferred to new institutions in fall 2024, marking a 4.4% increase in transfers compared to the same period in 2023, according to research released Wednesday from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.
• Transfer students represented 13% of all non-first-year students in fall 2024. Their expanding ranks outpaced reenrollment at the same institution, which grew 2.6% year over year. 
• Compared to fall 2020, transfers rose 7.9% in fall 2024, while nontransfer student numbers fell 3.5% below levels seen four years prior, the clearinghouse found. 

waitToLoadAds.push(function() { googletag.cmd.push(function() { if (window.dfp_visibility == 'mobile' ) { googletag.display('dfp-hybrid1-mobile'); googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function (event) { var adUnitPath = '/21662595662/highereddive/highereddivehybrid1'; var onProformative = false; if (onProformative && event.slot.getAdUnitPath() === adUnitPath && !event.isEmpty ) { var adUnitPathWithVisibility = adUnitPath + '-mobile'; var selector = '.pf-comments__ad-wrapper [data-container-ad-unit-id="' + adUnitPathWithVisibility + '"]'; if (!$(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').hasClass('borders')) { $(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').addClass('borders') } } }); } }); }); waitToLoadAds.push(function() { googletag.cmd.push(function() { if (window.dfp_visibility == 'desktop' ) { googletag.display('dfp-hybrid2-desktop'); googletag.pubads().addEventListener('slotRenderEnded', function (event) { var adUnitPath = '/21662595662/highereddive/highereddivehybrid2'; var onProformative = false; if (onProformative && event.slot.getAdUnitPath() === adUnitPath && !event.isEmpty ) { var adUnitPathWithVisibility = adUnitPath + '-desktop'; var selector = '.pf-comments__ad-wrapper [data-container-ad-unit-id="' + adUnitPathWithVisibility + '"]'; if (!$(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').hasClass('borders')) { $(selector).closest('.pf-comments__ad-wrapper').addClass('borders') } } }); } }); }); Dive Insight:

Transfers grew annually last fall across all different pathways: from two-year institutions to four-year institutions, laterally from one two-year institution or four-year institution to another, and from four-year institutions to two-year, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. 

Within the two-year to four-year college pathway, the study found 5.5% growth in the number of students transferring from community colleges to the most selective four-year institutions, Doug Shapiro, executive director of the research center, said at a media briefing Tuesday. 

The rate was even higher, 7%, among community college students from lower-income backgrounds. While the growth rate was significant, the number of students in that category represent a relatively small share of transfer students overall, Shapiro noted.

Transfers increased across every racial or ethnic group except White students. They were highest among Black students, at 8.3%, followed by Hispanic students, at 4.4%, according to the report. 

Since 2020, transfer enrollment grew the most at community colleges, increasing 13.5%. That represents over 46,500 students, which has helped but not wholly offset declines in community college enrollment following the pandemic. 

The study also found that a majority of transfer students, 52%, had returned to college after stopping out. That rate is up nearly 3 percentage points since 2020. 

"The growth in transfers this fall is a further indication that students are adjusting postsecondary goals in response to changing education and labor market conditions," Shapiro said in a statement. “That’s good news, especially for those who are able to return from stopouts by finding colleges that better meet their needs.”

Transferring students very often changed their topic of study. Among students whose major data was available, nearly two-thirds changed their majors after transferring.

• 
• 
• 
• 
• 
• purchase licensing rights

Filed Under: Students, Enrollment Higher Ed Dive news delivered to your inbox

Get the free daily newsletter read by industry experts

Email:

• Select user consent: By signing up to receive our newsletter, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. You can unsubscribe at anytime.

Sign up A valid email address is required. Please select at least one newsletter. Editors' picks

• Brandon Bell via Getty Images Why the University of Texas System is offering microcredentials to students — for free

  The public network is providing access to Coursera’s Career Academy, which includes professional certificates from companies like Microsoft and Google. 

  By Lilah Burke • Feb. 26, 2025
• Andrew Harnik via Getty Images 12 Trump moves in 4 weeks: What college leaders need to know

  The new administration has implemented several policies that have sparked outcry from university researchers and student advocates. 

  By Natalie Schwartz • Feb. 18, 2025