A new report examining Washington’s college transfer system finds that students of color, low-income students and other historically underserved students can face significant barriers as they move from community and technical colleges to four-year institutions, with Black students experiencing a particularly notable gap in bachelor’s degree completion after transferring.
Among Black Washington community college students examined in national data cited by the report, 31% transferred to a four-year institution within six years, slightly higher than the national rate of 29% for Black students. But among those who transferred, only 44% of Black students in Washington earned a bachelor’s degree within six years of entering community college, compared with 54% nationally.
The findings are part of Navigating Transfer in Washington: Student Experiences, Barriers, and Supports, a study conducted by Community College Research Initiatives at the University of Washington in partnership with the Washington Student Achievement Council.
The study examines the path from an associate degree to a bachelor’s degree, in which students begin at a community or technical college and transfer, or attempt to transfer, to a four-year institution.
That pathway has particular equity implications because students of color, low-income students, first-generation students, adult learners and other historically underserved populations are among those most likely to begin higher education at a two-year institution, according to the report.
Researchers interviewed 20 students from across Washington at different stages of the transfer process. Nine had transferred, five had planned to transfer but had not done so by the time of the study, and six had stopped or dropped out. Eight participants were connected to institutions in the Seattle metropolitan area. Of the 20 students interviewed, 16 were students of color, 16 were first-generation college students and 19 had at least one indicator of low-income status.
The interviews were designed to provide a closer look at students’ experiences navigating transfer rather than serve as a statistically representative sample of Washington college students.
Researchers found that transfer knowledge was often assumed rather than explicitly taught, leaving students responsible for figuring out requirements, deadlines, financial aid and whether credits would transfer and apply toward their intended degree.
The report found that students with greater financial resources, flexible schedules or family and social networks familiar with higher education could be better positioned to navigate those complications. Students without those advantages often had less room for error when they encountered confusing requirements or administrative obstacles.
“Washington has built important transfer pathways that have made meaningful progress, but these pathways only work if students can use them successfully,” said Isaac Kwakye, acting executive director of WSAC. “This research shows that students need clear information, timely advice, financial support and better coordination between colleges. By making those supports proactive and shared, we can build a transfer system that helps students easily move between colleges and complete their bachelor’s degree. Without these supports, transfer pathways may be difficult for many students to use.”
The report suggests that inequity can emerge at different points in the transfer process depending on the students involved.
Overall, 29% of Washington community college students in the cited cohort transferred to a four-year institution within six years, compared with 33% nationally. But among Washington students who successfully transferred, 54% earned bachelor’s degrees within six years of beginning community college, compared with 48% nationally.
Black students showed a different pattern. Their transfer rate in Washington exceeded the national rate for Black students, while their bachelor’s completion rate after transfer trailed the national figure by 10 percentage points. The report says the differences illustrate that transfer inequity does not operate in the same way for every group. Some students encounter the greatest barriers reaching a four-year institution, while others face greater challenges persisting and completing a bachelor’s degree after they arrive.
Low-income students showed another pattern. Twenty-four percent of Washington students from lower-income neighborhoods transferred within six years, compared with 26% nationally. But among those who transferred, 50% earned bachelor’s degrees within the six-year period, compared with 41% nationally.
The student interviews provide a closer look at how those barriers can develop.
Zuri, identified in the report as a Black woman and daughter of African immigrant parents, described an interaction with her first two-year college adviser that caused her to question her transfer goals. The adviser told her to “be realistic,” advice she experienced as dismissive and possibly racialized. Zuri said the encounter “really broke [her] heart” and was “an immediate shutdown.”
“I know that there is someone else out there who may have been told the same thing… and has completely given up on the opportunity and their dreams. Is that really fair? Imagine how different their life could have been if someone felt the love for them, encouraged them and pushed them, and told them it was possible, instead of shutting them down and trying to shut the door for them,” Zuri said.
Her experience was not presented as representative of every Black transfer student. Researchers used it as one example of why culturally responsive, asset-based advising matters and how advising can reinforce inequity when assumptions are made about what educational futures are realistic for particular students.
Zuri eventually found another adviser who reviewed her transcript, recognized her academic progress, told her that her transfer goal remained possible and provided specific guidance for strengthening her application. Her experience illustrates another central finding of the report: advising can either increase the burden on students or help turn an uncertain path into a workable plan.
Researchers also found that transferring cannot be separated from the financial and personal circumstances students face outside the classroom.
Students described juggling college with employment, childcare, transportation, housing, family responsibilities, disability accommodations, immigration and residency questions, and financial aid. The report found that systems built around assumptions of flexible schedules, stable incomes, reliable transportation and family support can create greater barriers for students whose lives do not fit those assumptions.
Those challenges do not necessarily disappear once a student successfully transfers.
Researchers found that campus culture, affordability, schedules, accessibility and a student’s sense of racial and cultural belonging can influence whether transfer students persist at four-year institutions. One student considered leaving after what the report describes as a racially harmful classroom incident but later found support through a campus community engagement and leadership program that provided mentorship, paid community work and a stronger sense of community.
Financial barriers can also compound existing inequities. The report says students with family wealth, flexible schedules or college-educated networks may have greater ability to recover from a missed financial aid deadline or another administrative problem. Low-income students, undocumented students, students working full time and those supporting families may have far less room for error.
Researchers recommend that colleges begin transfer advising during a student’s first term rather than waiting until graduation approaches. They also recommend dedicated transfer navigators, clearer information about whether credits apply toward particular majors, better coordination between two- and four-year institutions, more accessible financial aid guidance and advising that takes students’ identities and life circumstances into account.
The report also recommends making identity-related resources easier to find without requiring students to repeatedly disclose circumstances such as immigration status, disability or financial hardship, and establishing stronger systems to reconnect with students who have stopped attending college but still want to earn bachelor’s degrees.
The findings come as Washington works toward a goal of having 70% of adults ages 25 to 44 earn a credential beyond high school. The transfer data illustrate one of the challenges facing that effort: only 29% of Washington community college students in the cohort cited by the report transferred to a four-year institution within six years. Among Black students, 31% transferred, but only 44% of those who transferred earned a bachelor’s degree within six years of beginning community college.
