LENGTH OF TIME REQUIRED TO GRADUATE FOR COMMUNITY COLLEGE STUDENTS TRANSFERRING TO SENIOR INSTITUTIONS

Abstract

This study examined the success of students who transferred to senior institutions from community colleges. The study looked at the characteristics of the following: students who transferred; they sought to determine if there was a relationship between the personal characteristics of the students and their time to degree; they attempted to find out if the transfer students’ use of student support services and the students’ perceptions of their value related to the time required for graduation; and they sought to identify what barriers students faced when transferring to senior institutions and to what extent did these barriers affect the students’ time to degree. Twelve senior institutions in North Carolina participated in the study. A questionnaire was mailed to 779 students, and a usable sample of 173 furnished the data for the study. Analysis of variance was the primary statistical procedure used. The study indicated the following conclusions: Students who transfer from community colleges graduate from senior institutions given sufficient time to complete a degree; race appeared to be a factor related to the length of time required for graduation; students who are employed after transferring take longer to graduate; perceived quality of student support services was a factor in the length of time required to graduate; utility of student support services by transfer students is small and appears to be unrelated to length of time required to graduate; and most students do not perceive major barriers in transferring to senior institutions.