Racial/Ethnic Differences in Transfer among Community College Students

Anne K. Driscoll, University of California, Davis

Most students who enter community college with the goal of transferring to a four-year school do not realize this goal. African American and Latino students transfer at rates significantly below those of whites and Asians. This study examines the relationships between both the environment and quality of students’ high schools and their initial academic behavior and performance and their odds of transferring within six years. High school environments varied significantly across race/ethnicity; whites attended more advantaged schools than others. White and Asian community college students also differed from African American and Latino students in their early academic behavior and performance. Students’ early college academic behavior and performance predict their likelihood of transferring. High school attributes are also significantly associated with their odds of transferring to a four-year college. When both sets of factors are held constant, the gaps between whites and blacks and Latinos were narrowed significantly.