The Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two- and Four-Year Colleges

National surveys show that while 80 percent of community college students aspire to earn a bachelor’s degree, only 14 percent achieve that goal within six years. It doesn't have to be this way. Based on original research into the practices of six highly effective community college-university partnerships, this joint report from the Aspen Institute and Columbia University’s Community College Research Center (CCRC) provides a roadmap for improving transfer student outcomes. The report emphasizes the importance of prioritizing transfer, creating clear transfer program maps, and establishing dedicated transfer advising. It offers concrete examples of essential strategies and includes a checklist of “How to Get Started.” Funded by the Carnegie Corporation, the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, and The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, this report is the second in a series focused on improving transfer outcomes, following the 2016 report "Tracking Transfer," which examined transfer outcomes at the national and state levels.