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NOVA Student Transfers

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NOVA Student Transfers

Transferring to a Four-Year Institution

Many students who start at a community college intend to transfer and complete a bachelor’s degree, but most of them are not successful.1 Only 40 percent achieve that goal within nine years of community college entry in the U.S. compared to 55 percent of students at NOVA.2 One area for improving the outcomes for community college students is to provide measures of institutional effectiveness in serving transfer students, specifically. Transfer out rates from the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) is presented in this issue.3 The National Student Clearinghouse (NSC) provides data for community colleges to measure their effectiveness in serving transfer students.4 NOVA’s Fact Book presents transfer data in chapter 2.5 Transfer metrics can serve as useful tools to examine what practices facilitate or impede effective transfer. Therefore, analyzing these metrics on a periodic basis, comparing them with state and national benchmarks, and sharing them with faculty, staff, and others can improve transfer and bachelor’s degree outcomes for community college students.

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National vs. NOVA Data

$47,528

of students transferred out from U.S. public 2-year institutions over the last 9 years6

23.3

average credit hours earned before transfer from U.S. public 2-year institutions over the last 9 years6

building-gold
$47,528

of students transferred out from NOVA over the last 9 years6

17.2

average credit hours earned before transfer from NOVA over the last 9 years6

building-green

National vs. NOVA Data

$47,528

of students transferred out from U.S. public 2-year institutions over the last 9 years6

$47,528

of students transferred out from NOVA over the last 9 years6

building-gold

23.3

average credit hours earned before transfer from U.S. public 2-year institutions over the last 9 years6

building-green

17.2

average credit hours earned before transfer from NOVA over the last 9 years6

NOVA TRansfer Data

In 2019–20, NOVA students transferred to four-year institutions in all 50 states, as well as Washington, D.C.
map with states plus D.C. and numbers of transfers to each
light gold
1–50
gold
51–100
light green
101–150
green
151+

Transfers to Virginia Four-Year Institutions

From 2016–17 to 2020–21, most students who transferred to Virginia four-year institutions transferred to public institutions. The percentage of transfers to Virginia public four-year institutions increased from 88 to 91 percent over this time period.

Percentage of NOVA Transfers to Virginia 4-Year Institutions: 2016–17 through 2020–21
2016-17 public 88%, private 12%; 2017-18 public 89%, private 11%; 2018-19 public 90%, private 10%; 2019-20 public 90%, private 10%; 2020-21 public 91%, private 9%
light gold
Public Institution
gold
Private, Non-Profit Institution
Number of NOVA Transfers to Virginia 4-Year Institutions: 2016–17 through 2020–21
2016-17 public 6064, private 808; 2017-18 public 6816, private 826; 2018-19 public 7380, private 834; 2019-20 public 7687, private 846; 2020-21 public 8490, private 826
light gold
Public Institution
gold
Private, Non-Profit Institution

Top Virginia Transfer Institutions

In 2020–21, NOVA students who transferred to Virginia public, four-year institutions most frequently enrolled at George Mason University.

In 2020–21, NOVA students who transferred to area private, non-profit, four-year institutions most frequently enrolled at Liberty University.

Top 5 Virginia Public Transfer Institutions
George Mason University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia
Top 5 Private, Non-Profit Transfer Institutions
Liberty University, Marymount University, George Washington University, Shenandoah University, Bridgewater College

Top Virginia Transfer Institutions

In 2020–21, NOVA students who transferred to Virginia public, four-year institutions most frequently enrolled at George Mason University.

In 2020–21, NOVA students who transferred to area private, non-profit, four-year institutions most frequently enrolled at Liberty University.

Top 5 Virginia Public Transfer Institutions
George Mason University, Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University, James Madison University, Virginia Commonwealth University, University of Virginia
Top 5 Private, Non-Profit Transfer Institutions
Liberty University, Marymount University, George Washington University, Shenandoah University, Bridgewater College

Learn More

Resources for Students, Faculty, and Staff

Transfer Services

Transfer Services offers the following degrees to students who plan to complete their freshman and sophomore years of college work at NOVA and then transfer to a four-year college or university to complete their junior and senior years of a bachelor’s degree: Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Associate of Science (A.S.).

Learn more about Transfer Services at https://www.nvcc.edu/transfer/

Transfer Virginia

Transfer Virginia is an initiative to provide transparency and access throughout the college transfer process. Transfer Virginia presents consistent and current information from all the transfer partners as students research, plan, and organize their transfer journey.

Visit the Transfer Virginia website to learn more at: https://www.transfervirginia.org/

ADVANCE

ADVANCE is a partnership between Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University that gives NOVA students targeted, personalized support to complete their bachelor’s degrees in a timely manner and save money.

Learn more about ADVANCE at: https://www.nvcc.edu/advance/

graduation cap

Advising

NOVA is committed to helping students become effective agents for lifelong learning and personal development through informed planning and decision-making. NOVA’s Advising Services enhances student success by holistically supporting, teaching, and connecting students to college programs and resources that help students achieve their academic, career, or personal goals.

Learn more about Advising at: https://www.nvcc.edu/advising/

Citations

  1. Fink, John, D. Jenkins. 2017. How to Measure Community College Effectiveness in Serving Transfer Student. December 2017. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/measure-community-college-effectiveness-transfer.html. Community College Research Center. Teachers College Columbia University.
  2. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. https://nscresearchcenter.org/. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/tackling-transfer-guide-convening-community-colleges-universities-improve-transfer-student-outcomes.pdf.
  1. The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/.
  2. Tracking Transfer. 2022. National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). https://nscresearchcenter.org/tracking-transfer/.
  3. NOVA Fact Book. https://www.nvcc.edu/osi/oir/fact-book/index.html.
  4. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. https://nscresearchcenter.org/.
  1. Fink, John, D. Jenkins. 2017. How to Measure Community College Effectiveness in Serving Transfer Student. December 2017. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/measure-community-college-effectiveness-transfer.html. Community College Research Center. Teachers College Columbia University.
  2. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. https://nscresearchcenter.org/. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/tackling-transfer-guide-convening-community-colleges-universities-improve-transfer-student-outcomes.pdf.
  3. The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/.
  4. Tracking Transfer. 2022. National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). https://nscresearchcenter.org/tracking-transfer/.
  5. NOVA Fact Book. https://www.nvcc.edu/osi/oir/fact-book/index.html.
  6. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. https://nscresearchcenter.org/.

Learn More

Transfer Services

Transfer Services offers the following degrees to students who plan to complete their freshman and sophomore years of college work at NOVA and then transfer to a four-year college or university to complete their junior and senior years of a bachelor’s degree: Associate of Arts (A.A.) and Associate of Science (A.S.).

Learn more about Transfer Services at https://www.nvcc.edu/transfer/.

Transfer Virginia

Transfer Virginia is an initiative to provide transparency and access throughout the college transfer process. Transfer Virginia presents consistent and current information from all the transfer partners as students research, plan, and organize their transfer journey.

Visit the Transfer Virginia website to learn more at: https://www.transfervirginia.org/ .

ADVANCE

ADVANCE is a partnership between Northern Virginia Community College and George Mason University that gives NOVA students targeted, personalized support to complete their bachelor’s degrees in a timely manner and save money.

Learn more about ADVANCE at: https://www.nvcc.edu/advance/

State and Federal Resources

NOVA is committed to helping students become effective agents for lifelong learning and personal development through informed planning and decision-making. NOVA’s Advising Services enhances student success by holistically supporting, teaching, and connecting students to college programs and resources that help students achieve their academic, career, or personal goals.

Learn more about Advising at: https://www.nvcc.edu/advising/

Citations

  1. Fink, John, D. Jenkins. 2017. How to Measure Community College Effectiveness in Serving Transfer Student. December 2017. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/publications/measure-community-college-effectiveness-transfer.html. Community College Research Center. Teachers College Columbia University.
  2. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. https://nscresearchcenter.org/. https://ccrc.tc.columbia.edu/media/k2/attachments/tackling-transfer-guide-convening-community-colleges-universities-improve-transfer-student-outcomes.pdf.
  3. The Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS). https://nces.ed.gov/ipeds/.
  4. Tracking Transfer. 2022. National Student Clearinghouse (NSC). https://nscresearchcenter.org/tracking-transfer/.
  5. NOVA Fact Book. https://www.nvcc.edu/osi/oir/fact-book/index.html.
  6. National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. https://nscresearchcenter.org/.
OFFICE OF STRATEGIC INSIGHTS

Xianmin Shi, Associate Vice President, Office of Strategic Insights

Lead Issue Author: Diana Bharucha, Ph.D.

Designer: John Shea