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Factors Influencing College Transfer Pathway Success at McMaster University

This study delves into the impact of cultural, educational goals, costs, and socioeconomic backgrounds on college transfer students' progression and outcomes compared to direct entry students. It investigates factors such as age, gender, grades, and registration status affecting graduation rates.

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Factors Influencing College Transfer Pathway Success at McMaster University

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  1. A Longitudinal Analysis of the College Transfer Pathway at McMaster Karen Menard Ying Liu Jin Zhang Marzena Kielar Office of Institutional Research and Analysis, McMaster University Pathways in Higher Education Conference, Toronto, January 27, 2012

  2. College transfer students are disadvantaged in terms of degree attainment. The impacting factors are: • Cultural • Goal of education • Education cost • Social economic background Overview of the Literature

  3. Overview of the Literature • College transfer students are more likely to be non-traditional (older, part-time, commuter) • More likely to drop out than traditional students • Outside environmental factors play a more significant role than to traditional students

  4. Overview of the Literature • Further factors affecting college transfer students: • Challenges: academic standards, university size, location, and competition among students • Opportunities: faculty/staff advice, career counselling, transfer readiness, and graduation requirements

  5. What are the differences between college transfer and direct entry • What factors impact the progression of college transfer compared to direct entry • Longitudinal perspective: factors affecting college transfer students Research Focus

  6. Eight cohorts of undergraduate students entering directly from high school and college (2000 - 2007) • Each cohort followed from entrance to 2009/10 • Both time-invariant and time-variant variables are included Methodology

  7. Time variant variables • Time invariant variables • Average grade • Student loans • Student grants • Cohort year • Student source (college transfer vs. direct entry) • Age entering institution • Gender • Registration status (full-time vs. part-time) • Immigration status • Major of study • Home province • Marital status Potential Impacting Factors

  8. Demographic Distribution of Data

  9. Progression Status as of 2009

  10. Graduation by Term Distribution

  11. Direct Entry Probability of Persistence College Transfer

  12. (1) • 2000 to 2006 cohort (followed for at least 4 years) • 1612 from college, 28680 direct from high school • Multinomial logistic regression model • Dependent variable: student outcome with three nominal categorical levels: graduation, dropout, and persistence (reference level) • Tested various models • Model: further control gender, admission average, and financial support What are the differences between college transfer vs. direct entry

  13. Students with any of following features are more likely to graduate: • Younger students • Female • Full-time • From Ontario • Receiving higher amount of loan • Higher session average grade • College transfer • Model global test: Χ2 (LR)=14331,df=52, p<0.0001, Pseudo R2 =34.3% Results

  14. 1903 from college (2000 to 2007 cohorts) • Time variant discrete proportion hazard models • Events: graduation and dropout, persistence as right censoring • Dependent variable: number of registered terms • Independent variables: all 12 variables including time variant ones Major factors affecting college transfer students over time

  15. Time invariant variables • Time variant variables • Cohort year • Student source (college transfer vs. direct entry) • Age entering institution • Gender • Registration status (full-time vs. part-time) • Immigration status • Major of study • Home province • Marital status • Average grade • Student loans • Student grants

  16. Results • College transfer students are more likely to drop out if they have the following features: • Older • Part-time • Low session average grade • Majored in specific areas • When separating full-time and part-time, age does not affect part-time dropout • Model global test: Χ2 (LR)=718,df=25, p<0.0001, Pseudo R2 =7.9%

  17. More college transfer students were part-time and they were older on average • Overall graduation rate of college transfer students was lower and dropout rate was higher than direct entry students Summary of Findings

  18. However • A young college transfer student who enrolls in full-time status is as likely to graduate as a direct entry student • Further control other variables, college transfer students are more likely to graduate than direct entry students • College transfer students with lower grades are less likely to graduate

  19. Academic performance is nevertheless a very important impacting factor • Age and registration status causes the retention issues through many mediating factors • Ensure the appropriate institutional supports (student services, academic, etc) for university • Policies need to support program transfers and collaborative programs Implications

  20. A Modeling Degree Attainment of College Transfer Students at a Four-year Canadian Institution Abstract is available upon request • Email: avpira@mcmaster.ca Thank You

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