Transfer enrollment rose 4.4% this year, according to the latest data from the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The total number of transfers has increased by 8% since 2020, indicating a steady rebound of the sharp decline seen during the pandemic. It is encouraging news for students seeking affordable, flexible pathways and institutions committed to expanding access and supporting completion.
However, it is less noticeable how much progress rural students are making. In the fall of 2023, students who moved to four-year institutions increased by 12.1%. This progress is even more impressive given the historic inadequacy of rural institutions and well-documented obstacles students face on the path to a four-year degree.
Many of the country’s small rural institutions still have the edge of transfer dialogue, partnerships and policy priorities. For example, in California, the community college with the lowest transfer rate is rural. From low-income students in Appalachia to Latino learners in the Rio Grande Valley, Texas, rural colleges are the lifeline for students facing barriers such as poverty, food and housing insecurity, and limited opportunities for transportation and technology. However, these institutions tend to lack the support, visibility and resources of a larger community college system. They usually still exclude the design and implementation of transfer plans.
Rural students bring great talents, motivation and potential to higher education. Many are the first people in their family to go to college. They often take root in the community and in many cases they try to use their education to give back and contribute to the local economy.
Transferring to a four-year institution can greatly increase the lifetime income of these learners, expand career paths, and help meet the growing demand for a highly skilled workforce. People with a bachelor’s degree average 35% higher per year than those with only an associate’s degree. The four-year degree opens the door to career development, civic participation and personal growth.
However, the challenges of the system put the challenges faced by rural community college students – from more limited course products and degree options to long-term travel times to campus to unreliable internet connections – have tailored support and intentional partnerships. When rural students start from something fundamentally different from many of their peers, a method that is both suitable for transfer is unusable.
For example, rural colleges may not have the ability to manage complex pronunciation protocols or provide students with statewide transfer programs. Their consultants may juggle many roles, serving as counselors, career coaches and a transfer contact. Meanwhile, students themselves may not be aware of the transfer opportunity and may deviate from the four-year campus, especially when these avenues require sacrifices they are unable to make.
The health of our higher education ecosystem and economics is determined by ensuring that all students, regardless of the postal code, can be easily moved between two- and four-year institutions. If efforts to improve transfers ignore rural universities, they may deepen existing educational inequality and miss much of our nation’s talent pool.
Organizations such as the Rural Community College Alliance radiates the necessary spotlight on how best to work with rural institutions across the country to improve transfer outcomes and better support rural students’ success. Advance begins with listening and taking time to understand the unique strengths and challenges of rural communities, rather than imposing external solutions.
The policy landscape will need to develop to support these efforts. This means increasing investment in rural higher education infrastructure, expanding funding for rural service agencies, and creating more flexible transfer frameworks that reflect the reality of rural learners, many of whom are working in adults, military members, parents, parents or all of the above. Federal, state and higher education leaders should view rural areas as a key perspective through which improved student outcomes can be viewed through class or race.
Transfer rates are rising, and more and more students are finding affordable ramps on bachelor’s degrees. But this progress is incomplete unless it reaches every corner of the country, including the small towns and rural communities where millions of students live. At the moment more and more students finally move forward, we are unable to leave these learners behind. When rural students succeed, our entire country benefits.
