Clearinghouse Report: Pandemic Hits Black, Hispanic Transfer Students Harder

The COVID-19 pandemic caused student transfers to drop sharply this fall, the largest drop being for Black and Hispanic students, according to the COVID-19 Transfer, Mobility, and Progress Fall 2020 Final Report released by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

The report, the second in a series, showed fall transfer student enrollment fell 8.1% over last year, more than triple the decline of non-transfer student enrollments. Two-year schools saw double-digit declines in transfer enrollment across the board, with Black and Hispanic students impacted more than others. Four-year institutions saw relatively smaller declines.

“Transfer is an important part of student success, enabling access to bachelor’s degrees for community college students, and critical opportunities for course-correction by students whose goals have changed or who need a stronger institutional fit,” said Doug Shapiro, executive director of the National Student Clearinghouse, in a news release. “As the pandemic continues to constrain these avenues of institutional choice, students will face ever larger barriers to educational attainment, promising careers and socioeconomic mobility.”

Ascendium invests in research and projects that ease transitions for learners moving between or returning to postsecondary institutions. We co-funded this report series with ECMC Foundation to support data-driven decision-making by postsecondary education providers so they can better serve students, particularly those from low-income backgrounds, through the pandemic and beyond.