Resource Library

This report provides information and data guides to transfer partners that are interested in developing data-sharing routines in service of their larger transfer student success and equity strategies. It was published through the Tackling Transfer project, a partnership between the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, HCM Strategists and Sova, with co-funding support from Ascendium.

This tool, developed through the Tackling Transfer initiative, provides data to college leaders as they assess the feasibility and impact of increasing transfer student enrollment from specific community colleges. It’s just one resource created from the co-funded initiative, which is a partnership between the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, HCM Strategists and Sova.

This guide provides an overview of core elements of short-term improvement cycles that aim to accelerate problem-solving for transfer student success. It was created as part of the Tackling Transfer project, a partnership between Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, HCM Strategists and Sova, with co-funding support from Ascendium.

This research brief is one of several co-funded by Ascendium and produced through the Tackling Transfer initiative, a partnership between the Aspen Insitute’s College Excellence Program, HCM Strategists and Sova. It outlines the elements of a transfer-receptive campus culture and clarifies ways that transfer student success and the faculty values of collegiality, fairness and academic excellence can align. Research is based on analysis of support strategies for transfer students at The Ohio State University’s Columbus campus.

This report is one of several funded in part by Ascendium and produced through the Tackling Transfer initiative, a partnership between the Aspen Institute, HCM Strategists and Sova. It highlights the unique needs of rural transfer students and profiles three emerging practices that community colleges can use to support rural students through different transfer pathways to earning a bachelor’s degree.

This report is one of several funded in part by Ascendium and produced through the Aspen Institute’s Tackling Transfer initiative. It shines a light on Metropolitan State University for prioritizing transfer student success as part of their core business and mission. This report aims to provide a valuable set of lessons for postsecondary education institutions everywhere to prioritize transfer student success, create clear program pathways and provide tailored advising for transfer students.

This report is one of several funded in part by Ascendium and produced through the Tackling Transfer initiative, a partnership between the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program, HCM Strategists and Sova. It shares lessons and reflections from higher education system leaders in Minnesota, Texas and Virginia from their work to improve transfer student success and close equity gaps as part of the national Tackling Transfer project. Through sharing transfer data and setting goal benchmarks, these leaders hope to inspire and inform other state-level efforts to set and monitor transfer student goals.

With funding support from Ascendium, The Graduate! Network has continued to expand their predictive analytics model to better understand the patterns and various impacts that influence a returning adult learner’s progression to a credential. This report explores three challenges along their postsecondary education odyssey: affording a college degree, navigating mid-journey changes and persevering as a returning student.

The Tennessee Board of Regents (TBR) – The College System of Tennessee recently released Coursetaking and Success for Returning Adult Students at Community Colleges. This is the third in a series of working papers that are part of TBR’s Pathways to Success for Students with Some College, No Degree initiative developed with support from Ascendium. This report addresses which courses reconnecting adults take, course success rates for reconnectors in their first term back and how course success impacts reconnectors' persistence and graduation.

The Tackling Transfer Policy Advisory Board has partnered with HCM Strategists, Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program and Sova Solutions to develop policy recommendations. These recommendations span three interrelated areas: harnessing data for transformational change, maximizing credit applicability and recognition of learning and advancing strategic finance and impactful student aid. Ascendium supports the Aspen Institute's transfer efforts through our focus area to streamline key learner transitions.

The Aspen Institute College Excellence Program, HCM Strategist and Sova Solutions are promoting transfer policy reform through the identification and assessment of 16 transfer-specific state or systemwide policy elements that research has shown to affect student outcomes. Ascendium supports the Aspen Institute's transfer efforts through our focus area to streamline key learner transitions.

The Tennessee Board of Regents - The College System of Tennessee, supported by Ascendium, launched Pathways to Success for Students with Some College, No Degree, a TBR project focused on paving the path to success for returning adult students at the state’s community and technical colleges. This working paper presents evidence that flexibility in course scheduling, locations and modality results in increased course success rates for returning adult students.