You're probably looking for community college transfer rates for one of two reasons.
Either, you want to find out which community college have the best transfer rates for students transferring to university or you're looking for community college transfer rates for admission statistics to get into a certain university.
In both cases, community college transfer rates will mislead you.
Some students may see a 10% community college transfer rate and get scared while others may see a 10% and think it’s easy.
It really doesn’t tell you much unless you’re choosing community colleges and comparing one community college versus another. Even then, there are so many variables that would make the comparison hardly significant at all. To learn more, read the post Choosing a Community College for You
Or perhaps, you can ask a more relevant question...
Do the majority of community college transfer students get accepted to a university?
Community colleges are unlike other institutions of higher learning in that their main goal is not to see students graduate with a degree.
Although many 2 year community college programs urge students to take the couple of extra courses generally required for an associate's degree, and many offer certification programs, their main purpose is to prepare students for transfer to a 4-year college or university by providing them with the general education courses that other students receive during their freshman and sophomore years in college.
This gives many students, that otherwise could not afford to attend a 4-year school, the opportunity to save money, earn community college transfer scholarships, and obtain a higher level of education.
It also helps high school students that received poor grades or SAT scores to improve their chances of getting into a school of choice (by working hard to obtain a high GPA in community college or retaking the SAT in college).
But do the majority of students at this level actually end up transferring to universities?
As noted before, statistically, this is a difficult question to answer because it depends on several factors.
For example, community college transfer rates vary from one school to the next.
And even then, you must consider that not all students are interested in transferring. They may be happy with an associate's degree, or they could be interested in moving on to technical or online schools rather than traditional universities.
Perhaps they are taking certification or trade courses offered by the community college, pursuing an entirely different type of education than the prescribed course for a baccalaureate degree.
So the real question is not whether the majority of community college students transfer to universities, but whether the majority of students that wish to transfer are able to do so.
Again, this is largely dependent on the school in question.
If you're concerned about getting the level of education that will allow you to transfer, you need only seek out an accredited community college and then speak to a counselor or someone in the administration office to make sure that they have guidelines for coursework in place that will ensure eligibility for transfer upon completion.
But perhaps you're not so much worried about taking the right courses to transfer as you are about getting the support you need to complete the program.
This is a valid concern for many who attend community colleges.
Just like 4-year universities, some are bound to be better than others, offering more support services and more opportunities to succeed.
To find out if a specific school meets your needs you will probably have to ask.
Suppose, for example, that you have some kind of learning disability or disorder (dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, or even anxiety); it's in your best interest to seek out a school that provides support services like extended test times, tutoring, and note-takers, just to name a few.
Or what if you are an ESL student or you are dealing with social and economic issues like being part of a minority group or a low-income family.
All of these can make attending college much more difficult and impact your chances for successfully finishing a program and transferring. It doesn't take a health administration online degree to know that socioeconomic and psychological issues can derail students just as easily as rising tuition costs.
What If You Want To Transfer To Ivy League?
Once again, a community college transfer rate is going to help you.
However, having a plan to become a top student at community college and transfer from community college to Ivy League will get you going in the right direction.
We have a whole category on Community College To Ivy League.
This way, whatever the community college transfer rates actually are, you can get into the university you desire.
Also, be sure to check out our community college transfer guide.
Don't Let Community College Transfer Rates Throw You Off - Be Prepared!
So if you want the best chance to transfer, look for accredited schools with good transfer rates; but don't forget to seek out community college resources support succeed in transferring.
It doesn't matter if most community college students transfer so long as you do.
