Table of Contents
Experiences Transferring
Nearly four in ten respondents (39 percent) have tried to transfer credits toward earning higher education credentials. Among those, most tried to transfer credits toward earning a bachelor’s degree and nearly half have done so within the past five years.
- Thirty-nine percent of respondents have tried to transfer some type of credit toward earning an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or certificate.
- Credits from community colleges, bachelor’s degree programs, college courses taken in high school, and work experience are the types of credit that respondents have most commonly tried to transfer; see Figure 1.
- Among those who have tried to transfer, most (56 percent) tried to transfer credits toward earning a bachelor’s degree. Twenty-five percent tried to transfer credits toward an associate degree, 20 percent tried to transfer credits toward a certificate, and 12 percent say they tried to transfer credits toward some other type of degree or credential; see Figure 2.
- More white respondents and Asian respondents than Latino respondents and Black respondents try to transfer credits to a bachelor’s degree; see Figure 2.
- Among respondents who have tried to transfer, nearly half (47 percent) tried to transfer credits within the past five years, 15 percent tried to transfer credits in the past five to 10 years, and 34 percent tried to transfer credits more than 10 years ago; see Figure 3.
- More Latino respondents (58 percent) and Black respondents (57 percent) than white respondents (43 percent) and Asian respondents (44 percent) tried to transfer credits in the past five years; see Figure 3.
One-quarter of respondents who have tried to transfer credits say they were able to transfer only a few or none of the credits they earned and 37 percent found the process of trying to transfer credits to be difficult. More white than Black or Latino respondents say they transferred all or most of their credits and more say the process of transferring credits was easy.
- Twenty-four percent of respondents who have tried to transfer credits say the institution accepted only a few or none of the credits they tried to transfer toward an associate degree, bachelor’s degree, or certificate; see Figure 4.
- More white respondents (76 percent) than Black respondents (66 percent) and Latino respondents (64 percent) say the institution accepted all or most of the credits they tried to transfer. Asian respondents fell in the middle; see Figure 4.
- Thirty-six percent of respondents who have tried to transfer credits say in general they found the process of trying to transfer credits to be difficult; see Figure 5.
- As discussed in the next section, 54 percent of respondents who have tried to transfer credits believe that it is a problem that transferring is a difficult process. More, 65 percent, say it is a problem that students lose college credits when trying to transfer.
- More white respondents (65 percent) than Black respondents (54 percent) and Latino respondents (53 percent) say the process of transferring credits was easy. Again, Asian respondents fell in the middle (55 percent); see Figure 5.
The most often cited reason credits were unable to transfer is because the college being transferred to did not accept or recognize the credits, work experience, or prior learning.
- Thirty percent of respondents who transferred most, a few, or no credits say they were unable to do so because the college they tried to transfer credits to did not accept their credits; see Figure 6.
- Fewer were unable to transfer credit because they switched majors so their credits were no longer applicable or because the college they were transferring to did not recognize their work experience or prior learning.
Most respondents who have tried to transfer credits report negative experiences, including one in five who had to repeat classes they had already taken.
- Sixty-five percent of respondents who tried to transfer credit reported at least one negative experience or outcome of their transfer attempt. Only 35 percent reported no negative experiences or outcomes; see Figure 7.
- Twenty-six percent of respondents who tried to transfer took a course specifically because they believed the credits would transfer but found that the credits ultimately were not accepted and 20 percent had to repeat a college class they already took because their credits did not transfer.
- Fewer say they lost financial aid because their credits did not transfer.
- More Latino respondents who tried to transfer report negative experiences and outcomes compared to their Asian, Black, and white peers; see Figure 7.
However, more say the process of transferring credits made them feel positive. Fewer say they experienced negative emotions when attempting to transfer credits.
- Forty-nine percent of respondents who have tried to transfer credits reported feeling negative emotions about the process. However, 60 percent reported positive feelings.
- The most commonly cited positive feelings are satisfaction and gratefulness, while the most commonly cited negative feelings are frustration and overwhelm; see Figure 8.
- Fewer Latino respondents than Black respondents and white respondents who have tried to transfer cited various positive feelings about the transfer process. For example, more Black respondents and white respondents than Latino respondents who have tried to transfer say the process of transferring made them feel satisfied; see Figure 8.
Problems with Transfer and Policies to Improve It
More respondents believe it is a problem that students lose credits when trying to transfer than see it is a problem that the transfer process itself is difficult.
- When asked about the seriousness of nine higher education problems, respondents ranked transfer-related problems among the bottom four. More respondents say the high cost of tuition and other college expenses, high student loan debt, and a college degree not guaranteeing a good job are problems.
- Six in ten respondents believe students losing college credits when they try to transfer is a problem. A relatively smaller share of respondents believe it is a problem that it is too difficult to transfer credit toward a college degree or certificate; see Figure 9.
- Of all nine higher education problems that this survey asked about, the two transfer items attracted larger “not sure” responses than any of the other items.
More respondents with higher education experience and who have tried to transfer credits say it is too difficult to transfer credits than respondents without higher education experience or have higher education experience but never tried to transfer.
- More respondents with higher education experience and who have tried to transfer credits say students losing college credits when they try to transfer is a problem, than respondents without higher education experience; see Figure 9.
While few respondents fault students themselves for being unable to transfer credits, there is no consensus about whether sending or receiving institutions are most likely at fault.
Half of the survey respondents were asked “When students who have credits are unable to transfer most of them to a college or university, who is most likely at fault?”*
- In response, 34 percent say the college or university that the students are trying to transfer their credits to is most likely at fault. Twenty-four percent say the place the students earned their credits from is most likely at fault; see Figure 10.
- In a separate question, 53 percent of respondents agree that colleges, universities, and community colleges are confusing and disorganized, 32 percent disagree, and the rest are not sure.
More respondents with higher education experience and who have tried to transfer credits than those without higher education experience or those with higher education experience but never tried to transfer, say the colleges or universities that the students are trying to transfer their credits to are most likely at fault, while fewer say they don’t know who is at fault; see Figure 10.
- More respondents with higher education experience and who have tried to transfer credits (61 percent) than respondents without higher education experience (45 percent), or those with higher education experience but never tried to transfer (50 percent), agree that colleges, universities, and community colleges are confusing and disorganized.
*The other half of survey respondents were asked, “When a college or university does not accept most of the credits that students are trying to transfer, who is most likely at fault?” and were provided with the same response options as in the question above. Results for the two questions are similar, suggesting that beliefs about who is at fault for unsuccessful transfer attempts are not affected by how questions are framed.
Far more respondents believe that sending and receiving institutions should be primarily responsible for making credit transfer easier than believe that students should have to figure out credit transfer for themselves.
- When asked which two entities should be primarily responsible for making it easier for students to transfer credits toward earning a degree or certificate, 42 percent of respondents say the colleges that students are transferring to should be responsible and 42 percent say that the institutions that students earn their credits from should be responsible; see Figure 11.
- Nearly one-third of respondents believe accreditors should be primarily responsible and fewer believe that either government or students themselves should be primarily responsible.
- Respondents do not differ by race/ethnicity in which entities they believe should be primarily responsible for making transfer easier.
- Respondents do not differ by political affiliation in which entities they believe should be primarily responsible for making transfer easier.
Across all political identities, there is broad support for a variety of policies intended to make it easier for students to transfer credits.
- Policies and practices for making transfer easier have large majority support among respondents. Support is especially strong for requiring that students have free and easy access to their transcripts, credentials, and degrees; requiring institutions to create public databases with transfer information; and requiring that prospective transfer students are quickly told how many credits will be accepted; see Figure 12.
- Although about two-thirds of respondents support holding college presidents accountable for how many credits students are able to transfer, this idea received the least support of the nine policies and practices that the survey asked about.
- There are only minor differences by race/ethnicity in the strength of support for these policies and practices.
- Majorities of Democratic, Republican, and Independent respondents support each of the ideas provided.** However, in general, slightly fewer Independent than Democratic and Republican respondents support any of the given items and more are not sure how much they support or oppose any of the given policies; see Figure 12.
**Respondents’ political identity was determined using a two-part question. The first question asked if they consider themselves a Democrat, Republican, an Independent, or none of these. Respondents who indicated neither Democrat nor Republican are then asked a second time if they think of themselves as closer to the Democratic or Republican party. Again, those who indicated neither Democratic party nor Republican party are then labeled as Independents. Political identity was neither imputed nor used in the weighting procedure.
Most respondents believe starting at a community college is a cost-efficient way to earn a bachelor’s degree and most agree that students learn just as much in classes at community college as four-year colleges.
- Seventy percent of respondents agree that to save money, people who want to earn a bachelor’s degree should start at a community college and then transfer their credits.
- Seventy-two percent agree that students learn just as much in classes at community colleges as they do in classes at four-year colleges and universities.
- While fewer Independent respondents than Democratic respondents and Republican respondents agree students learn just as much in classes at community colleges or agree that starting at a community college is cost-efficient, more don’t know whether they agree or disagree with these statements.
- Most respondents agree that community colleges and four-year colleges and universities should accept transfer credits from other higher education institutions, military, and work experiences; see Figure 13.
- Again, fewer Independent respondents than Democratic and Republican respondents agree that community and four-year colleges and universities should accept credits from other experiences, while more say they don’t know if they agree or disagree.
Half of the respondents think if a college or university has a track record of not accepting most credits that students try to transfer, the institution should be required to make a plan to improve. Few support doing nothing to hold colleges accountable for their credit transfer rates.
- Fifty percent of respondents say if a college, university, or community college has a track record of not accepting most of the credits that students try to transfer, it should be required to make a plan to improve its transfer rate; see Figure 14.
- Fewer support punishing a college or university by reducing government funding, requiring additional government oversight, or losing accreditation.
- Only 12 percent of respondents think nothing should happen.
- To improve transfer rates, more Asian respondents (21 percent), Black respondents (26 percent), and Latino respondents (25 percent) than white respondents (15 percent) support providing colleges and universities with more government funding.
- To improve transfer rates, more Democratic respondents than Independent or Republican respondents support providing colleges or universities with more funding, providing additional government oversight, and requiring colleges and universities to make a plan to improve. More Independent than Democratic and Republican respondents believe nothing should happen; see Figure 14.
Perspectives on the Benefits and Costs of Higher Education and the Motivations of Higher Education Institutions
Nearly eight in ten respondents who have earned a degree say it was worth it. About as many current students believe their degree will be worth it. But respondents who have some college experience, no degree, and are not enrolled are less confident about the value of attending college.
- Among respondents who have earned either an associate or bachelor’s degree, 78 percent say it was well worth it, 14 percent say it wasn’t really worth it, and 8 percent say it remains to be seen.
- More respondents who earned a bachelor’s degree (80 percent) than an associate degree (70 percent) say it was well worth it.
- Among respondents who earned either an associate or bachelor’s degree, slightly more who tried to transfer credits (81 percent) than those who have never tried to transfer credits (74 percent) say it was well worth it.
- Among respondents who are currently enrolled in any higher education institution, including a certificate program, community college, four-year college or university, master’s, doctoral, medical, law, or other graduate program, 74 percent believe that attending the college they are enrolled in is well worth it. Only 8 percent say it isn’t worth it, and 17 percent say it remains to be seen.
- Only 39 percent of respondents who have some college experience but no degree and are not currently enrolled say attending college was well worth it, while 37 percent of them say attending college wasn’t worth it, and 24 percent say it remains to be seen.
Among respondents who are currently enrolled, more of those who have transferred credits than those who have not say it is easy to afford college. However, among graduates, similar percentages of transferrers and non-transferrers say it was easy to afford their degree.
Nearly half of respondents with college experience say it is or was difficult for them to afford college, including:
- Fifty-seven percent of respondents who are current students say it is difficult for them to afford college, with 27 percent saying it is very difficult.
- However, respondents who are current students say transferring credits may reduce the burden of cost. Of these respondents, fewer current students who have tried to transfer credits (54 percent) say that it is difficult to afford college, compared to current students who have not tried to transfer credits (72 percent).
More current Latino student respondents (62 percent) and Asian student respondents (60 percent) compared to Black student respondents (51 percent) say it is difficult to afford college. White student respondents fall in the middle (56 percent).
- Forty-six percent of respondents who have an associate or bachelor’s degree say it was difficult to afford their degree.
- Among those who have a degree, there is no difference in responses between those who have tried to transfer credit and those who have not in how difficult it was to afford college.
- More Latino respondents (55 percent) with an associate or bachelor’s degree than white respondents (43 percent) with a degree say it was difficult to afford. Black respondents (46 percent) and Asian respondents (53 percent) fall in the middle.
- 68 percent of respondents who have some college experience, but no degree and are not currently enrolled found it difficult to afford college.
Most respondents believe a college education can lead to a better living, but most also think too many people are pushed to attend college. Many say that it is a problem that a degree does not guarantee a good job and many also say it is a problem that some employers demand degrees for jobs that don’t require them.
- Eight-five percent of respondents believe that most people with a high school diploma would make a better living if they got a college education.
- More Asian respondents (75 percent) than white respondents (59 percent), Black respondents (58 percent) and Latino respondents (58 percent) agree that most people with a high school diploma would make a better living if they got a college education.
- More Democratic respondents (68 percent) than Independent respondents (49 percent) and Republican respondents (56 percent) agree that most people with a high school diploma would make a better living if they got a college education.
- However, 65 percent of respondents believe that too many high school students are pushed to attend college.
More Asian respondents (70 percent) and white respondents (67 percent) than Black respondents (60 percent) or Latino respondents (59 percent) agree that too many students are pushed to attend college.
- Seventy-three percent of respondents believe it is a problem that getting a college degree does not guarantee a good job, including 37 percent who think it is a serious problem.
- More Asian respondents (82 percent) and white respondents (75 percent) than Latino respondents (65 percent) believe this is a problem. Black respondents fall in the middle (70 percent).
- More Democratic (77 percent) than Independent (67 percent) or Republican (71 percent) respondents believe this is a problem.
- Sixty-five percent of respondents believe it is a problem that employers demand college degrees for jobs that don’t really require them, including 31 percent who think it is a serious problem.
Over two-thirds of respondents agree that higher education institutions care more about making money than about educating students.
- Sixty-nine percent of respondents agree that universities and community colleges care more about making money than about educating students, including 31 percent who strongly agree; see Figure 15.
- This sentiment is more prevalent among those who have higher education experience.
- More Asian respondents than Black respondents agree that universities and community colleges care about making money than about educating students.
More Republican than Independent respondents agree higher education institutions care more about making money. Democratic respondents fall in the middle.
Problems in Higher Education and Obstacles to Earning a Degree
About eight in ten respondents say the cost of college is an obstacle to obtaining a degree, but fewer see cuts in state funding as a problem.
- Eighty-four percent of respondents agree that the cost of college deters many people from attending.
- In a separate question, when asked about the seriousness of higher education problems, about three quarters of respondents say high cost of tuition and other college expenses and high student loan debt are problems, making them the most cited problems; see Figure 16.
- Sixty-six percent say cuts in state funding of colleges, universities and community colleges is a problem.
- Slightly fewer respondents say colleges and universities not providing flexible schedules or that it takes too many years to complete a degree are problems.
More Asian respondents (91 percent) and white respondents (86 percent) than Black respondents (79 percent) and Latino respondents (73 percent) agree that the cost of college deters many people from attending.
- More Asian respondents (86 percent) and white respondents (83 percent) than Black respondents (75 percent) and Latino respondents (69 percent) say the high cost of tuition and other college expenses is a problem.
- More Asian respondents (83 percent) and white respondents (76 percent) than Black respondents (69 percent) and Latino respondents (69 percent) say high student loan debt is a problem.
- Fewer Black respondents (67 percent), Latino respondents (64 percent), and white respondents (62 percent) than Asian respondents (75 percent) say cuts in state funding is a problem.
Similar percentages of Democratic and Republican respondents (85 percent) agree that the cost of college deters many people from attending. Only 76 percent of Independent respondents agree.
- About 70-80 percent of Democratic, Independent, and Republican respondents say the high cost of tuition and other college expenses and high student loans is a problem.
- However, more Democratic respondents (71 percent) than Independent respondents (61 percent) and Republican respondents (56 percent) believe cuts in state funding of colleges, universities, and community colleges is a problem.
About half of respondents say racial discrimination makes obtaining a degree more difficult for people of color.
- Forty-seven percent of respondents believe that racial discrimination makes it more difficult for people of color to get a college education in America.
- More Black respondents (67 percent), Latino respondents (53 percent), and Asian respondents (58 percent) than white respondents (40 percent) agree that racial discrimination makes it more difficult for people of color to get a college education.
- More Democratic respondents (63 percent) than Republican respondents (32 percent) and Independent respondents (40 percent) believe racial discrimination is a barrier for people of color to get a college education.
Nearly seven in ten respondents who do not have a degree would like to earn one, but they feel that they face obstacles. Almost half of them say they feel bad about themselves because they do not have a degree.
- Among respondents who do not have a higher education degree, 67 percent say they would like to earn a degree but either they don’t know where to start, they don’t have time to fit it into their busy life, or they worry they cannot afford it; see Figure 17.
- More Asian respondents (69 percent) and Latino respondents (65 percent) without a degree than their Black (51 percent) and white (52 percent) peers worry they cannot afford it. More Asian respondents (49 percent) and Latino respondents (49 percent) without a degree than their Black (37 percent) and white (36 percent) peers say they don’t know how to start; see Figure 17.
- Nearly half of respondents without degrees say not earning a degree impacts their self-esteem or their careers; see Figure 18.
- Specifically, 48 percent say sometimes they feel bad about themselves because they do not have a college degree and 42 percent say there are people working in the same position as them who get paid more just because they have a college degree.
- While there is no difference between political identity in the perception of how not having a degree impacts their career and earnings among respondents, more Democratic respondents without a degree (57 percent) than Republican respondents (45 percent) and Independent respondents(37 percent) say they sometimes feel bad about themselves because they do not have a college degree.
