ACADEMIC PERFORMANCE OF COMMUNITY COLLEGE TRANSFER STUDENTS AT PRIVATE LIBERAL ARTS COLLEGES

There is a plethora of studies concerning the academic performance of students after they transfer from 2‐year to 4‐year colleges or universities. These studies, however, have predominately included transfers to public colleges and universities. Researchers have not included the private liberal arts college in such investigations. With the continued increases in community college enrollment, a number of private liberal arts colleges are interested in exploring the viability of this market as a means to increase or stabilize enrollment. This study examined the grade point average declines (transfer shock) experienced by community college transfer students at 2 private liberal arts colleges. The sample included 216 students who transferred from a community college to either Benedictine College (Kansas) or Saint Vincent College (Pennsylvania) over a 9‐semester time period. Results indicate that the transfer shock experienced at these private liberal arts colleges was at the lower end of magnitude in comparison to studies that have used samples of public college and university transfer students.