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ERIC Number: ED640245
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 180
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: 979-8-3807-1283-5
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Available Date: N/A
The Impact of Co-Admissions Agreements on Two-Year to Four-Year Transfer Student Success: A Difference-In-Differences Study
Renee Wetli Barger
ProQuest LLC, Ph.D. Dissertation, North Carolina State University
For students that enroll in community colleges with the aspiration to transfer to a 4-year institution and earn a bachelor's degree, navigating the complexities of the transfer process can stymie their ability to achieve their educational goals. One solution implemented by community colleges and universities to support transfer students through the transfer process is the adoption of co-admissions agreements. Co-admissions agreements are partnerships between community colleges and universities that guarantee admission to the university for community college students that meet certain requirements, such as earning an associate's degree and a minimum GPA at the community college. Co-admissions agreements typically also offer participating students access to university advisors and campus resources prior to transferring. Co-admissions agreements are an increasingly popular solution to support transfer students; in North Carolina, the focus of this study, 20% of the community college and university pairs in the state have a co-admissions agreement. The majority of these agreements were signed in the last six years. Despite their popularity, the impact of co-admissions agreements on transfer student outcomes has not been extensively examined, particularly their effect on the number of students that transfer between the institutions. This study aimed to close that gap in the literature by focusing on transfer student volume as an outcome of co-admissions agreements. Using data from the University North Carolina System Office on students who transferred between academic years 2010-2011 and 2020-2021, I used a quasi-experimental difference-in-differences approach to isolate the impact of co-admissions agreements on the number of students that transfer between the institutions with an agreement. I identified community college and university pairs, or transfer pathways, that signed a co-admissions agreement during the time period of my study as the treatment group. Community college to university transfer pathways that did not implement an agreement served as the control group. I used a two-way fixed effects variation of difference-in-differences to allow for variation in the timing of my treatment and included inverse-propensity weights based on the likelihood of receiving treatment to balance my treatment and control groups. In addition to examining the overall number of transfer students as an outcome, I also examined the number of students that transferred who were American Indian, Black, or Hispanic/Latinx, Pell recipients, or adult learners. This allowed me to determine if co-admissions agreements have a differential impact on students traditionally underserved in the transfer process. I also examined the number of students that transferred with an associate's degree as an outcome, as many of the co-admissions agreements in North Carolina require participants to earn an associate's degree prior to transferring. Overall, my findings indicate that co-admissions agreements did not impact the number of students that transfer along pathways with an agreement. They also did not impact the number of students who transferred from any of my demographic sub-groups. However, transfer pathways with a co-admissions agreement did see an increase in the number of students transferring after first earning an associate's degree. This result suggests that while co-admissions agreements may not induce more students to transfer, they could be influencing more transfer students to earn an associate's degree before they transition to a university. These findings could have important implications for community college or university practitioners considering entering into a co-admissions agreement and policymakers interested in smoothing the transfer process and increasing educational attainment in their state. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]
ProQuest LLC. 789 East Eisenhower Parkway, P.O. Box 1346, Ann Arbor, MI 48106. Tel: 800-521-0600; Web site: http://www.proquest.com.bibliotheek.ehb.be/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml
Publication Type: Dissertations/Theses - Doctoral Dissertations
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: North Carolina
Identifiers - Laws, Policies, & Programs: Pell Grant Program
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A