Reverse Transfers: One Step Back, Two Steps Forward

Leaving a four-year university to attend a community college seems counter-intuitive – maybe like a step backwards, if you’re a student who’s considering it. “Why would anyone do that?” is a question you’ll commonly hear when this type of transfer proposed. The reality is, it’s not unusual at all – in fact, there’s a special term for it, and plenty of research showing that it’s a fantastic idea for students unsure about their future plans.

“Reverse transfers,” as they’re known, have always been common, but now they’re one of the largest groups of community college students. Students transfer from four-year colleges to community colleges for many reasons. A lot of them do it for financial reasons, but others do it because they decided to change their major, weren’t sure what to major in, needed more time for social development, wanted to live back at home, decided to pursue a trade, etc. According to a news article I read recently, a full 60% of this semester’s new students at my local community college are reverse transfers, largely due to the economy. Nationwide, about a third of all community college students have previously attended four-year colleges. Many actually hold Bachelor’s degrees – or even higher – but want to pursue additional education or do a mid-life career change. At some colleges (like my local one), these students are quickly on their way to becoming a full majority of the student body.

Who are the students who should consider reverse transferring? For most, the decision is made once they get to college and realize they’re still not quite prepared for it. They might need some more time to brush up on their English and math skills and are finding that the tutoring opportunities at their four-year colleges are limited at best. Many other students find that, while they’re academically well-prepared for college, they’re not quite ready yet socially and need more time to ease into college life – and adulthood. Some want to work more closely with professors, something that’s hard to find at many universities. Others have medical issues, family obligations, a desire to keep working, or community ties that are hard to sever. Some find themselves approaching their junior year without a clear idea yet of what they want to major in, and they want to take some more general education courses in order to explore their options. And, of course, in this economy, there are the droves of students who simply can’t afford to pay several thousand dollars per course and would rather save up to $80,000 in tuition, room, and board costs by living back at home and only paying a few hundred per class. No matter which reason applies, these students all have very good reasons for reverse transferring, and odds are, they’ll come out of the experience better prepared to continue on towards their Bachelor’s.

Of course, not every student has a perfect reverse transfer experience. A good percentage do end up falling off track and never completing their Bachelor’s degree, particularly if they (and their advisers) do not adequately address any socioeconomic factors that may have been involved in their reverse transfer. And of course, that’s completely fine if you end up deciding that you don’t need a Bachelor’s and that your education from your community college will suffice for your intended career path. After all, if you really want to be a mechanic, an automotive Associate’s degree and certification is all you need. But if you do eventually plan to return to a four-year college, you need to stay on task. Don’t allow yourself to start to slack, especially due to distractions from being back at home. Stay in close contact with an adviser at your community college and work hard at transferring back out once you earn your Associate’s. As long as you keep that focus, you should be fine.

And what about that transfer back out, and all of the fears students have about having community college courses on their record? Speaking from an admissions viewpoint, I can assure you that community college can actually look really good for you, not bad. Colleges don’t want to admit students they fear will drop out or do badly in their courses. If a student recognizes they are at-risk early on and transfers to a community college to get back on track and better acclimate to college life and expectations, it speaks volumes about the student’s maturity. It also shows that the student isn’t a quitter – they recognize when they need to work on things, and they take steps to do so. Community college transfers frequently end up achieving higher average GPAs during their junior and senior years than other students, and they graduate at a slightly higher rate at most institutions, assuming they do go ahead with the Bachelor’s. The trick is, you have to stay focused. I can’t stress that enough. If you go to community college, slack off, and then transfer back out, you won’t get your Bachelor’s. But if you go to community college, work hard, and then transfer somewhere good, you’ll do quite well, and you’ll have a lot of savings to boot.

Additional Resources:

American Association of Community Colleges
Why Community College (College Board)
Obama’s Lessons for Transfer Students (U.S. News)