Clearing Up Transfer Admissions Standards

Abstract

Students’ college choices can affect their chances of earning a degree, but many lack the support to navigate the opaque college application and admissions process. This paper evaluates whether guaranteeing admissions to four-year colleges based on transparent academic standards affected transfer enrollment choices and graduation rates. Guaranteed admissions increased high-GPA community college graduates’ transfer rates to highly selective colleges by 30 percent. Graduation rates from highly selective colleges increased and student debt decreased. Gains were largest for students with historically lower transfer rates. Transparent college admissions standards can increase access to selective colleges at low to no cost.