PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - Shi, Lena
TI  - Clearing Up Transfer Admissions Standards
AID  - 10.3368/jhr.0721-11774R2
DP  - 2023 Nov 07
TA  - Journal of Human Resources
PG  - 0721-11774R2
4099  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2023/11/01/jhr.0721-11774R2.short
4100  - http://jhr.uwpress.org/content/early/2023/11/01/jhr.0721-11774R2.full
AB  - 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.