Transferring between institutions can be complicated, so college websites play a crucial role in giving students the information they need to confidently navigate the transition. But what online resources and supports do transfer students need most? That’s what mStoner and the National Institute for the Study of Transfer Students set out to discover during a year-long research project.
The result was a comprehensive transfer website strategy guide that details best practices and tools for creating and maintaining a transfer-friendly site that addresses students’ top concerns and paves the way for a smooth transition. While the guide provides you with everything you can do to create a top-notch transfer student site, this post will outline the top five mistakes to watch out for when creating a transfer student’s digital experience.
1. Thinking that the “transfer process” is an admissions process.
The admissions process isn’t a bad place to start when thinking about transfer students, but it’s important to note how these transfer students get to your institution. They do this through a variety of pathways:
- Vertical transfer. Students begin at a two-year institution and transfer to a four-year institution without an associates degree.
- Lateral transfer. Students transfer from one two-year institution to another two-year institution or a four-year institution to another four-year institution.
- Reverse transfer. Students begin at a four-year and transfer to a two-year institution, including undergraduate reverse transfer students, post-baccalaureate reverse transfer students, and double reverse transfer students.
- Reverse credit transfer. Students transferring credits from a four-year institution back to a two-year institution for the purpose of conferring an associate’s degree.
- Swirling and alternating. Students who attend and transfer courses between more than two institutions.
- Concurrent enrollment. Students are enrolled at more than one institution at a time.
The reality is, the transfer student lifecycle differs from the admissions lifecycle in that it looks more like this:
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