Undergraduates
A total of 29,690 former MCCCD students were enrolled in Arizona public universities as undergraduates in academic year 2010-11, which represented a 6% increase from 2009-10. NAU’s share of enrollment of former MCCCD students increased by 1.6% from 2009-10, while UA’s share of enrollment rose by .7%. ASU’s share declined by 2.3%, but represented the large majority of students transferring to Arizona Public Universities from MCCCD.
Undergraduate Transfer Student Profile
Demographic information about the 29,690 MCCCD transfer students who attended an Arizona public university in 2010-11 includes the following:
• 54% of the transfer students were female.
• 61% had transferred at least 32 credits.
• 24% had earned an associate’s degree from MCCCD.
• 31% identified themselves as members of minority racial/ethnic groups. A breakdown of race/ethnicity is shown below:
transferuniversity
Transfer Trends and Outcomes
September 2012 Briefing Paper #5Division of Academic & Student Affairs
Background
Preparing students for university transfer is one of the ongoing priorities of the Maricopa County Community College District (MCCCD). This is evident in the goals and practices over the course of nearly a century of serving students and is reflected in the district’s newly adopted Governing Board Outcomes. Preparation for transfer to a four-year college or university is a primary reason many students enroll at the MCCCD colleges. In fall 2011 (45th day), more than 40% of students district-wide indicated they intend to transfer to a baccalaureate degree granting college or university; this includes nearly 60,000 students.
Part I of this paper provides an analysis of students from the Maricopa Community Colleges who transferred to the Arizona public universities: Arizona State University (ASU), Northern Arizona University (NAU), and the University of Arizona (UA). Data for this section were obtained from the MCCCD Office of Institutional Effectiveness and the Arizona State System for Information on Student Transfer (ASSIST).
Part II focuses on student transfer from MCCCD to private and out-of-state universities that have formal articulation agreements with Maricopa. Data were collected directly from these institutions.
ASU
Undergraduate Transfer Student Pro�le
Undergraduates at Arizona Public Universitieswith 12+ MCCCD Credits on 2010-2011
Colo
rs P
alle
tte
NAU
UA
22,531 (76%)
4,200 (14%)
2,959 (10%)
6%
5%
17%
66%
3% 3%
UA
Percentage of New Transfers fromMCCCD by Arizona Public University
*Total greater than 100% due to rounding
NAU
ASU
2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2011*
Hispanic, 17%
White / Non-Hispanic, 66%
Unknown / Other, 3%
American Indian / Alaska Native, 3%
Asian / Paci�c Islander, 6%
Black, Non-Hispanic, 5%
14% 14%
5% 4% 4% 5%
17% 20%
81% 82% 79% 76%
ASU
Undergraduate Transfer Student Pro�le
Undergraduates at Arizona Public Universitieswith 12+ MCCCD Credits on 2010-2011
Colo
rs P
alle
tte
NAU
UA
22,531 (76%)
4,200 (14%)
2,959 (10%)
6%
5%
17%
66%
3% 3%
UA
Percentage of New Transfers fromMCCCD by Arizona Public University
*Total greater than 100% due to rounding
NAU
ASU
2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2011*
Hispanic, 17%
White / Non-Hispanic, 66%
Unknown / Other, 3%
American Indian / Alaska Native, 3%
Asian / Paci�c Islander, 6%
Black, Non-Hispanic, 5%
14% 14%
5% 4% 4% 5%
17% 20%
81% 82% 79% 76%
ASU
Undergraduate Transfer Student Pro�le
Undergraduates at Arizona Public Universitieswith 12+ MCCCD Credits on 2010-2011
Colo
rs P
alle
tte
NAU
UA
22,531 (76%)
4,200 (14%)
2,959 (10%)
6%
5%
17%
66%
3% 3%
UA
Percentage of New Transfers fromMCCCD by Arizona Public University
*Total greater than 100% due to rounding
NAU
ASU
2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2011*
Hispanic, 17%
White / Non-Hispanic, 66%
Unknown / Other, 3%
American Indian / Alaska Native, 3%
Asian / Paci�c Islander, 6%
Black, Non-Hispanic, 5%
14% 14%
5% 4% 4% 5%
17% 20%
81% 82% 79% 76%
Part I: Maricopa Students Transferring to Arizona Public Universities
Students who transfer from one of the Maricopa Community Colleges to one of the three state public universities are tracked using the ASSIST data warehouse. Consistent with the university definition of a transfer student, individuals are counted if they transferred 12-or-more credit hours from a Maricopa Community College to one of the state universities. Data are collected separately for total undergraduates and new transfers.
ASU
Undergraduate Transfer Student Pro�le
Undergraduates at Arizona Public Universitieswith 12+ MCCCD Credits on 2010-2011
Colo
rs P
alle
tte
NAU
UA
22,531 (76%)
4,200 (14%)
2,959 (10%)
6%
5%
17%
66%
3% 3%
UA
Percentage of New Transfers fromMCCCD by Arizona Public University
*Total greater than 100% due to rounding
NAU
ASU
2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2011*
Hispanic, 17%
White / Non-Hispanic, 66%
Unknown / Other, 3%
American Indian / Alaska Native, 3%
Asian / Paci�c Islander, 6%
Black, Non-Hispanic, 5%
14% 14%
5% 4% 4% 5%
17% 20%
81% 82% 79% 76%
Undergraduates at Arizona Public Universitieswith 12+ MCCCD Credits on 2010 -11
Maricopa Transfer Rate
The transfer rate of Maricopa students to Arizona public universities is based on new-to-higher-education students who demonstrated three “transfer intent behaviors” while enrolled in the Maricopa Community Colleges: declared intent to transfer or obtain a transfer degree, earned 12-or-more credit hours, and completed at least one core Arizona General Education Curriculum (AGEC) course. The three student cohorts shown in the following chart indicate an increasing percentage of students transferring within six years of initial college enrollment.
New Transfers: Number of Credits Transferred
The table below illustrates the distribution of the number of credits transferred by former Maricopa students to the Arizona public universities. It indicates an increase in the number of new transfers overall, and a trend of these students transferring with more credits than in previous years.
2010-11 New Transfer Students by Number of Credits Transferred
2008-09 2009-10 2010-11
Number of Students 6,046 6,241 6,743
12-31 credits transferred 20% 18% 18%
32-63 credits transferred 49% 48% 44%
64+ credits transferred 31% 34% 38%
Undergraduate Areas of Interest
Major Category / Area of Interest:*Arizona Public University Undergraduates
With 12+ MCCCD Credits (n = 29,690)Business, Management, Marketing, etc. 14%
Education 9%
Biological and Biomedical Sciences 9%
Psychology 7%
Social Sciences 6%
Health Professions/Clinical Sciences 6%
Multi/Interdisciplinary Studies 6%
Engineering 5%
Communication, Journalism, & Related Programs 5%
Visual and Performing Arts 5%
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, Fitness Studies 3%
Family & Consumer Sciences/Human Sciences 3%
No Major 1%
All Other Areas 21%
TOTAL 100%
* Areas of Interest categorized by Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Codes
New Transfer Students
In the 2010-11 academic year, 6,743 students with 12-or-more credits from any of the Maricopa colleges enrolled as new transfers at an Arizona public university, which reflects an 8% increase over 2009-10. Of these new transfer students, 30% had completed an associate’s degree from Maricopa. This percentage appears to be leveling off in recent years after a steady increase from 2003-04 to 2007-08.
While the largest share of new transfer students in 2010-11 went to Arizona State University, the percentage of new transfers to Northern Arizona University showed the biggest increase over the prior year. As with total undergraduates, ASU’s percentage of the share decreased slightly while still reflecting the large majority of MCCCD transfer students, and NAU’s and UA’s percentages increased.
Percentage of New Transfers from MCCCD by Arizona Public University
ASU
Undergraduate Transfer Student Pro�le
Undergraduates at Arizona Public Universitieswith 12+ MCCCD Credits on 2010-2011
Colo
rs P
alle
tte
NAU
UA
22,531 (76%)
4,200 (14%)
2,959 (10%)
6%
5%
17%
66%
3% 3%
UA
Percentage of New Transfers fromMCCCD by Arizona Public University
*Total greater than 100% due to rounding
NAU
ASU
2007 - 2008 2008 - 2009 2009 - 2010 2010 - 2011*
Hispanic, 17%
White / Non-Hispanic, 66%
Unknown / Other, 3%
American Indian / Alaska Native, 3%
Asian / Paci�c Islander, 6%
Black, Non-Hispanic, 5%
14% 14%
5% 4% 4% 5%
17% 20%
81% 82% 79% 76%
* Total greater than 100% due to rounding
These data suggest potential for continued improvement in the transfer rate. Because data on private and out-of-state institutions are not available for the analysis, the overall transfer rate is underestimated.
Transfer Student Academic Performance
Tracking data depicts the level of post-transfer success Maricopa students achieve at Arizona’s public universities. Below are results for MCCCD students who transferred 12 or more MCCCD credits to an Arizona public university in 2009-10:
GPA: On average, students’ first year GPA at the university was 2.94 (consistent with 2008-09 data).
Credits Earned: On average, 18.57 credits were earned in the first year at the university (down 1.62 credits from 2008-09).
Persistence: 87% continued on to their second year at the university (consistent with 2008-09 data).
Bachelor’s Degree Attainment
Since 2001, the number of undergraduate degrees conferred each year at the Arizona public universities to Maricopa transfer students has steadily increased. In the 2009-10 academic year, a total of 7,115 Maricopa transfer students received an undergraduate degree from an Arizona public university. A three-year trend is shown in the table below:
Bachelor’s Degrees Conferred by Arizona Public Universities to Students with 12+ MCCCD Credits
ASU NAU UA Total
2007-08 5,076 649 468 6,193
2008-09 5,481 788 509 6,778
2009-10 5,792 809 514 7,115
Transfer rate: Maricopa Students Transferring to an Arizona Public University within
6 Years of Initial Enrollment
64 or more credits
32 - 63 credits
12 - 31 credits
Enrollment of New Transfers by Number of MCCCD Credits
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600
1,349 (43%)
1,018 (33%)
764 (24%)
South Mountain
Estrella Mountain
Chandler-Gilbert
Paradise Valley
GateWay
Scottsdale
Phoenix
Rio Salado
GlendaleMesa
2012-11 Private & Out of State Transfer Partners
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
471694
814 858 867 10321481
2321 2398
2859
2002-03 student cohort
2003-04 student cohort
2004-05 student cohort
27.8%
28.4%
29.3%
27.8%
28.4%
29.3%
Transfer Rate: Maricopa Students Transferring to an ArizonaPublic University within 6 years of Initial Enrollment
2010-11 Private & Out-of-State Transfer Partners:Top 5 College/University Transfer Destinations
by Enrollment of Students with 12+ MCCCD Transfer CreditsUniversity All Undergraduates New Transfers
University of Phoenix 4,284 875
Grand Canyon University
3,077 1,041
Ottawa University 597 219
Ashford University 539 182
Western International University
166 101
The twenty-five private and out of state transfer partners who submitted data reported a total of 9,885 Undergraduates and 3,141 New Transfers in 2010-11.
Time-to-Completion of Bachelor’s Degrees
Students are tracked in cohorts according to the time of initial college enrollment. The cohorts most recently assessed for degree attainment at four, five, and six years after transferring are shown in the following table. Forthcoming graduation data will indicate if the cohorts’ graduation rates increase at five and six years after initial enrollment, as they did at the four-year mark.
4 years 5 years 6 years
2004-05 61% 70% 73%
2005-06 65% 70%
2006-07 66%
Part II: Maricopa Students Transferring to Private and Out-of-State Universities
The Maricopa Community Colleges have transfer partnerships with baccalaureate degree-granting institutions from across the United States. These institutions include local, in-state, out-of-state, and online universities. Transfer partnerships are supported through formal articulation agreements.
The data presented in Part II were compiled in response to a request from the MCCCD Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation to 29 transfer partner universities. Twenty-five institutions submitted transfer data for academic year 2010-2011, representing a response rate of 86%. Data are all self-reported.
Year StudentsTransferred to University
Graduation RateFrom University After:
2010-11 Private & Out-of-State Transfer Partners:Undergraduate Enrollment By Major/Area of Interest
Categorized by Classification of Instructional Program (CIP) Codes
Major/Area of Interest Students %*
Business, Management, Marketing and Related Support Services
2,317 23%
Health Professions/Clinical Sciences (including Nursing)
2,321 23%
Education 861 9%
Psychology 811 8%
Public Administration and Social Service Professions
628 6%
Parks, Recreation, Leisure, and Fitness Studies
587 6%
Criminal Justice, Homeland Security, Law Enforcement, Firefighting and related protective services
481 5%
Computer and Information Sciences and Support Services
406 4%
Communication, Journalism, and related programs
248 3%
Biological and Biomedical Sciences
171 2%
All other areas/Not indicated 1,054 11%
TOTAL 9,885 100%
64 or more credits
32 - 63 credits
12 - 31 credits
Enrollment of New Transfers by Number of MCCCD Credits
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600
1,349 (43%)
1,018 (33%)
764 (24%)
South Mountain
Estrella Mountain
Chandler-Gilbert
Paradise Valley
GateWay
Scottsdale
Phoenix
Rio Salado
GlendaleMesa
2012-11 Private & Out of State Transfer Partners
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
471694
814 858 867 10321481
2321 2398
2859
2002-03 student cohort
2003-04 student cohort
2004-05 student cohort
27.8%
28.4%
29.3%
27.8%
28.4%
29.3%
Transfer Rate: Maricopa Students Transferring to an ArizonaPublic University within 6 years of Initial Enrollment
2010 -11 Private & Out-of-State Transfer Partners: Undergraduate Enrollment By MCCCD College*
*Total reflects duplicated count, as some students transferred credits from more than one college
*Percentages rounded
2010-11 Private & Out-of-State Transfer Partners: Baccalaureate Degrees Conferred to
MCCCD Transfer Students
Grand Canyon University 744
University of Phoenix 659
Ottawa University 121
Kaplan University 90
Ashford University 77
Wayland Baptist University (Phoenix) 42
Prescott College 15
Argosy University 13
University of Maryland University College
13
Capella University 11
Strayer University 10
DeVry University 7
SUNY Empire State College 6
Chamberlain College of Nursing 5
Northcentral University 4
Park University 3
University of Texas at El Paso 3
Weber State University 3
Western Governors University 3
Western International University 3
Western New Mexico University 2
New Mexico State University 2
Regis University 1
TOTAL 1837
This data reflects an increase of 11.5% in the number of bachelor’s degrees awarded by private and out-of-state university partners to MCCCD transfer students since last year, when 1,648 degrees were reported.
2010-11 Private & Out-of-State Transfer Partners: Enrollment of New Transfers By Number of MCCCD Credits
Participating transfer partners reported a 14% increase from 2009-10 to 2010-11 in the number of students transferring with 32 or more credits, yet 43% of new transfers to Maricopa’s private and out-of-state partners transferred with 31 or fewer credits.
Contact the Center for Curriculum and Transfer Articulation for additional information: 480-731-8139. A downloadable version of this document is available at the following web site: www.maricopa.edu/academic/ccta/report
64 or more credits
32 - 63 credits
12 - 31 credits
Enrollment of New Transfers by Number of MCCCD Credits
0 200 400 600 800 1,000 1,200 1,400 1,600
1,349 (43%)
1,018 (33%)
764 (24%)
South Mountain
Estrella Mountain
Chandler-Gilbert
Paradise Valley
GateWay
Scottsdale
Phoenix
Rio Salado
GlendaleMesa
2012-11 Private & Out of State Transfer Partners
0
500
1,000
1,500
2,000
2,500
3,000
3,500
471694
814 858 867 10321481
2321 2398
2859
2002-03 student cohort
2003-04 student cohort
2004-05 student cohort
27.8%
28.4%
29.3%
27.8%
28.4%
29.3%
Transfer Rate: Maricopa Students Transferring to an ArizonaPublic University within 6 years of Initial Enrollment