Applying the Loss/Momentum Framework to Identify Systemic Barriers for Community College Transfer Students

Although 80% of entering community college students express a desire to earn a bachelor's degree, only about 30% transfer to a four-year institution and even fewer complete a bachelor's degree within six years. The Loss/Momentum Framework (LMF) is a tool for identifying interactions between an institution and its students that can either propel (momentum points) or impede (loss points) progress toward degree completion. This study utilized the LMF to understand the loss and momentum points commonly encountered by students at various phases of their vertical transfer journeys. Using a qualitative research design, we conducted focus groups and interviews with 33 pre- and post-transfer students from a sending community college and a receiving four-year university in Ohio. Sources of momentum included positive interactions with institutional agents (especially advisors and faculty members), institutional programs and processes that conveyed a transfer receptive culture, and easy-to-navigate transfer processes. In contrast, loss points included inaccessible or unhelpful advising as well as opaque and poorly communicated practices and policies regarding degree requirements, credit transfer, and financial aid. Our findings underscore the need for sending and receiving institutions to ensure advising practices, credit transfer policies, and financial aid processes are accessible and transparent to remove barriers and boost momentum. We also encourage institutions to invest in opportunities for transfer students to build relationships with institutional agents, which are particularly important for supporting minoritized students, and with peers.