The Transfer Student Experience: It's A Lot Like Buying a Used Car

Abstract: The experience transfer students encounter as they navigate their journeys from community college to university is similar to that of buying a used car. We demonstrate this by showing how the information asymmetry in the market for used cars also occurs in the market for transfer students, producing inefficient markets in both cases, thereby increasing the chances of adverse selection. We diagnose the underlying conditions that produce transfer inefficiencies, identifying them as a structural inequity within the system of higher education. Finally, recommendations for alleviating information asymmetry in transfer processes, that would lead to better outcomes for transfer students, are provided.