The Effect of Earning an Associate Degree on Community College Transfer Students’ Performance and Success at Four-Year Institutions

Background/Context As the cost of postsecondary education continues to rise, more students begin their postsecondary careers at a community college with the ultimate goal of upward transfer. However, there is limited evidence regarding how earning an associate degree prior to transfer shape transfer students’ eventual success at baccalaureate institutions. The existing literature on this topic either draws on data from single states or does not...