November 20, 2023
The U.S. Department of Education (USDOE) has recognized Tallahassee Community College as the community college with the highest transfer-out rate for Title IV students in the state of Florida in a newly released study.
The state-by-state data highlighted two- and four-year institutions’ transfer students’ success and the most productive transfer partnerships between those institutions in the country. The study examined federal financial aid recipients who started at a community college in the fall of 2014 and tracked them for eight years. Per the findings, TCC was found to have the highest transfer-out rate for Title IV students in the state of Florida, with 37% of students transferring to a four-year institution upon graduating. The national average is 13%. Additionally, the partnership between TCC and Florida State University was recognized as having the highest bachelor’s completion rate for Title IV students in the state.
“This data by the U.S. Department of Education is not only a recognition of the work done every day here at the College to prepare students for the next level, but also of our strong partnership with FSU and FAMU,” said Dr. Jim Murdaugh, president of TCC. “TCC is proud to be the number one transfer school to both universities, and that’s not by accident. We are always looking for ways to strengthen our relationships with them in order to provide more seamless pathways for our students.”
This past year, TCC established the Office of Transfer Services, which offers activities, resources, and individualized services to prepare students to meet their transfer goals. The College has strengthened relationships with both Florida State and Florida A&M, resulting in rebranded Aspire and Ignite transfer programs and even more connected resources for students.
“If we want to Raise the Bar for educational attainment in this country and create more equitable outcomes in higher education, then we need leaders to dramatically level up their support for transfer students,” said U.S. Secretary of Education Miguel Cardona in a release. “Our current higher education system stacks the deck against community college students who aspire to earn four-year degrees – denying acceptance of their credits, forcing them to retake courses, and ultimately making their educational journeys longer and costlier than they need to be. In the wake of a Supreme Court decision that threatens to undermine diversity and equal opportunity in higher education, the Biden-Harris Administration believes that fixing our broken approach to transfer in this country, which disproportionately impacts students of color and other underserved students, has never mattered more.”
The full results of the study can be viewed here.