Factors Affecting Persistence and Transfer of Low-Income Students at Public Two-Year Institutions

Abstract

The study utilized the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:04/06) data set to examine persistence outcomes over a 3-year period across the national sample of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds at public 2-year institutions in the United States. More specifically, the purpose of our study was to investigate how demographic characteristics, in-college attributes, environmental factors, and personal goals of low-income students who enrolled in public 2-year institutions with the intentions of degree attainment or transfer affected their decisions to persist to degree completion, transfer to another institution, or leave. The results from multinomial logistic regression analysis revealed that different sets of factors predicted persistence and transfer for low-income students in our study. Early identification of who will be more likely to leave, transfer, or persist to degree completion will help community colleges better serve the needs of their students.