The Class of 1996 Five Years After Graduation: Comparing BC University Outcomes for Direct Entry (Native) and Transfer Students presented by: Frank Gelin, Executive Director and Co-Chair BC Council on Admissions and Transfer Report prepared by: Cheryl Dumaresq, Ashley Lambert-Maberly, Walter Sudmant (UBC)

Mandate: To encourage B.C. post-secondary institutions to develop policies and practices that facilitate student mobility, the admission process for direct entry and transfer students, and transferability of post-secondary credit courses.

UNIVERSITIES 6 SIMON FRASER U. UNIVERSITY OF BC BC OPEN UNIVERSITY* U. of VICTORIA ROYAL ROADS U. OF NORTHERN BC UNIVERSITY COLLEGES 5 FRASER VALLEY KWANTLEN MALASPINA CARIBOO OKANAGAN COLLEGES 11 CAPILANO DOUGLAS LANGARA VANCOUVER CAMOSUN NORTH ISLAND NEW CALEDONIA NORTHERN LIGHTS NORTHWEST C. OF THE ROCKIES SELKIRK INSTITUTES 5 = 27 BCIT EMILY CARR JUSTICE INSTITUTE OPEN LEARNING AGENCY BC Open University* Open College Knowledge Network INSTITUTE OF INDIGENOUS GOVERNMENT NICOLA VALLEY BRITISH COLUMBIA PUBLIC POST-SECONDARY INSTITUTIONS degree granting institutions (14 of 27)

Research and Public Policy Objective IF it can be shown that students who first attend a college: a) are able to transfer without difficulty, and b) subsequently perform well in their academic studies THEN the public will retain confidence in the community college system degree granting institutions will readily accept community college students and the entire system of post-secondary education can work in a more coordinated fashion to improve access for students in a cost-effective manner.

Basic Research Questions How effective is the inter-institutional transfer articulation process? What are the patterns of student mobility? What transfer problems occur? –Articulation agreement related –Administrative processes How well do transfer students perform following transfer? –In their university studies How does the performance of transfer students compare to that of direct entry students? What are the perceptions of how well or poorly the transfer system is working?

Basic Research Questions How effective is the inter-institutional transfer articulation process? What are the patterns of student mobility? What transfer problems occur? –Articulation agreement related –Administrative processes How well do transfer students perform following transfer? –In their university studies –In their outcomes after baccalaureate degree completion How does the performance of transfer students compare to that of direct entry students? What are the perceptions of how well or poorly the transfer system is working?

Research Question Would the university outcomes for transfer students be any different than for direct entry students? If yes, which outcomes would be different? Could the 2001 outcomes data be re-analyzed by simply adding “basis of admission” to the data base and re-running the analysis for the two groups?

The University Class of 1996 Five Years after Graduation Survey group: 8,613 Contacted by telephone: 6181 Of those contacted, 5449 (88%) responded Focus of this study –3,468 respondents 53% Direct Entrants (Native) from a BC high school 47% Transfer Students from a BC college or institute Respondents are similar to population on major characteristics No indication of response bias

Outcomes examined Overall academic experience Further education beyond the Bachelor’s degree Education funding and debt load Labour Market experience (earnings, relevance of skills) Social Engagement (e.g. volunteerism, community involvement, charitable donations

Demographics and background variables are key to understanding some of the significant differences between the groups.

How satisfied are you with the education you received from [name of program] at [name of university]? Would you say … 1. Very satisfied 2. Satisified 3. Dissatisfied 4. Very Dissatisfied 5. Don’t know 6. Refused

Aside from your job, is your life different today because of your total university experience? 1. Yes (if yes, could you explain how your life is different?] 2. No 3. Don’t Know/Unsure 4. No response

Given your experiences since graduation, would you select [name of program] again? 1. Yes 2. No

Given your experiences since graduation, would you select [name of program] again? 2. if No, please explain why you would not select the same program again

Since graduation, have you taken any other education or training – including programs, courses, workshops, seminars, correspondence or tutorials? 1. Yes 2. No

Are you currently enrolled in any further education or training? 1. Yes 2. No (If yes) Are you currently enrolled full-time or part-time? 1. Full-time 2. Part-time

What was the primary or main reason why you enrolled in further education or training at [ type of institution attended] 1. Pursue another Bachelor degree 2. … (see list below)

Students pay for their education in many different ways. Can you please identify the most important or primary source of funding that you relied on to help pay for the educational program you completed in 1996? 1. Personal Savings 2. Employment, etc. (see list below)

How much financial debt did you incur to pay for the educational program that you completed in 1996 at [name of university]?

Are you currently working at a paid job of business?

Are you a paid worker or are you self-employed? 1. Paid Worker 2. Self-employed 3. Both a paid worker and self-employed

Does your employer require you to have a bachelor’s degree to perform your main job? How related is your main job to the program you graduated from at [name of university]? Would you say …

Cumulative Full-time Salaries * * Small but significant difference of about $1,600 between the two groups

Comparing employment income Analysis excluded top 5% of salaries – corresponds to > $100,000 which includes verified salaries in excess of two million The direct entry student curve is slightly ahead of the transfer student curve across all income levels representing a statistical significant difference of $1608 More detailed analysis revealed that the largest factor contributing to this difference was discipline in which degree was obtained but there may be other factors what were not possible to analyze in this study (e.g. grades in high school)

In the past 12 months have you acted as an unpaid volunteer for any type of organization, fundraising campaign, association, or event?

Approximately how much did you contribute financially to charitable or non- profit organization, in the past 12 months?

Student Surveys – Outcomes Following Baccalaureate Degree Completion Satisfaction with the university experience 91% of both direct entry and transfer felt their life, aside from their job, was different as a result of their university experience. 96% of both groups were satisfied with their university education. Continuation of studies 90% of respondents from both groups had taken some form of further education, primarily for career-related reasons. Unemployment rates 3.2% of college transfers were unemployed and looking for a job versus 4.1% of direct entrants (compared to 7.6% for the national average).

Student Surveys – Outcomes Following Baccalaureate Degree Completion Salaries Direct entrants had slightly higher salaries than college transfer students (statistically significant). Social engagement (volunteerism, community involvement, etc.) 59% of college transfers versus 55% of direct entrants had volunteered in year prior to survey. ¾ of both groups had made charitable donations in previous year. Student financing and debt 32% of college transfer versus 16% of direct entrants had used student loans as primary source of funding. Average debt load of college transfers was $5,500 higher than direct entrants.

Conclusions Direct and Transfer achieve the same benefits and levels of satisfaction from their university education Most differences are likely related to socio- economic or disciplinary factors – not educational factors

Policy Implications Both direct entry and college transfer are viable routes for students to access and be successful in baccalaureate studies. Outcomes in work and life for both groups are almost identical 5 years after graduation. Without the college transfer option, many low achieving high school graduates would not have access to baccalaureate degree studies - with subsequent loss of opportunity benefits for society.

The BC Transfer Guide, all surveys, research reports, discussion papers, handbooks, other publications and this presentation are available online at: Frank Gelin, Executive Director & Co-Chair, BCCAT