Transfer Student Experience Survey
Winter 2022
Leads: Stephen Fujimoto, Hannah Hyland
This project investigated issues pertaining to transfer students at UC Davis. It sought to define the relationships between transfer students and the UC Davis community. The report specifically looked at transfer students who were also first-generation college students.
The survey was open for responses from February 22 to April 7, 2022, receiving 283 responses from transfer students over that time period. A majority of respondents felt as academically prepared as their non-transfer peers and also felt that they had equal opportunities to join clubs. However, about half of respondents (~51%) felt that professors were less accessible at UC Davis compared to their previous institutions, and more often than not, respondents felt that it was harder to get help with course planning and degree requirements at UC Davis.
Among respondents, about 34% were first generation students. First generation transfers were found to be significantly more likely to experience financial struggles with food, housing, and tuition payments compared to non-first generation transfers. First generation transfers were also found to be more likely to experience social and academic struggles, with significant differences in responses to making friends, participating in extracurriculars, and in balancing workload.
RDC specifically recommended a training program for faculty on transfer-specific issues and an orientation tailored to transfer students.