COMMUNITY COLLEGE OF PHILADELPHIA
A Profile of Community College of Philadelphia Transfer Students Enrolled at SSHE Universities
During the Fall 1996 and Spring 1997 Semesters
OFFICE OF INSTITUTIONAL RESEARCH Report # 99
Prepared by Jane Grosset
January 1998
Introduction
The Office of Institutional Research at Community College of Philadelphia received information from the State System of Higher Education (SSHE) about former students who were enrolled at SSHE universities during Fall 1996 and Spring 1997. The 14 universities that comprise the SSHE and the number of former students who were enrolled at each university during this time frame are reported in Table 1. Most students were enrolled at West Chester University followed in magnitude by Cheyney,
Bloomsbur g, Indiana of PA, and Millersville.
Table 1
Community College of Philadelphia Transfers Enrolled at State System Universities Fall 1996
#
Spring 1997
#
Bloomsburg University 19 16
California Univ. of PA 2 2
Cheyney University 55 47
Clarion University 2 2
East Stroudsburg University 6 5
Edinboro University 3 3
Indiana Univ. of PA 17 15
Kutztown University 9 1
Lock Haven University 5 2
Mansfield University 5 5
Millersville University 17 14
Shippensburg University 3 4
Slippery Rock University 1 2
West Chester 125 112
Total 269 230
Comparing these enrollments with those that appeared in Institutional Research Report #91 titled 'A Profile of Community College of Philadelphia Transfer Student Enrolled at SSHE Universities During the Fall 1994, Spring 1995 and Fall 1995
Semesters' reveals a slight increase in the numbers of transfers from the College to SSHE
universities (The tables and figures that appeared in Report #91 have been appended to the end of this report). Enrollments rose from 237 dur ing fall 1995 (Appendix – Table1) to 269 in fall 1996 while enrollment levels in spring terms were relatively constant over time. West Chester realized the largest gain in transfers between academic years 1995- 1996 and 1996-1997. Bloomsburg and Indiana universities also saw increased numbers of Community College of Philadelphia transfers in recent years while transfers to Cheyney declined.
Profile of Transfers Gender
While men and women were fairly evenly represented among transfers to the SSHE (Table 2), the proportion of female transfers has increased in recent semesters.
During the Fall 1995 term, 48.5% of the College's SSHE transfers were women
(Appendix – Figure 2) while in Fall 1996 females represented 53.2% of the transfers to the SSHE. Despite this increase, when compared with the gender profile associated with College-wide enrollments, which is approximately two-thirds female and one-third male, it is apparent that females are disproportionately under-represented among transfers to SSHE universities.
Table 2
Gender of Transfers Enrolled at State System Universities During Fall 1996 and Spring 1997
Males Females Total
# % # % #
Fall 1996 126 46.8 143 53.2 269
Spring 1997 112 48.7 118 51.3 230
Age
Younger students (ages 18 to 25) remain more likely to transfer to the SSHE than students over the age of 25 (Table 3), however, older students were represented in
increasing numbers among SSHE transfers in recent semesters. In fall 1994, 80.6% of transfers to the SSHE were under the age of 26 (Appendix – Figure 3). This percentage dropped slightly (77%) in succeeding semesters.
Table 3
Age of Transfers to State System Universities Fall 1996 and Spring 1997
18 to 25 years
%
26 to 30 years
%
31 to 40 years
%
41 and older
%
Total
#
Fall 1996 76.6 14.1 6.3 3.0 269
Spring 1997 76.5 13.5 7.0 3.0 230
Race
Over half of the Community College of Philadelphia transfers enrolled at the SSHE during the Fall 1996 term were white (Table 4); approximately 40% were Black;
4.1% were Asian and 2.6% were Latino. This profile of SSHE transfers has shifted somewhat over time. During the Fall 1994 term, 48.5% of transfers to the SSHE were Black; 1.3% were Asian; 2.5% were Latino; and 47.3% were white (Appendix – Figure 4).
Table 4
Race of Transfers Enrolled at State System Universities During Fall 1996 and Spring 1997
Black
%
Asian
%
Latino
%
White
%
Total
#
Fall 1996 39.8 4.1 2.6 52.8 269
Spring 1997 41.3 4.3 1.7 52.2 230
Credits Transferred
The number of credits transferred into the SSHE by former Community College of Philadelphia students who were newly enrolled in the transfer university during the Fall 1996 and Spring 1997 semesters appears in Table 5. There were 93 former students who were new to their transfer university in fall 1996 and 16 in Spring 1997 and the figures in Table 5 are a summary for both groups combined. As a group, former CCP transfers to SSHE universities earned a sizable number of credits at the College prior to transfer. Over half (58.8%) transferred more than 24 credits into their transfer university while 22% transferred fewer than 12 credits.
Table 5
Credits Transferred to State System Universities by Community College of Philadelphia Transfers
During Fall 1996 and Spring 1997
Credits Transferred # of Students % of Students
Under 12 24 22.0
12 to 24 21 19.3
25 to 50 38 34.9
Over 50 26 23.9
Total 109 100.0
Profile of Transfer University Performance Persistence
It appears as though former Community College of Philadelphia students who transfer are persistent in their studies at the SSHE university of their choice. There were 269 former students enrolled in the SSHE during the Fall 1996 semester. Fifty- five pf
these students did not re-enroll in the SSHE during the subsequent spring term. Twenty- two of these 55 graduated, thereby accounting for their absence in the spring semester, leaving only 33 'dropouts' from the SSHE. This represents a short-term attrition rate from fall to spring of 12.3%.
Many of the students who were enrolled in the fall semester and most in the spring were continuing SSHE students. Close to one-third of the continuing students initially enrolled in the SSHE between Fall 1989 and Spring 1994. Table 6 contains summary information on the cumulative credits earned by transfers and it indicates that students are making good progress at their transfer university. By the spring semester, the average student had earned at least 90 credits toward their baccalaureate studies.
Table 6
Cumulative Credits Earned by Transfers at State System Universities During Fall 1996 and Spring 1997
# of Students Mean Credits Median Credits
Standard Deviation
Fall 1996 269 78 77 37.8
Spring 1997 230 90 90 31.3
GPA
Between 79.5% and 83.6% of the College's former students earned a GPA of at least 2.0 while enrolled in the SSHE (Table 7). This information is consistent with the transfer information provided by the SSHE in past years (Appendix – Figure 6).
Table 7
Cumulative GPA Earned by Transfer at State System Universities During Fall 1996 and Spring 1997
GPA Under 2.0
GPA Between 2.0 and 2.99
GPA Between 3.0 and 4.0
Total
% % % #
Fall 1996 20.5 50.5 29.0 269
Spring 1997 16.4 55.1 28.5 230
Program of Study
Education, business and social science programs continue to be the most popular programs of study among former Community College of Philadelphia students (Table 8).
Included among education programs are Elementary Teacher Education; Social Studies Education; Elementary Education; Special Education; Health and Physical Education and Music Teacher Education. Business programs included Computer and Information
Technology; Business Administration; Accounting; and Hotel and Restaurant
Management. Psychology, Social Science, History, Sociology and Political Science were included among the Social Science curricula that former students enrolled in at the transfer university.
Table 8
Transfer Students' Program of Study at State System of Higher Education Universities
Fall 1996
#
Spring 1997
#
Elementary Teacher Education 30 24
Unknown 28 21
Computer and Information Technology 19 16
Psychology 17 17
Social Sciences 16 14
Business Administration 16 17
General History 10 7
Accounting 9 6
Pre-Elementary- Early Education 9 8
Biology 9 10
English 8 5
Special Education 6 7
Social Studies 6 7
Health and Physical Education 6 7
Nursing 6 6
Public Health 6 6
Hotel, Motel and Restaurant 6 5
Speech 5 4
Social Work 5 2
Sociology 5 5
Mathematics 4 2
Criminal Justice 4 2
Political Science 4 4
Music Teacher Education 3 2
Liberal Arts and Sciences 3 2
Finance 3 3
Communications 2 3
Other 24 13
Total 269 230
APPENDIX
Tables and Figures From Institutional Research Report #91
TABLE 1
CCP Transfers Enrolled at State System Universities
Fall 1994 Spring 1995 Fall 1995
Bloomsburg University 7 8 12
California University of PA 1 1 1
Cheyney University 77 75 60
Clarion University 3 3 2
East Stroudsburg University 12 9 7
Edinboro University 0 1 1
Indiana University 11 13 13
Kutztown University 13 5 9
Lock Haven University 8 5 3
Mansfield University 3 3 6
Millersville University 13 18 14
Shippensburg University 5 6 5
Slippery Rock University 3 2 3
West Chester University 81 78 101
Total 237 227 237
Figure 2: Gender of CCP Tranfers Enrolled at State System Universities During Fall 1994, Spring 1995
and Fall 1995
50.2 49.8 49.8 50.2 48.5 51.5
0 20 40 60 80 100
Fall 1994 Spring 1995 Fall 1995 Semester
% of Students
Female Male
Figure 3: Age of CCP Transfers to State System Universities Fall 1994, Spring 1995 and Fall 1995
80.6 78.9 78.1
8.8 10.1
7.2 7.9 9.3
7.6
4.4 2.5 4.6
0 20 40 60 80 100
Fall 1994 Spring 1995 Fall 1995 Semester
% of Students by Age Group
18 to 25 26 to 30 31 to 40 41 and older
Figure 4: Race of CCP Transfers at State System Universities Fall 1994, Spring 1995 and Fall 1995
48.5 50.7
41.8
1.3 2.5 1.3 3
3.1 3.8
47.3 44.5
51.1
0 10 20 30 40 50 60
Fall 1994 Spring 1995 Fall 1995
Semester
% of Students by Race
Black Asian Hispanic White
Figure 5: Cumulative GPA Earned by CCP Transfers at State System Universities Fall 1994, Spring 1995
and Fall 1995
17.7 19.7 16.4
56.6 55.6 55.5
23.7 28.1 26.8
0 20 40 60 80
Fall 1994 Spring 1995 Fall 1995 Semester
% of Students by Cumulative GPA
0.00 to 1.99 2.00 to 2.99 3.00 to 4.00
