Transfer Student Ambassadors at NISTS Highlight the Need for College Tuition Reform: Insight into Why Free College isn't the Ultimate Solution
In today's complex academic landscape, the needs of non-traditional students are increasingly being recognised as a key factor in improving completion rates. This emphasis is highlighted by the stories of the NISTS 2022 Transfer Student Ambassadors, and as suggested by the recommendations in Beyond Free College: Making Higher Education Work for 21st Century Students.
One such student is Katie Ibsen, a senior at UC-Berkeley, who now works at Accepted Consulting, helping other transfer students navigate the process she completed. Katie regularly shares her insights on her YouTube vlog, The Vintage Academic. She believes that institutional approaches tend to force a sense of structure that impedes the organic relationship between content creators and their audience.
Another ambassador, Herman Luis Chavez, is a member of the UCLA class of 2022, pursuing a BA double major in Comparative Literature and Ethnomusicology. Herman transferred from Colorado State University (CSU) into the UC system. He credits UCLA's supportive network of faculty and staff as the greatest benefit of his transfer process. His mentor, Cesar D. Favila, Assistant Professor of Musicology at UCLA, inspired Herman to pursue his passion for music studies.
Paolo, another transfer student at UC Irvine, faced numerous challenges during his transition, including the financial burden and food insecurity. He is now working towards his BA in Psychology and Sociology, and expressed concern for students facing similar struggles. He helped create a Student Transfer Engagement Access and Mentorship (STEAM) course at UC Irvine to support other transfer students.
Noelle Dana, currently working on her BA in Classics and Philosophy, Science, & Mathematics at The University of Notre Dame, also experienced a rocky transition due to a sense of exclusion as a transfer student. Noelle's wish for transfer programs in the United States is a greater emphasis on fully integrating students as part of the campus community.
The higher per credit hour cost when transferring from a community college to a four-year school can double or even triple. This financial burden is a significant challenge for many transfer students.
To address these challenges, universities are encouraged to focus on five key areas:
- Expand flexible learning options (evening, weekend, online courses) to accommodate working and family responsibilities.
- Implement proactive advising and coaching focused on transfer and low-income students to provide guidance from enrollment through completion.
- Develop structured transfer pathways that recognise previous credits and provide clear degree maps.
- Increase financial support access and literacy to reduce dropout risks due to economic pressures.
- Create supportive community environments that reflect students' diverse backgrounds and encourage persistence.
These points align with broader research on higher education challenges, emphasising that improving completion is not only about free tuition but about creating an ecosystem responsive to the complexity of 21st-century students’ lives. The NISTS Transfer Student Ambassadors’ stories serve as illustrative examples of these themes in action, showing how institutional flexibility and support directly impact student success.
In addition, there is a need for redesigning the curriculum to address place-based support for transfer students in a class of their own. This could help to further integrate transfer students into the campus community and provide them with the support they need to succeed.
Paolo, for instance, had to start college over completely in the United States when he left the Philippines due to his mother's illness. His story underscores the importance of addressing the diverse needs of today’s students to improve completion rates.
The stories of these ambassadors serve as a call to action for universities to prioritise the needs of transfer students and work towards creating a more supportive and inclusive academic environment.
Education and self-development are central themes for transfer student Katie Ibsen, who uses her YouTube vlog, The Vintage Academic, to share insights on personal growth and learning, challenging institutional approaches that hinder organic relationships between content creators and their audience. The emphasis on creating supportive community environments is crucial for the success of transfer students like Herman Luis Chavez, who credits UCLA's faculty and staff network for his academic journey. Such environments need to address diverse student needs, as highlighted by the stories of the NISTS 2022 Transfer Student Ambassadors, to improve completion rates in today's complex academic landscape.
