This correlational study utilized secondary, longitudinal data to examine the extent to which student-influenced and institution-influenced factors predict the academic success and degree completion of engineering transfer students at public four-year institutions in North Carolina. The sample included students who transferred from community colleges to pursue baccalaureate degrees at UNC System institutions that offered engineering or engineering technology programs from 2009 to 2016. Based on the data structure, regression analyses were utilized to examine the factors that predict first-semester academic performance and persistence to degree attainment at the receiving institutions. The hierarchical organization of student-influenced, institution-influenced, and both student and institution-influenced factors were based on a modified version of Smith and Van Aken’s (2020) literature-based conceptual framework on engineering transfer student persistence.
Results indicated that first-term academic performance is impacted by student background, college/department of engineering characteristics, and attempted and earned hours in the first semester. Further, persistence was affected by age, the amount of transfer credit, college/department of engineering characteristics, and cumulative GPA and total earned hours at the receiving institution by the student. This study provides practical and actionable findings that will aid four-year engineering institutions in increasing the academic success and persistence of vertical transfer students pursuing baccalaureate engineering degrees.
Please email me at csgreen2@gmail.com for the Zoom link if you would like to attend.