The Relationship between Environmental Conditions and Transfer Rates of Selected Rural Community Colleges: A Pilot Study

Abstract

Defining external and internal environmental conditions as indepen-dent variables and institutional transfer rate as the dependent variable, the authors investigate the relationship between transfer rates and conditions that are beyond an institution's control (such as service area demographics and the degree of specificity in state articulation and transfer policies). Based on a three-phase analysis that involved multiple regression, factor analyses, and two-tailed t tests, the authors define negative and positive influences on transfer rates and discuss recommendations for further research.