This report is designed to help private institutions that seek to become “transfer-serving,” which we argue embodies the following characteristics:

  1. Intentional recruitment of transfer students
  2. Intentional support of transfer students
  3. Inquiry into policies and practices
  4. Consistent attention to and use of student data
  5. Cultivating transfer agents
  6. Employing equity-minded approaches and practices

It draws on a two-year pilot initiative between two private institutions in California and the Center for Urban Education at the University of Southern California, funded by the Teagle Foundation. Through this grant, the two institutions implemented the Equity Scorecard, a participatory action research process that helps practitioners (a) analyze student outcomes data to uncover inequities in access, retention, and success; (b) develop evidence-based interventions to mitigate those inequities; and (c) use inquiry methods to better understand the educational experiences of their students.