Supporting STEM transfer students

First-year students are the primary target of support services, housing resources, and scholarships at universities. However, this can leave students who transfer in from a community college or another institution at considerable disadvantages. Furthermore, transfer students intending to pursue Science, Technology, Engineering, & Math (STEM) degrees may lack important introductory courses (prerequisites such as calculus and general chemistry) and can struggle to get courses transferred appropriately, slowing down degree progression. We are now in the second year of implementing a program that includes a peer-mentored semi-residential learning community, a co-convened seminar course, and NSF-funded scholarships (Transfers to Graduates in Engineering, Math and Sciences) to support transfer students in the College of Engineering, Forestry, and Natural Sciences at Northern Arizona University. Voluntary survey data, primarily from the first year of program implementation, is used to describe the STEM transfer student experience and examine possible qualitative and quantitative impacts of the implemented program. The current results of outreach to local community colleges are also described. This material is based on work supported by the National Science Foundation under Grant Number 1260138.