View in EDS

Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility: Examining the Role of CUNY's Transfer Explorer

Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Title: Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility: Examining the Role of CUNY's Transfer Explorer
Language: English
Authors: Alex Monday, David Wutchiett, Alexandra W. Logue, Ithaka S+R
Source: ITHAKA S+R. 2026.
Availability: ITHAKA S+R. Available from: ITHAKA. One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway 5th Floor, New York, NY 10006. Tel: 212-500-2355; e-mail: ithakasr@ithaka.org; Web site: https://sr.ithaka.org
Peer Reviewed: N
Page Count: 19
Publication Date: 2026
Sponsoring Agency: Ascendium Education Group, Inc.
Document Type: Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education
Postsecondary Education
Two Year Colleges
Descriptors: Community College Students, College Transfer Students, Undergraduate Study, Program Evaluation, Program Effectiveness, Computer Uses in Education, Influence of Technology, College Credits, Degree Requirements, Decision Making, Transfer Policy, Information Dissemination, Databases, Computer Oriented Programs, Educational Media
Geographic Terms: New York (New York)
DOI: 10.18665/sr.325429
Abstract: Across the United States, many community college students intend to earn a bachelor's degree, but far fewer do so. A major reason is that transfer processes are often inefficient and opaque. The City University of New York (CUNY) created Transfer Explorer (T-REX) to help ameliorate these problems. Launched in 2020, T-REX is a systemwide, public-facing tool that shows how courses transfer across CUNY's 20 undergraduate colleges and, critically, whether those courses apply to specific degree requirements. This report examines whether using T-REX is associated with improved early transfer outcomes for CUNY students who move from a CUNY community college to a CUNY bachelor's-degree-granting college. Using administrative data for first-time vertical transfer students initiating transfer between Fall 2020 and Spring 2025, the authors compare outcomes for students who logged in to T-REX before or during the year they transferred and students who did not. They focus on two outcomes measured at the bachelor's-degree-granting college (the receiving institution): (1) the total number of courses transferred and (2) the number of transferred courses that count toward non-elective degree requirements (e.g., major, minor, or general education requirements). To assess these outcomes, the authors constructed a research process that accounts for differences in students' academic backgrounds and demographics, their programs of study, the timing of their transfer, and the institutions they transferred into.
Abstractor: ERIC
Entry Date: 2026
Accession Number: ED681033
Database: ERIC
FullText Text:
  Availability: 0
Header DbId: eric
DbLabel: ERIC
An: ED681033
AccessLevel: 3
PubType: Report
PubTypeId: report
PreciseRelevancyScore: 0
IllustrationInfo
Items – Name: Title
  Label: Title
  Group: Ti
  Data: Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility: Examining the Role of CUNY's Transfer Explorer
– Name: Language
  Label: Language
  Group: Lang
  Data: English
– Name: Author
  Label: Authors
  Group: Au
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alex+Monday%22">Alex Monday</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22David+Wutchiett%22">David Wutchiett</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Alexandra+W%2E+Logue%22">Alexandra W. Logue</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="AR" term="%22Ithaka+S%2BR%22">Ithaka S+R</searchLink>
– Name: TitleSource
  Label: Source
  Group: Src
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="SO" term="%22ITHAKA+S%2BR%22"><i>ITHAKA S+R</i></searchLink>. 2026.
– Name: Avail
  Label: Availability
  Group: Avail
  Data: ITHAKA S+R. Available from: ITHAKA. One Liberty Plaza, 165 Broadway 5th Floor, New York, NY 10006. Tel: 212-500-2355; e-mail: ithakasr@ithaka.org; Web site: https://sr.ithaka.org
– Name: PeerReviewed
  Label: Peer Reviewed
  Group: SrcInfo
  Data: N
– Name: Pages
  Label: Page Count
  Group: Src
  Data: 19
– Name: DatePubCY
  Label: Publication Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: SourceSuprt
  Label: Sponsoring Agency
  Group: SrcSuprt
  Data: Ascendium Education Group, Inc.
– Name: TypeDocument
  Label: Document Type
  Group: TypDoc
  Data: Reports - Research
– Name: Audience
  Label: Education Level
  Group: Audnce
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Higher+Education%22">Higher Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Postsecondary+Education%22">Postsecondary Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="EL" term="%22Two+Year+Colleges%22">Two Year Colleges</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Descriptors
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Community+College+Students%22">Community College Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Transfer+Students%22">College Transfer Students</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Undergraduate+Study%22">Undergraduate Study</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Evaluation%22">Program Evaluation</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Program+Effectiveness%22">Program Effectiveness</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+Uses+in+Education%22">Computer Uses in Education</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Influence+of+Technology%22">Influence of Technology</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22College+Credits%22">College Credits</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Degree+Requirements%22">Degree Requirements</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Decision+Making%22">Decision Making</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Transfer+Policy%22">Transfer Policy</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Information+Dissemination%22">Information Dissemination</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Databases%22">Databases</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Computer+Oriented+Programs%22">Computer Oriented Programs</searchLink><br /><searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22Educational+Media%22">Educational Media</searchLink>
– Name: Subject
  Label: Geographic Terms
  Group: Su
  Data: <searchLink fieldCode="DE" term="%22New+York+%28New+York%29%22">New York (New York)</searchLink>
– Name: DOI
  Label: DOI
  Group: ID
  Data: 10.18665/sr.325429
– Name: Abstract
  Label: Abstract
  Group: Ab
  Data: Across the United States, many community college students intend to earn a bachelor's degree, but far fewer do so. A major reason is that transfer processes are often inefficient and opaque. The City University of New York (CUNY) created Transfer Explorer (T-REX) to help ameliorate these problems. Launched in 2020, T-REX is a systemwide, public-facing tool that shows how courses transfer across CUNY's 20 undergraduate colleges and, critically, whether those courses apply to specific degree requirements. This report examines whether using T-REX is associated with improved early transfer outcomes for CUNY students who move from a CUNY community college to a CUNY bachelor's-degree-granting college. Using administrative data for first-time vertical transfer students initiating transfer between Fall 2020 and Spring 2025, the authors compare outcomes for students who logged in to T-REX before or during the year they transferred and students who did not. They focus on two outcomes measured at the bachelor's-degree-granting college (the receiving institution): (1) the total number of courses transferred and (2) the number of transferred courses that count toward non-elective degree requirements (e.g., major, minor, or general education requirements). To assess these outcomes, the authors constructed a research process that accounts for differences in students' academic backgrounds and demographics, their programs of study, the timing of their transfer, and the institutions they transferred into.
– Name: AbstractInfo
  Label: Abstractor
  Group: Ab
  Data: ERIC
– Name: DateEntry
  Label: Entry Date
  Group: Date
  Data: 2026
– Name: AN
  Label: Accession Number
  Group: ID
  Data: ED681033
PLink https://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&site=eds-live&db=eric&AN=ED681033
RecordInfo BibRecord:
  BibEntity:
    Identifiers:
      – Type: doi
        Value: 10.18665/sr.325429
    Languages:
      – Text: English
    PhysicalDescription:
      Pagination:
        PageCount: 19
    Subjects:
      – SubjectFull: Community College Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Transfer Students
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Undergraduate Study
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Evaluation
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Program Effectiveness
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Computer Uses in Education
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Influence of Technology
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: College Credits
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Degree Requirements
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Decision Making
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Transfer Policy
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Information Dissemination
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Databases
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Computer Oriented Programs
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: Educational Media
        Type: general
      – SubjectFull: New York (New York)
        Type: general
    Titles:
      – TitleFull: Academic Momentum and Credit Mobility: Examining the Role of CUNY's Transfer Explorer
        Type: main
  BibRelationships:
    HasContributorRelationships:
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Ithaka S+R
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Alex Monday
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: David Wutchiett
      – PersonEntity:
          Name:
            NameFull: Alexandra W. Logue
    IsPartOfRelationships:
      – BibEntity:
          Dates:
            – D: 14
              M: 04
              Type: published
              Y: 2026
          Titles:
            – TitleFull: ITHAKA S+R
              Type: main
ResultId 1