In its second Signature Report[TM], "Transfer and Mobility: A National View of Pre-Degree Student Movement in Postsecondary Institutions" (Hossler et al., 2012), the National Student Clearinghouse[R] Research Center[TM] found that one-third of all first-time students who began at a four-year institution transferred to or enrolled at a different…

It is widely acknowledged that many postsecondary students no longer follow a traditional path from college entry to degree at a single institution. Increasingly more students attend multiple institutions, transferring once, twice, or even three times before earning a degree. Standard institution-based reporting tends to ignore these students,…