Upward transfer from a community college to a four-year institution is a distinct component of higher education and has long been envisioned as an accessible and affordable route to a bachelor's degree for students who are Latinx, Black, underrepresented Asian American and Native Hawaiian and Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native, as well as low-income, English language learners, and from other minoritized populations. Yet, nationally, only 28% of Black adults and 21% of Latinx adults over age 25 hold a bachelor's degree, compared with 42% of white adults. Similarly, only 15% of young adults from the lowest income backgrounds complete a bachelor's degree by age 24, compared with 59% of their wealthier peers. This brief examines the community college-to-university transfer pathway and its critical role in increasing higher education equity. It reviews the major barriers created by institutional policy, ways college leaders can address these barriers to better realize the potential of transfer, and considerations for policy leaders seeking to promote equitable access to a bachelor's degree and beyond for community college students. The authors conclude with a focused look at California's associate degree for transfer (ADT), and the ways in which this new degree pathway is helping fortify the transfer pathway in the state. They then outline recommendations for policymakers at the federal, state, and institutional levels seeking to simplify transfer pathways for students in their colleges and universities. [Eileen and Harold Brown provided additional funding for this series of briefs.]