Student characteristics and educational destinations of all the reverse transfer students from five state universities who were admitted to five community colleges during one calendar year (N=459) were studied to re-assess and define the "retread function" of community colleges. A group of 245 native community college students were randomly selected for comparison purposes. The reverse transfer students were found to be very much like the native community college students in most characteristics. They did have slightly higher high school grade point averages and slightly higher scores on college entrance examinations. However, no larger percentage of them remained in college to complete an educational program, fewer of them enrolled in two-year occupational programs, and about the same number returned to the four-year college as entered for the first time from a community college. Recommendations are made for dealing with the unique problems of the reverse transfer student in the areas of re-admission procedures, counseling, academic reinforcement, and inter-school communications. It is the author's view that the community colleges have failed to effectively perform their "retread function;" in fact there is some doubt whether community colleges recognize the "retread function" as part of their institutional mission. (Author/AH)