Millions of students enroll in community colleges each year because of their open enrollment, lower cost of tuition, and flexible class schedules. Once enrolled at a community college, many community college students aspire to transfer their credits to a 4-year institution. One way to transfer credits from the community college to the 4-year institution is by completing the associate's degree at the community college. However, data shows that completion rates at the community college is roughly 27% and does not seem to be improving. Therefore, this study aims to understand how transfer (student who intend to transfer to a 4-year institution) community college students process information about the associate's degree and their perceptions of an associate's degree. The findings indicate the stigma surrounding community colleges and the associate's degree, using the community college as a stepping stone to the 4-year institution, using the community college as a time of exploration, and different influences that build on students' knowledge. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]