Students are transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions in increasing numbers, yet transfers are persisting and graduating from four-year institutions at lower levels than students who had begun at the institution. Research suggests that transfer students feel less connected to a four-year institution, and fostering transfer students' sense of belonging to an institution may be one way to increase connection. The purpose of this research was to better understand the experiences of community college transfer students to a religiously affiliated, small and private institution. The research questions aimed to unpack the reasons why transfer students felt connected, or disconnected, to the institution. A qualitative framework was used to uncover the experience of transfer students. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 students who had transferred from a community college to a four-year, private, religiously affiliated institution and had been at the institution for at least one full semester. A simultaneous process of in-vivo coding and topic coding uncovered the following themes: "Impact of Classroom Environments," "Engagement with Faculty," "Intentional Campus Involvement," "Impact of Living On- or Off- Campus," and "A Sense of 'Home' for Students." The findings uncovered ways in which receiving institutions can better support the success of transfers from community colleges. Results include the importance of the receiving institution easing the transition for transfer students, a need for employees to serve as transfer advocates, providing engaging academic environments, building connections to peers, and affirming transfer student success. Recommendations for practice and suggestions for future research are provided. [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.]