The Partnership for College Completion has published the Illinois College Transfer Pathways dashboards, a series of interactive data visualizations that identify patterns in Illinois’ undergraduate community college transfer student rates.
Illinois is often referred to as the leader in “college transfer completion” within the United States. However, while a reported 80% of students in Illinois’ community colleges intend to transfer to traditional four year universities, 35% of these students actually do. Of these students, only 20% of them will earn their bachelor’s degree.
For a better understanding of the pathways that these students take, the Mapping Transfer Pathways by Academic Major dashboard includes three sections that support PCC’s initial findings regarding community college transfer patterns in Illinois through data collected across the state’s education system including:
- Major Migrations: Program-Specific Transfer Flows
- Mapping Students Transferring Out
- Mapping Students Transferring In
Access to the dashboards can be found here.
In early 2025, PCC released a new report revealing the flaws in Illinois’ higher education transfer system, and how it often fails to provide an affordable path to a bachelor’s degree, particularly for low-income students and students of color. “Seamless Success: Transforming College Transfer in Illinois” outlines the structural barriers that prevent most community college students from achieving their degree goals, and offers a roadmap for reform. Read the full report here.