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Expanding opportunities for learner mobility requires improvements in the application and enrolment side of transfer. But success also depends on ensuring that learners are supported once they arrive on campus, particularly college students transferring to university. The first semester is a critical transition period in which students must adapt to a new set of academic expectations, often without a strong support system.

To facilitate the academic success and social integration of college transfer students, ONCAT awarded $75,000 to Trent University via an ONCAT Capacity Grant — a funding program that supports the development and implementation of learner-centric policies, practices and pathways at publicly assisted postsecondary institutions in Ontario. ONCAT is funded by the Government of Ontario. 

Importance of supporting transfer students 

College students can be at a disadvantage in university settings if they do not receive specialized preparation and support as they transfer. Known as “transfer shock,” this disadvantage often results in an initial drop in grades due to differences in college and university academic environments. At Trent University, there were few tools and programs designed to mitigate transfer shock and prevent an academic setback.

With funding from ONCAT, Trent hired a dedicated staff person to identify challenges, pilot solutions and evaluate the outcomes of transfer student experiences in their first year. The project team included Sylvia Moorthy, Academic Transitions Advisor, and Erin Stewart Eves, Manager of Collegiate Academic Supports. They conducted student interviews and surveys to better understand transfer students’ experiences. 

At Trent, around 60% of transfer students come from college, and the majority are ages 20-24. Research identified that these learners exhibit strengths like maturity, strategic thinking and motivation. They also share unique challenges, such as difficulty interpreting their transfer credits, adjusting to new academic expectations, navigating systems, financial stress and social isolation.

Trent’s solution 

Sylvia Moorthy says, “Our transfer students have shared that they want more opportunities to connect with each other, and they want tailored supports that help make sense of their transition from one institution to another.” Using this information to inform their strategy, the project team developed a suite of services that address common transfer student challenges. The services include dedicated one-on-one and group academic advising appointments, informative social programming for mature and transfer students and resources for navigating course planning, registration and other available student supports. “The strategies, resources and programs we developed have significantly improved how we understand and support these students,” says Moorthy. The team also evaluated the experience of new transfer students as they completed their first year at Trent and used the feedback to inform future programming and outreach.

Transfer-specific services help learners succeed 

These transfer-specific supports are helping learners succeed in university. “The Study Café helped me understand what was expected in university-level assignments, rebuild my study habits and get comfortable with Trent’s academic culture,” says current transfer student in computer science, Tafadzwa Marisa. “Knowing there was a service designed to support transfer and mature students like me made a huge difference in my confidence during that first semester,” he continues.

Since the project started, over 150 students have participated in transfer student programming, and the team has delivered 490 one-on-one advising appointments in the 2024-2025 academic year. These services are already improving the long‑term success and retention of transfer students. Overall, 67% of transfer students at the Peterborough campus returned the following fall semester. The return rates were higher for students who participated in some form of transfer programming: 79% of those who attended an academic advising appointment and 82% of Study Café attendees.

The team plans to sustain these supports for new transfer students after ONCAT funding concludes. They will run the Study Café for Mature and Transfer students in the 2026-2027 academic year and are supporting existing academic advisors to provide dedicated advising and outreach to new transfer students. Sylvia and Erin also shared their incredible work with the sector at ONCAT’s conference this past February by leading a two-and-half-hour workshop on supporting transfer students. 

To learn more about these and other services, visit Trent’s Transfer Student Starter Pack.

This project impact was created by Meryl Borato, Knowledge Mobilization Manager. 

For questions and comments, contact us.