Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: TUESDAY, August 22, 1995 TAG: 9508230021
SECTION: WELCOME STUDENTS PAGE: WS-28 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
SOURCE: PAUL DELLINGER STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: DUBLIN LENGTH: Medium
But the number planning to transfer to a four-year institution after completing two years at New River has grown, from about 12 percent a decade ago to about 20 percent today.
A look back over the years shows some zigzags, but the overall trend still shows more students are using community colleges as a less expensive way to complete their first two years toward a bachelor's degree.
A survey of 1993-94 New River graduates who moved on to four-year schools showed that nearly five-eighths of them were able to transfer most or all of their credits.
Survey forms went to 337 NRCC graduates for the follow-up information, and 206 - or 61 percent - responded.
Three-fourths of the students still said their main reason for attending NRCC was work-related. One-fifth had planned from the start to transfer to a four-year college. The rest had taken classes for personal interests.
The data showed 60 percent of the graduates were working, nearly half in fields directly related to their New River major and another fourth in a closely related field.
Fourteen percent were enrolled full-time in college. Seventeen percent were both working and enrolled in college.
Many of the students who continued their education went on to Radford University. Others went on to Virginia Tech.
Those who went on to four-year colleges said they were pretty well-prepared - they gave their preparation a 3.9 on a scale of 1 to 5.
Only 13 percent believed they were performing at a lower level than they expected at four-year institutions. Nearly 61 percent were performing at about the level they anticipated, and more than 26 percent at higher levels.
Fewer than 10 percent thought they were less prepared than classmates who had been attending four-year schools all along.
Among the 1993-94 New River graduates enrolled in four-year colleges, only two had grade-point averages below 2.0. One-third of the graduates had GPAs in the 3.0 to 3.49 range, and one-fourth were in the 3.5 to 4 range.
More than half of the NRCC graduates planned to earn at least a bachelor's degree.
A check of the numbers of NRCC students enrolled in college transfer programs during the past five spring semesters shows a high for spring 1993. Lower numbers in 1994 and 1995 reflect lower numbers of NRCC students overall, but they still amount to about 20 percent of the student body.
The number of college transfer students in spring of 1991 was 669; 1992, 793; 1993, 817; 1994, 765; and 1995, 717.
The general studies college transfer program has always had the highest numbers, followed by business administration, science, education and liberal arts.
by CNB