Increase in student transfers worrying alumni offices - Jon Marcus, Hechinger Report

Maya Gunaseharan spent her first year in college at American University, then transferred to Cornell. And that was after 12 years at a private school in New Jersey. Now all three ask her to contribute money. “I do feel a pull, because I had a really great first year at American,” said Gunaseharan, who is 24. “But I’ve seen a very clear return as a result of my degree from Cornell. So I absolutely feel the tension about who to give to.” Universities and colleges are feeling it too. Already dealing with financial problems on many fronts, they’re worried that the large proportion of students transferring from one school to another will make it harder to solicit alumni donations. Today, one-third of all students change schools at least once in five years, and a quarter at least twice, according to the National Student Clearinghouse, which tracks this. http://hechingerreport.org/content/increase-student-transfers-worrying-alumni-offices_17091/