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Published
2026-06-19
Section
Feature Articles
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Copyright (c) 2026 Huy Nguyen, Christopher Wolters, Lauren Hensley
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.
Copyright of all articles published in JCOTR belong to the author(s) and are published under a CC BY-NC license.
How to Cite
Adjustment Experiences of Students Who Internally Transfer from a Regional to Flagship Campus
Huy Nguyen
The Ohio State University
https://orcid.org/0009-0005-4391-646X
Christopher Wolters
The Ohio State University
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8406-038X
Lauren Hensley
Ohio Wesleyan University
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9639-7740
DOI: https://doi.org/10.24926/jcotr.v33i1.7022
Keywords: transfer student, adjustment, belonging
Abstract
This study explored the transition experiences of internal transfer students who transfer from a regional to a flagship campus within a large, multi-campus institution. We conducted focus group interviews with 34 undergraduate internal transfer students to understand the challenges and affordances to successful transition and adjustment. Our findings revealed that these students experienced similar academic and social adjustment challenges to community college transfers, while also experiencing challenges unique to the regional-to-flagship campus transfer pathway. Successful transition and adjustment to the flagship campus was partly attributed to students’ robust social supports.
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Author Biographies
Huy Nguyen, The Ohio State University
Huy Q. Nguyen is a doctoral candidate in the Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State University.
Christopher Wolters, The Ohio State University
Christopher A. Wolters is a professor in the Department of Educational Studies at The Ohio State Universit.
Lauren Hensley, Ohio Wesleyan University
Lauren C. Hensley is the director of holistic advising at Ohio Wesleyan University.
