Cultivating the transfer landscape: Using a CRT framework to examine transfer receptivity at a Hispanic Serving Research Institution

When students of color transfer to Hispanic Serving Research Institutions (HSRI), they experience institutional barriers and stigmatization. Through 268 HSRI transfer students of color (TSOC) surveys and 12 interviews from four focus groups, we examined the role of stigmatization, campus relationships, and cultural strengths on TSOC's sense of belonging. Quantitative results showed greater stigmatization was associated with a lower sense of belonging, while stronger faculty and peer relationships and greater navigational and aspirational capital positively predicted a greater sense of belonging. Faculty and peer relationships mitigated the negative effects of stigmatization on sense of belonging. Qualitative results capture the intersectional marginalities experienced by our participants and how transfer receptivity was shaped by the prejudiced assumptions others have of TSOC, isolating white spaces, and a lack of transfer-specific resources. We highlight the importance of campus relationships and students’ cultural strengths in navigating the transfer landscape and make institutional recommendations to cultivate transfer receptivity.