Does Geography Matter? A Regional Analysis of Early Transfer within Ontario Post-Secondary Education

The relationship between geography and early transfer behavior has received limited empirical attention. In this study, we track six cohorts of university and community college entrants to examine differences in the early pathways they travel through Ontario post-secondary education (PSE), paying particular attention to how transfer pathway uptake by students in the province's rural north might vary from those in the more urbanized southern regions. Overall, we observe only modest regional differences in early transfer pathway uptake, with parental income proving to be a more constituent predictor of transfer. However, we do find more sizable net regional differences in the propensity that students will drop out within two years of entering PSE, with northern students being significantly more at risk of leaving PSE in their early years.

Automated summary

This study examines differences in the early transfer behavior among university and community college entrants in Ontario, particularly focusing on the variation between students in the rural north and urbanized southern regions. The findings suggest that there are only modest regional differences in early transfer pathway uptake, but significant regional disparities in the dropout rates within two years of entering post-secondary education, with northern students being more at risk of leaving early.