March 2026, Eye on Research
Commentary
March arrives with a sense of urgency familiar to anyone working in enrollment. For transfer learners, spring is often a season of consequential decisions—where to go, whether to go, whether credits already earned will matter when they get there. This month, I want to share a preview of what we learned when we measured the answer to the last question.
As noted in our February blog, AACRAO recently surveyed members about the time it takes their institution to complete the admissions decision, the official credit evaluation, and the official degree-applicability assessment. These three processes are critical for transfer learners. We're finalizing that report now. I want to share with you some early reflections before it lands in your inbox.
The central conclusion I keep returning to is the sequential model we've inherited—admissions decision first, credit evaluation second, degree applicability last or not at all—is a design choice. It is not an operational inevitability. It is a choice.
That reframing matters. When something feels inevitable, we work around it. When we recognize it as a choice, we can ask if it's the right one.
Here is what preliminary data tells us. Seventy-seven percent of institutions complete an official credit evaluation as part of the admissions process. That's an encouraging data point. But when we look at the degree-applicability assessment—telling a learner specifically how their earned credits will apply to a particular degree program—the picture shifts considerably. Only 54% of institutions include it as part of the regular admissions process. Nineteen percent do not complete it during admissions, and 27% indicate it depends on the situation.
Consider what this means for a learner navigating that experience. They receive an admissions offer and are expected to make an enrollment decision. Will their prior coursework count toward their intended major? How many additional semesters will they need? How much will this transfer ultimately cost them? Answers to these questions are still pending. Yet we expect the learner to make a sound decision based on partial information.
Research on judgment and decision making reminds us that people often don't recognize the significance of missing information when making a decision. They proceed with what they have, forming judgments they believe are complete. In the transfer context, this means learners who commit to an institution without credit evaluation or degree-applicability information may not realize they're operating with an incomplete picture. In effect, the system produces confident decisions made under conditions of structured uncertainty.
What I find most striking in our preliminary data is the existence of institutions that have closed this gap. Among respondents, 19% of institutions complete credit evaluations concurrent with the admission decision. Ten percent complete one before an admission decision is made.
For degree applicability, 14% complete assessments concurrent with admission. Six percent complete an assessment before an admissions decision is communicated. These are not large percentages. But they are proof that today a different model is operationally possible at institutions of varying sizes, types, and resource levels.
That's the real headline from this work. The field is not failing. Institutions are largely satisfied with their timelines, and many are genuinely working to make improvements. The headline is that the institutions on the leading edge have demonstrated something the rest of us can learn from. When the will and the process design align, the sequential model gives way to something more learner-centered.
I want to close with a question raised by the data. If we could measure the enrollment decisions learners did not make—transfers that didn't happen, stop-outs who didn't return, learners who chose a less-aligned institution because it gave them credit information sooner—what would that number be? We cannot measure it directly. But some answers are in the data we do have. Sixty percent of stopped-out learners say they would probably return if provided with clear program-completion details.
The transfer timeline is not just an operational metric. It is a measure of how much we trust learners with the information they need to make good decisions about their own lives.
The full report will be available on April 15th. I look forward to hearing your reactions to the findings after you have read it. Reach out at wendyk@aacrao.org. Your perspective on what's working and what isn't informs everything we do.
Calls to Participate
FERPA and Noncredit Learners: Your Perspective Matters
Privacy protections do not always follow a straight line, especially when a learner doesn't fit a traditional mold. As institutions expand noncredit offerings, workforce programs, and other learning experiences outside traditional degree pathways, questions emerge about how the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) applies and who it actually protects.
AACRAO and University Professional and Continuing Education Association (UPCEA) are examining whether additional guidance is needed on how FERPA definitions apply to learners in noncredit courses and other institutional learning experiences. A survey has been created to gather information on this topic, which we invite you to take. At the heart of this work are two simple questions. When does someone become a "learner in attendance"? What privacy protections should follow?
The brief survey is intended to gather professional perspectives from the field to help determine whether AACRAO should pursue additional guidance or advocacy on this issue. Your front-line experience navigating these questions is the kind of evidence that shapes meaningful policy work. You may access the survey below.
Key questions the survey explores include the following:
- When should learners in noncredit experiences be considered "learners in attendance" under FERPA?
- What educational records exist for these learners?
- How do institutions currently manage educational records?
- Do current FERPA definitions create practical challenges for your institution?
Deadline: April 10, 2026. Your response to this survey could have a lasting impact on how institutions protect the privacy of an increasingly diverse learner population. Access the survey here. Contact Beth Warner at beth.warner@wisc.edu with any questions about the survey or the overall project.
Registrars, Policies, and the Learner Experience
My name is Katie Rendon. I am a doctoral student at Aspen University. My area of research is how registrars describe the clarity and accessibility of academic policies that enhance the learner experience. This qualitative descriptive research study is guided by two research questions.
- Research Question 1: How do institutional registrars describe how policy clarity enhances the learner experience?
- Research Question 2: How do institutional registrars describe how policy accessibility enhances the learner experience?
More information about this study is available in this Google Form. If you are interested in participating, please complete the form; it will be available through March 31, 2026.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me via email at katiebrown599@gmail.com. You may also contact my dissertation chair, Dr. Joanne Weiss, at jweiss@aspen.edu.
AACRAO Research Updates
Transcript-Practices Survey Currently Deployed
This survey is currently deployed and will close on April 15, 2026. If you are an AACRAO primary contact, please keep an eye on your email for the link. We appreciate your participation in this survey. Your responses will support the development of a new edition of the AACRAO Academic Record and Transcript Guide as we update the 2019 version.
The survey covers:
- official transcript content
- transfer-credit recording practices
- identity-related record changes
- communication of academic decisions
The 2019 guide has served as a reference for registrars and enrollment professionals. Your participation will ensure the next edition reflects current institutional practices.
Forthcoming Benchmarking
In late summer, we will deploy the Chief Enrollment Management Career Profile survey.
In fall 2026, we will deploy two 60-Second Surveys. The first will ask about FERPA-related academic-record practices for noncredit-learner records to support the efforts of the AACRAO and UPCEA working group mentioned above. The second will benchmark practice and policy related to efforts to prevent admissions fraud.
Current Higher-Education Research and Related Topics
Several Relevant Articles from Hanover Research
We have found several interesting pieces on the Research & Insights website from Hanover Research. The site includes all of their publicly available reports, toolkits, infographics, blogs, webinars, and case studies. In addition, they plan to publish more original research pieces in 2026. These include Top 10 Degrees on the Rise in April, Top Career Skills for New Grads in May, the 2026 National Admitted Student Survey in August, and the 2026 National Prospective Student Survey in October. We will summarize the research as reports become available.
Bridging the Higher-Education Confidence Gap
Gallup’s latest data reveals a striking divide between a skeptical general public and the surprisingly positive outlook of actual learners and alumni. While the "outside" world is concerned with cost and campus culture, those on the inside see their degree as a winning investment.
- Over 90% of current bachelor’s-degree learners believe their education is worth the money, despite low public trust in the sector.
- Most learners report feeling fully prepared for their careers and, contrary to popular narratives, believe they can speak their minds freely on campus.
- While cost remains the biggest hurdle for the public, over the past ten years, 80% of degree holders stated they landed a high-quality job within a year of finishing school.
The Reality of the Adjunct- Faculty Crisis
A February report from CUPA-HR offers a sobering look at the adjunct workforce. It highlights how these essential instructors are often the most educated, but least supported, members of a campus community. It’s a call for institutions to take a closer look at how they compensate the people who teach nearly 50% of their courses.
- Adjuncts now make up roughly 40% of the faculty workforce, yet only about 33% of institutions offer them healthcare benefits.
- The median pay is so low that an adjunct teaching a "full" load earns an annual salary significantly below the national average.
- Reliance on part-time labor is highest at associate institutions, where adjuncts represent 66% of the total faculty.
Why Better Academic-Coach Training Equals Better Retention
InsideTrack’s new study moves past the idea that just "having" academic coaches is enough. The study proves the specific quality of coaches’ training drives learner success. InsideTrack has developed a framework showing how specific skills, like empathy and active listening, are drivers of long-term persistence.
- Effective coaching relies on a research-backed "Theory of Change" connecting professional development to tangible learner outcomes.
- Research warns that poorly trained support staff can actually hinder a learner’s experience, rather than help it.
- Building a safe, trusted environment through specialized training ultimately gives learners the resilience to stay enrolled.
Redefining a Learner’s Financial Journey
TouchNet’s 2026 report highlights how administrative hurdles and cumbersome payment processes are increasingly eating into learners' mental bandwidth and academic performance. The takeaway is simple. If we want learners to focus on their grades, we have to make the "business side" of being a learner as free of friction as possible.
- More than 50% of the learners surveyed admit that managing their tuition and expenses is a major distraction from their studies.
- Payment flexibility has become a competitive advantage, with a majority of learners (40% slightly influenced, 27% strongly influenced) choosing where to enroll based on how easy it is to pay.
- To simplify the daily campus experience, there is a need for mobile-first tools, ranging from digital IDs to automated refund systems.
Designing the Ideal Hybrid Learner Experience
These survey findings from Rize Education explore a "missing middle" in higher education. Learners are looking for a thoughtful blend of digital and in-person learning that fits their modern lives. Data suggest that colleges that stick to an "all or nothing" approach to online learning will lose out on the next generation of learners.
- The majority of incoming high schoolers now expect to take at least one online class every term.
- Inflexibility has become a deal breaker. Over 30% of learners would walk away from their top-choice school for a second choice that offers better hybrid options.
- Current undergraduates are increasingly vocal about wanting more online-course availability than what their school currently provides.
Visualizing Success with the Program Mapper
The Community College Research Center recently released a guide for a new tool called the Program Mapper. It helps schools see which academic paths lead to a living wage and which ones leave learners drifting. It was created to help colleges move past basic enrollment numbers and start designing more intentional, goal-aligned journeys for their learners.
- The tool turns enrollment data into clear visuals, highlighting where learners are stuck in "low-value" tracks that do not lead to high-paying jobs or smooth transfers.
- One important takeaway is that the simple act of creating a personalized educational plan can be an important, but often ignored, strategy for keeping learners enrolled.
- The guide offers five specific strategies for faculty and advisors to sync their schedules and support services with what learners need to succeed postgraduation.
Resilience Among First-Generation Freshmen
This longitudinal study, published in Trends in Higher Education, examines how underrepresented minority (URM) freshmen in Portugal navigate the transition to college. It focuses on how pre-existing stress and family support shaped their mental health.
Findings suggest a learner's background creates very different "resilience profiles." Standard wellness measures might not hit the mark for everyone. Research of this type may be relevant to institutions in the United States.
- First-generation learners often start their college journey with higher baseline anxiety than their peers whose parents attended college.
- While parental support is a huge safety net for continuing-generation learners, it does not always provide the same level of psychological protection for first-generation learners.
- Researchers believe universities need to move away from generic support, instead building "context-aware" mental-health interventions that chronicle a learner's specific life experience.
Navigating the 2026 "Return on Credential" Shift
Deloitte’s 2026 outlook highlights a major turning point where the traditional university-revenue model hits a wall. Between the sponsored research reset and the rise of AI, the report suggests the most successful institutions will be those that stop talking about "college costs" and start proving a "return on the credential."
- Graduate enrollment is facing a tough climb, thanks to the elimination of Grad PLUS loan options and new, tighter lifetime borrowing caps.
- There is a growing trend of "radical transparency," in which schools are forced to justify the market value of every degree they offer to combat eroding public trust.
- The report predicts an uptick in mergers and strategic partnerships as institutions look for ways to survive the pullback in federal research funding.