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Despite clear links to improving college outcomes, descriptive details about the kinds of student-faculty interactions that are most helpful for STEM students are less well understood. In this qualitative interview study, we investigate what micro interactions are most helpful – and consequential – for STEM students’ persistence and success, especially transfer students. We found that students who experienced positive, caring interactions with at least one faculty member in their major tended to feel more connected to their discipline, had greater confidence in their abilities in STEM, and often put forth more effort in their studies. Transfer students were especially impacted by the quality of care they received from faculty; those who had negative experiences with faculty were often left feeling less capable and discouraged to continue in their STEM discipline. STEM faculty should show interest in students’ learning and long-term academic and career goals and provide sufficient availability for one-on-one help. 

Vertical transfer from community college to a university offers a promising, although unrealized, pathway to diversify STEM disciplines. Studying how successful transfer-­receiving universities support STEM transfer students can offer insights into the institutional practices that promote transfer student retention and success. Using institutional data is crucial to identify vulnerable populations within the STEM transfer population and to design necessary changes in practice or policy, especially at the department level. Providing discipline-specific multidimensional support throughout STEM transfer students’ undergraduate careers can improve transfer rates and retention and ease students’ transition to the univer­sity. Although universities have developed promising practices and programs, support for STEM transfer students is not systematically available and should be more targeted, intentional, and comprehensive throughout the transfer and adjustment process. 

Community colleges have long been touted as a pathway to increase social mobility through their transfer function, yet this promise has not always been realized. This study uses the lens of community cultural wealth, particularly the concepts of aspirational, social, and navigational capitals, to understand vertical transfer students’ experiences and outcomes during the pandemic. Longitudinal interviews were conducted with 27 students over a four-year period as they moved through the transfer pathway in STEM majors. Students who transferred to a university immediately prior to or during the pandemic experienced greater academic and navigational challenges and reported diminished access to social capital. Students employed multiple, informal navigational strategies and drew on social networks, when possible, to maintain their academic progress. Findings also reveal the importance of the transfer-receiving department, especially access to supportive institutional agents, in sustaining STEM transfer students’ progress during COVID-19.