A qualitative pilot study designed to ask transfer students about their transfer experiences and develop practices that will increase transfer student success and retention is being conducted. When completed, this qualitative study will include a series of three interviews occurring at three major epochs during a transfer student's first year of study in an undergraduate engineering degree program. The study includes students transferring from community colleges, students transferring from two partner universities in China, and nontraditional students pursuing second careers. The goal of the study is to identify those key factors that lead to a student successfully transferring to undergraduate engineering degree programs.