The primary purpose of this study was to determine if students have earned more STARS articulated and transferrable hours since the creation of the STARS program than students did before the existence of the program in the state of Alabama. Study results revealed that the STARS program has had a significant impact on the amount of articulated credit hours students have earned since the creation of the STARS program. Additional variables such as ethnicity, gender, GPA, status, and student type were also used to determine if significant differences existed among these variables in students completing STARS-approved hours. Pre-existing data were used as the data source for the study. Non-identifiable, academic transcripts of 240 randomly selected associate degree graduates from Shelton State Community College were used in the study. Study years included 20 randomly selected students from each pre STARS chosen year (1992-1997) and from each post STARS (2002-2007) year for a total of 240 study graduates.

Results of the statistical analysis were presented in both narrative and table form, answering the six research questions. The independent variable for the study was the STARS articulation program. The dependent variable for the study was the number of STARS-approved hours completed. An analysis of variance or ANOVA was used to analyze data. The study concludes with study summary, conclusions, implications, and recommendations for further research