America’s economic prosperity depends on its ability to prepare all young people for college, career, and life, and
community colleges are instrumental in providing these opportunities. Every year, they educate and train more than 6.2 million students, from recent high school graduates to retirees aiming to learn a new language or skill.
Degree aspirations, however, frequently go unfulfilled. Only 22 percent of students entering a community college emerge with a degree three years later. An estimated 60 percent of community college enrollees first must take remedial courses before they can even begin taking credit-bearing classes, and data suggest that only about one-third of those students eventually graduate.
Encouraging degree completion among two-year college students is a complex issue, especially when compared to four-year colleges. As open access institutions, any American can enroll in a community college, whether or not they have a high school diploma. People can attend a community college to earn a GED, enroll in adult remedial courses, learn a skill, take a few classes and transfer to a four-year program, or actually earn an associate degree or even a bachelor’s degree.
The multiple missions of community colleges make it difficult for them to focus on completion and to accurately track effectiveness. While community colleges have incredibly low completion rates, these statistics measure credentials awarded relative to all students who enroll, no matter their purpose in enrolling.
The demographics of community colleges are also challenging. Two-year college students are more than twice as likely to be enrolled part time, and it is estimated that over 70 percent of two-year college students are employed an average of 30 hours per week. Two-year college students are far less likely to be of traditional college-going age (18 to 24) than four-year college students, and they are also more likely to be minorities and to come from families of lower socioeconomic status.