Copyright© 2006 by School Services of California, Inc.

                                      Volume 19                   For Publication Date: December 1, 2006             No. 25

Success Rate of Community College Students
Questioned by New Study 

Most of California’s 2.5 million community college students will neither earn associate’s degrees or transfer to four-year schools, according to a new study by the Public Policy Institute of California (PPIC). 

The report by PPIC examines the community college population in California. The PPIC asked many questions, such as: Why do students attend, and how do their goals differ in relation to their demographics? Which students achieve their objectives for attending community college? Who returns for a second year, who transfers to a four-year institution, and who obtains a degree or certificate? 

Who attends California’s community colleges? 

According to PPIC, in 2003, half of all students were aged 17 to 20, but almost two out of five students were over age 25. The share of younger students has grown in recent years, while the share of older students has dropped. Females outnumbered males, and this difference increased with age. About 40% of entering community college students were white, about 30% were Latino, and almost 15% were Asian/Pacific Islander. Most had high school diplomas, but a substantial number of students without diplomas or with postsecondary degrees also attended. 

Why do students attend community colleges? 

The PPIC study identified student’s reasons for attending community colleges according to the classes they took in their first year. Students took a majority of their classes in one of five areas: classes that are transferable to a four-year institution, vocational education, basic skills or ESL courses, noncredit classes, and miscellaneous courses (which often include associate’s degree courses). 

The study concludes that community colleges have a very high turnover. Half of the students did not attend after the first year. However, transfer-focused students were more likely to return for a second year than were vocational, basic skills, or noncredit students. Most of those who stayed for a second year maintained the academic focus they had begun in their first year. Aside from the large number of who left in their first year, students showed no other clear patterns of attendance duration. 

Further, the study found that most students did not earn a degree or transfer to a four-year institution. Providing associate’s degrees is a major function of community colleges, yet fewer than one-tenth of students earned an associate’s degree. In addition, only about a quarter of students who focused on transfer courses in their first year eventually transferred to a four-year institution. Associate’s degree and transfer rates were highest for younger students and those with either a traditional U.S. or foreign high school diploma. 

The report does point out that most students who focused on noncredit, vocational, or basic skills course who did not return the following year may have achieved their goals in one year. Yet, large shares of transfer and associate’s degree students, whose coursework presumably takes longer than a year, did not attend the next year either. 

The PPIC report concludes that its results show that the pathway to a community college education is not equally effective for all students. They suggest that policy makers and the California community college administration must address this challenge and focus greater effort on improving retention and outcomes for these students. 

The complete report can be found on the PPIC website at www.ppic.org. 

—Arnold Bray