It’s conventional wisdom to say that going to community college, and then transferring to a four-year school, is a great way to save money on a college degree. It makes college more accessible. In keeping with this line of thinking, federal and state governments pour billions into community colleges. But do community colleges produce as sound a return on investment for society as they sometimes do for individuals?
Not if students drop out.
A new study sheds light on the problem:
The nonprofit American Institutes for Research found that from 2004 to 2009, federal, state and local governments spent nearly $4 billion on full-time community college students who dropped out after their first year…
The report highlights a nationwide trend of increasing community college enrollment and spending but declining completion rates at the same time that state funding for higher education has dropped…
The report found that about a fifth of full-time U.S. community college students in the period studied did not return for their second year. In 2009, the most recent year for which data were available, about $1 billion was spent on students who dropped out, up 35% from 2004. Eight states spent more than $25 million in 2009 on students who ultimately dropped out, with California topping the list at $100 million.
This is true. Another side to the question is that someone who probably wasn't cut out for college was able to learn that relatively cheaply. Doesn't negate the cost to the government -- but it sure helps the student (and the parents.)
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseAlso, as Community College enrollments increase it is becoming increasingly difficult for students to get the classes needed to transfer to a 4 year college in a timely fashion. After spending several semesters in P.E. and Studio Art waiting to get English 1, it wouldn't be surprising if many students got frustrated and dropped out.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI wonder if the statistics count as a "dropout" the student who transferred after a year to a four-year college without getting a degree at the community college. I teach at a community college and often advise students who are doing just that.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'd be curious to know how many of your students transition to high-quality / expensive universities. It is hard for me to imagine Elite University accepting transfers from Podunk State Community College, and I really wonder how often it happens.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI'm not sure why it matters that these students do or do not transfer to "high quality/expensive" universities. Students can get a good education at many kinds of schools, not just expensive ones.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseIt matters because community college is often represented as a way for students and parents to avoid two years of tuition at expensive universities.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseMy office mate's son did that: he spent two years at our college and then transferred to a state university to finish his accounting degree. Some of his friends there asked him why he would do such a thing. His reply: "I have no debt right now. How about you?"
I do know of students from our community college who have transferred to our state system universities and to private universities both in and out of our state. (One is going to a university tuition-free because of membership in an honor society.) Quite a few transfer to a local hospital nursing school. As far as I know, no one has gone to an Ivy League school yet, but we are a small college and the odds are against us there. I know some of our graduates who are in graduate school right now and some who have received graduate degrees after leaving our college. I wouldn't say that these are typical graduates, but they at least illustrate the potential.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI can't speak for Jeannine, but I know of quite a few students at University of California schools who did their first few years at community colleges. Some such colleges (including Santa Monica College) are well-known to the admissions committee as "feeder" schools. Students who do well at these schools, and who have solid recommendation letters and test scores, have a good shot at getting in.
If by "Elite University" you're talking about Harvard, Yale, etc., then it's probably a different matter...but that's a problem with those schools, not the students themselves.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseWell, the article makes it sound like the report *did* take transfers into account:
"The figures include only full-time students and are adjusted to account for those who transferred to four-year universities."
...though I'd want to see the original report to be sure. I've also had students who took courses at more than one community college. Some students just moved around a lot because of jobs and the like; others split their semesters between a technical college (which had the best science courses) and a regular community college (which had more humanities courses).
Regardless, I agree with Lloyd--if you're not cut out for college, community college is probably the most efficient way to learn that. It's a heck of a lot cheaper than a few semesters at a private university. I'm always a bit leery of attempts to increase retention rates; all too often, they cause the school to try its best to hang on to *every* student, no matter how unsuited for college.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseThe fact that one-fifth of freshmen entering community colleges do not return doesn't seem all that alarming to me, and there is some question (I gather) as to how effectively the study captures transfer students. Consider that nearly half of all entrants into four-year schools fail to graduate after six years. The cost of those dropouts is much higher--both to themselves and to the public, which is helping pay for their education.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseI think that's true. When I talk with students who have decided to drop out after a semester or two, I generally find that they're quite levelheaded about it: They've realized that college isn't for them, they're cutting their losses, and they've (usually) settled on an alternative career path. Nothing wrong with that--I shake hands, wish them the best, and send them on their way.
The drifters are a different story. These are the students who have floated from major to major (and sometimes college to college) without managing to focus on a specific academic plan. Many were temporarily suspended for academic insufficiency; most took reduced courseloads but still couldn't hack it. When they come to talk to me, they are in their mid- to late 20s and have spent five or six years in college, but they have not earned anything like the GPA or course credit needed to graduate.
There is nothing to say to such students. They have wasted six years and tens of thousands of dollars, and they will leave here with nothing at all--no degree, no transcript worth sending out, not even any decent letters of recommendation. Nothing but student loan debt that'll take them decades to pay off.
So I'm not going to worry about the kids who drop out early; they're a whole lot better off than the ones who drop out late.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbusePart of the problem is that no one is checking the Pell grant system. Every semester there are large numbers of students that drop after they receive their Pell grant checks. These total I believe $5,200 per year (2.6K/semester). Got their money, why go to class. The fed and state are supposed to keep track of the students who are not currently enrolled to justify this Pell grant expense. Problem is they get to enroll next semester and collect another check because no one is paying attention.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseReally? The process works quite differently at my school (though I don't have all the details). If our students stop coming to class and don't withdraw, they'll fail. If they do withdraw, it's marked on their transcript. I'm not sure what happens if they drop everything during the drop-add period at the very beginning of the semester, but I *think* there's an enrollment verification process.
We are also supposed to report students who stop showing up so that their financial aid can be adjusted accordingly. This is not always practicable, especially in a large class, but when a student misses three exams, it's pretty obvious what's going on.
Reply to this commentLinkReport AbuseLorraine,
Here are a few articles on CA.
External Link
External Link
The Pell money the students get is largely profit. Due to their low income status the students receive what is called a BOG waiver (board of governors) and they do not have to pay tuition (over 50% of CA community college students get this BOG waiver). After paying for books, pencils, paper the leftover money is free to spend on anything (government sponsored ipads?).
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