In fact, one-fourth of all college students who begin at a community college go on to a four-year institution, and of those, 60 percent graduate with their bachelor’s degree. While they did not finish their education at the community college, these students moved onto bigger goals for their education and their future. For example, an article in the Patriot Ledger reports that some of the community college "dropouts" might include students who transfer to a four-year institution before earning their associate's degree.
While the AIR numbers are specifically related to enrollment at four-year institutions, they do not bode well for community colleges either, particularly at a time when President Obama is trying to raise graduation rates at two-year schools.īut are these statistics really accurate? For educators and others who delve further into the facts and figures, it appears that many students may be getting more benefit from community college than the initial data might indicate. AIR vice president Mark Schneider claims that more than $9 billion is spent on these students each year by state and federal governments, yet all that funding fails to produce a college graduate that could bring those years of education to the country's workforce. Further data from AIR shows that only about 60% of college students graduate from four-year colleges and universities within six years. Within three years, approximately 22 percent of students graduate, and within four years, the rate stands at 28 percent. However, do these numbers really paint an accurate picture of what is happening in community colleges and four-year institutions across the country? This article will explore the many reasons for high dropout rates, including flaws in the manner in which such data is collected.Īs shown in the graph above, data from the National Center for Education Statistics shows that only 13 percent of community college students graduate in two years.
A recent study published by the American Institutes for Research (AIR) paints a similarly grim picture by indicating that high college dropout rates cost both state and federal governments billions of dollars each year. According to the Hechinger Report, fewer than one out of five students at community colleges obtain their desired degree in three years or less.
Throughout his administration, President Obama has shined a major spotlight on America’s college graduation rates, and community colleges are feeling the pressure.
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