Community college credential completion rates are low and have slightly declined, with markedly lower rates for black and Hispanic students¶

Claim · All claims
Evidence · 1 study · design r1 · q2
Currency · newest study 2011 · not yet checked against its sources · not reviewed by a person · overdue for a recheck since 2016: baselines and conditions change

Subclaims¶

q2 i? Roughly 21-23 percent of community college entrants earned a credential within three years, and rates for black and Hispanic students were about 12 and 16 percent respectively. → Nodine 2011

Evidence¶

Nodine 2011¶

Nodine, T., Venezia, A., and Bracco, K. (2011). Changing Course: A Guide to Increasing Student Completion in Community Colleges. San Francisco, CA: WestEd. http://knowledgecenter.completionbydesign.org/knowledge-center

q2 · i? · design · r1

The guide reports national completion statistics for community college cohorts, stating that "roughly 23 percent earned a credential" for the 1999 cohort and roughly 21 percent for the 2005 cohort within three years. It separately reports about 12 percent for black and 16 percent for Hispanic students in the 2005 cohort.

"Among students who began at a public community college in 1999, roughly 23 percent earned a credential ( that is, a certificate or an associate’s degree ) within three years. Among those who began in 2005 ( the most recent year for which data are available ), roughly 21 percent earned a credential after three years."

Discussion¶

Related Claims¶

• Four-year college graduation rates remained flat at about 49 percent for direct four-year enrollees, with much lower rates for two-year (8 percent) and delayed enrollees (4 percent) — related
• Among 2014 CPS graduates who immediately enrolled in college, 46% completed a credential within six years, with large gaps by enrollment pathway — related
• Delaying college enrollment was associated with low completion: only 8 percent of CPS students who delayed completed a degree or credential within six years — related
• Six-year college completion among the CPS class of 2015 varied sharply by enrollment pathway: 55.8% for immediate four-year enrollees, 32.5% for immediate two-year enrollees, and 7.8% for delayed/non-enrollees — related
• Completion rates at two-year and less-than-two-year for-profit colleges (60 and 66 percent) are considerably higher than the 22-percent rate at public community colleges — related
• Students who commit to a program of study within their first year are more likely to complete a credential or transfer within five years — related
• Years of science study in high school are directly related to college entrance exam achievement, and Hispanic and Black students complete advanced science courses at smaller rates — related