Baccalaureate Success of Transfers and Rising 4-Year College Juniors

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 55-89 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Melguizo ◽  
Alicia C. Dowd
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
The State ◽  
Low Ses ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Institutional Selectivity ◽  
Negative Effect ◽  
Junior Students

Background/Context A longstanding debate continues concerning whether community colleges democratize education by expanding enrollment or divert students from attaining a bachelor's degree. The extant evidence is contradictory, but recent findings suggest that community colleges are serving to democratize education without a sizeable diversion effect preventing students from ultimately earning the bachelor's degree. The diversion effect appears to be much smaller than previously stated. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The main objective of this study is to compare the effect of being a successful community college “transfer” student instead of a “rising junior” in a 4-year college on bachelor's degree attainment (250 transfers and 790 rising juniors). This study examines the effect of socioeconomic status (SES) and institutional selectivity on the bachelor's degree completion of transfer students and rising 4-year college juniors. Data Collection and Analysis We analyze the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88/2000) high school senior class of 1992 to compare the degree completion outcomes of two samples—transfer and rising junior students—with equivalent degree aspirations. Logistic regression is used to estimate the differences in attainment. Interactions are included to examine the effect of SES and institutional selectivity. To address the problem of selection of students into institutions, we control for proxy variables for students’ motivation. In addition, a Heckman two-stage regression model is estimated using the average state tuition in the state where the student finished high school as the instrumental variable. Finally, to adjust for unobserved institutional characteristics related to the state where the institution is located, a model that includes a state-level dummy variable indicating those that have strong transfer and articulation systems is estimated to more fully control for state characteristics. Findings/Results Three main findings emerge from this inquiry. First, the negative effect of being a transfer as opposed to a rising junior diminishes substantially after controlling for differences in SES. The negative effect “disappears” in the sense of not being statistically significant, after corrections for self-selection bias and the addition of variables controlling for transfer policies in the state where the student attended college. Second, and consistent with prior research, degree completion rates increase with selectivity of the 4-year institution attended. Third, the results show that when we allow the effects of community college attendance to vary by SES by introducing an interaction term, there are no statistically significant differences between the completion rates of low-SES transfer and low-SES rising junior students. Conclusions/Recommendations Our main conclusion is that previous estimates have overstated the diversion effect. Alongside other recent contributions to the democratization-ver-sus-diversion-effect debate, this study provides an additional piece of evidence demonstrating that the diversion effect is much smaller than was previously estimated. Community college practitioners should feel confident in counseling traditional-age students who want to earn the bachelor's degree to transfer, because the evidence shows that they are as likely to succeed as their 4-year college counterparts.

scholarly journals Beyond BA Blinders: Lessons from Occupational Colleges and Certificate Programs for Nontraditional Students

2013 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 153-172 ◽  
Author(s):  
James E Rosenbaum ◽  
Janet Rosenbaum
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Nontraditional Students ◽  
Postsecondary Education ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Private Colleges ◽  
Career Preparation ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Certificate Programs ◽  
Student Difficulties

Postsecondary education mostly focuses on the four-year BA degree. Community colleges are often promoted as the first step toward the ultimate goal of a four-year degree. However, community colleges have extremely poor degree completion rates. There is evidence suggesting better results for their private, two-year counterparts—particularly for certificate completion. We will focus on occupational colleges—private accredited colleges that offer career preparation in occupational fields like health care, business, information technology, and others. These institutions challenge many of our preconceptions about college. They are less wedded to college traditions, which raises some interesting questions: Do private colleges offering certificates or AA degrees use different procedures? Should community colleges consider some of these procedures to reduce student difficulties and improve their completion rates? For many community college students, earning a more likely, quick sub-BA credential—perhaps followed by a four-year degree in the future—will be preferable to the relatively unlikely pathway from a community college program directly to a four-year BA. In sum, this paper suggests that nontraditional colleges and nontraditional credentials (certificates and AA degrees) deserve much closer attention from researchers, policymakers, and students.

scholarly journals Supporting Community College Students from Start to Degree Completion: Long-Term Evidence from a Randomized Trial of CUNY’s ASAP

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 253-297 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michael J. Weiss ◽  
Alyssa Ratledge ◽  
Colleen Sommo ◽  
Himani Gupta
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Graduation Rates ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Low Income ◽  
Randomized Experiments ◽  
Low Income Students ◽  
Percentage Points ◽  
The City

Nationwide, graduation rates at community colleges are discouragingly low. This randomized experiment provides evidence that graduation rates can be increased dramatically. The City University of New York’s (CUNY) Accelerated Study in Associate Programs (ASAP) is a comprehensive, integrated, 3-year program that has an estimated 18 percentage point effect on 3-year graduation rates, increases 6-year graduation rates by an estimated 10 percentage points, and helps students graduate more quickly. Graduation effect estimates of this magnitude are exceptional in randomized experiments conducted in higher education, offering hope of what is possible when serving low-income students. (JEL H75, I23, I24, I28)

Are Community Colleges an Alternative Path for Hispanic Students to Attain a Bachelor's Degree?

2009 ◽  
Vol 111 (1) ◽  
pp. 90-123 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tatiana Melguizo
Keyword(s):  
High School ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Hispanic Students ◽  
Individual Characteristics ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Institutional Characteristics ◽  
High School Senior ◽  
Senior Class ◽  
School Senior

Background/Context This study contributes to the longstanding debate over whether community colleges democratize education or divert students from attaining a bachelor's degree. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study The objective of this study is to determine whether Hispanic students have a lower chance of earning a bachelor's degree (B.A.) if they transfer from a community college. Population/Participants/Subjects This study uses the High School and Beyond Sophomore sample (HS&B/So) high school senior class of 1982 and the National Education Longitudinal Study (NELS:88/2000) high school senior class of 1992 to compare the progress of two samples of “traditional” Hispanic transfer and Hispanic “rising junior” students. The final sample is composed of 220 students from the high school senior class of 1982 and 140 students from the high school senior class of 1992. Research Design Regression analysis is used to identify the effect of being a transfer student on B.A. attainment, after controlling for individual characteristics and institutional characteristics of the community college. Simulation analysis is used to identify the factors that affected B.A. attainment in the 1980s, which are used to predict B.A. rates a decade later. Findings/Results The results show that the negative impact of being a transfer student in the 1980s had disappeared within a decade. The results suggest that the relatively lower attainment rate of Hispanic transfer students is the result of individual characteristics and lack of academic preparation rather than institutional characteristics. Conclusions/Recommendations Although community colleges have the potential to be an alternative path toward a B.A., until transfer rates increase, Hispanics may be better off beginning their college education at a 4-year institution.

scholarly journals Effects of Online Course Load on Degree Completion, Transfer, and Dropout among Community College Students of the State University of New York

2019 ◽  
pp. 291-300
Author(s):  
Peter Shea ◽  
Temi Bidjerano
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
At Risk ◽  
New York ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Online Course ◽  
State University ◽  
Course Load

Past research suggests that some students are at risk of lower levels of academic performance when studying online compared to students who take coursework only in the classroom. Community college students appear to be among those that struggle in online settings. In this paper, we hypothesize that online course load may influence outcomes for such students, especially those at risk for lower levels of degree attainment. To examine this, we conducted a state-wide study using data from the 30 community colleges (n = 45,557) of the State University of New York, to understand online course-load effects on degree completion, transfer, and dropout. We conclude that when controlling for covariates known to impact degree completion, community college students who successfully complete online courses nearly double their chances (odds ratio = 1.72) of earning a degree or transferring to a 4 year college. However, racial minorities had reduced outcomes and additional research is warranted.Post-secondary completion is a significant predictor of a host of individual and societal benefits. Online education has increased access to post-secondary credentials for millions of people. (Allen Siemen, 2016). Community colleges enrol a higher proportion of online students than other institution types (NCES, 2017). However, concerns exist about outcomes for community college students who take online coursework, especially the effect of higher online course loads. The next section briefly summarizes relevant literature reflecting those concerns.

scholarly journals Degree Completion at British Columbia's Universities

1982 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 43-57
Author(s):  
John D. Dennison ◽  
Glen C. Forrester ◽  
Gordon Jones
Keyword(s):  
Community Colleges ◽  
Secondary School ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Completion Time ◽  
Female Students ◽  
Completion Rates ◽  
Academic Standing ◽  
The Impact ◽  
Better Than

This study investigated an important dimension of the performance of students in two of the universities in British Columbia. Specifically, it examined rates of degree completion, time taken to earn the degrees and the final academic standing attained by graduates. The study involved all students who enrolled between 1973 and 1978, both directly from secondary school and as transfer students from the community colleges in the province. Results were reported by faculty, by department in which students majored, and by sex. The results revealed wide variations by faculty and department. Furthermore, results were not consistent between the two universities concerned. For example, female students performed far better than males at one university but not at the other. Finally, the study exposed many differences in performances between direct entry and transfer students, but again, the differences varied by university and faculty. Finally, the study invited both speculation and further research on the reasons for the inconsistent results. Particular attention was drawn to the need to assess the impact of rising admission standards upon students' withdrawals, degree completion rates and final academic standing.

scholarly journals Wyoming Inbre Community College Network Retreat AMK Ranch (UW-NPS Research Center)

2012 ◽  
Vol 35 ◽  
pp. 176-178
Author(s):  
R. Seville
Keyword(s):  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Undergraduate Research ◽  
The State ◽  
Research Center

The Wyoming INBRE Community College network meets yearly to present research taking place throughout the state. The focus is on undergraduate research taking place at the community colleges throughout Wyoming. The students present on their individual projects and faculty present on their research and partnerships they have formed. This is also a time for students and faculty to collaborate on projects statewide.

Expanding the Role of Community Colleges With Workforce Baccalaureate Programs

2021 ◽  
pp. 28-58
Author(s):  
Carmen M. Dones
Keyword(s):  
Higher Education ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
Secondary Data ◽  
Community College Student ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Baccalaureate Degrees ◽  
Mission Creep ◽  
Equity Value ◽  
Bachelor's Degrees

Community colleges have been expanding their mission to include the conferring of bachelor's degrees in career education programs for many years, which has been met with consternation over the quality of a bachelor's degree from a community college, as well as with resources in higher education being limited or redirected when there has been cutbacks in funding. Legislators in some states and critics in higher education refer to the phenomenon of community colleges offering baccalaureate degrees as mission creep, opposed to seeing the equity value in higher degree attainment. Thus, the purpose of the study is to analyze state policies through examination of secondary data to determine the purpose of the community college bachelor's degree programs nationwide, the types of programs being offered, as well as what the phenomenon reveals about being a viable pathway to a higher education degree for the typical community college student.

The Community College Penalty? Examining the Bachelor’s Completion Rates of Community College Transfer Students as a Function of Time

2016 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 3-32 ◽  
Author(s):  
Eric Lichtenberger ◽  
Cecile Dietrich
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community College Students ◽  
Transfer Students ◽  
Degree Completion ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Community College Transfer ◽  
College Transfer ◽  
Community College Transfer Students ◽  
College Transfer Students

Objective: Recent studies have shown that community college transfer students are just as likely to graduate with a bachelor’s degree as students who directly enroll in a 4-year institution. However, these studies do not typically examine whether there is a penalty for community college students in terms of the length of time it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree. In this study, we seek to determine whether there are differences between community college transfer students and direct 4-year college entrants regarding the likelihood of bachelor’s degree completion as a function of time. Method: Propensity score matching with a posttreatment adjustment was used to create observationally equivalent groups of community college transfer students and rising 4-year college juniors. Propensity scores were calculated using a multilevel model with students nested within high schools to account for pretreatment contextual differences. Descriptive survival analysis was applied to ascertain whether differences existed in the cumulative rate of bachelor’s degree completion throughout a 7-year tracking period. Results: Several significant prematch differences between the two groups—community college transfers and 4-year college juniors—were established. It was then demonstrated how the matching process created adequate balance between the two groups on all observed covariates. Although community college students experienced an initial penalty with respect to degree completion until 125% of normal time, the penalty was no longer evident 6 years after initial enrollment in college. Contributions: Given this finding, we discuss the need for policies that help community college transfer students achieve timely bachelor’s degree completion.

scholarly journals American Community Colleges: The International Student’s Guide

2018 ◽  
Vol 8 (2) ◽  
pp. 1264-1266
Author(s):  
Nara M. Martirosyan
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Community College ◽  
Community Colleges ◽  
International Students ◽  
Undergraduate Education ◽  
International Student ◽  
The United States ◽  
Bachelor's Degree ◽  
Foreign Countries ◽  
Tuition Costs

As a former international student, I never thought of an American Community College as being a choice to start undergraduate education in the United States. This is also true for many prospective international students who explore study opportunities in the United States. American community colleges (also called 2-year colleges) offer diverse higher education opportunities with comparatively lower tuition costs. Moreover, unlike in many other foreign countries, American community colleges are often the best pathway to a bachelor’s degree through transfer agreements that exist between community colleges and 4-year institutions.

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