To date, much of the research on the community college's effect on baccalaureate degree (B.A.) attainment has been based on the assumption that the educational attainment process occurs in the same way at two- and four-year institutions. However, the distinctive mission and clientele of community colleges create a different environment than that of a typical four-year college, and, as a result, some predictors of B.A. attainment may behave differently in the two contexts. Data gathered in a 14-year longitudinal study of students who first entered the City University of New York in the early 1970s indicate that the community college effect may not act uniformly on all types of students. Several variables were analyzed, including students' gender, ethnicity, age at entry, family income, father's education, high school grades, high school academic preparation courses, academic self-confidence, orientation to higher education, degree aspirations, employment status, amount of remediation needed, first-year grade point average, and baccalaureate attainment. Study findings included the following: (1) students who began at the community college level were 21% less likely to earn a B.A. than students who entered a four-year institution; (2) both Blacks and Hispanics were 27% less likely than Whites to earn a B.A.; (3) students who intended to earn an associate degree were 33% less likely to earn a B.A. than students who aimed higher; (4) at senior colleges, Blacks and Whites with the same background characteristics were equally likely to graduate, but among two-year college entrants, Blacks were at a slight disadvantage; and (5) students who enrolled in the liberal arts at a community college were substantially more likely to earn a B.A. than otherwise comparable students in vocational programs. (ALB)