ERIC Number: EJ1043405
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2014-Jun-3
Pages: 4
Abstractor: ERIC
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-1938-5978
EISSN: N/A
Community College Transfers Can Thrive at Best Colleges and Universities
Froimson, Emily
New England Journal of Higher Education, Jun 2014
Not surprisingly, low-income students are more likely than their higher-income peers to start postsecondary education at lower-cost community colleges than at four-year institutions. Add this fact to the booming enrollment at community colleges--approximately 7 million students or nearly half of all undergraduate students today--and one can quickly surmise that community colleges are an important starting point for low-income students of all academic abilities seeking to obtain bachelor's degrees. However, in spite of the high-profile national agenda to improve college outcomes for low-income students, as few as 12% of community college students who express an intention to transfer and complete a bachelor's degree actually do so, according to a 2013 report by the Century Foundation. So what more can be done to push students along to bachelor's degree completion? In 2006, the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation took on this challenge and funded 14 highly selective colleges and universities with the goal of developing practices that promote sustainable increases in the number of community college high-achievers from low- to moderate-income backgrounds. Part of the goal was not just increased enrollment but student success at those institutions. The program, called the Community College Transfer Initiative (CCTI), was funded for eight years through 2014. One of the key takeaways for the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation is that there are many students who excel in community colleges and will continue to excel if given the chance to transfer to highly selective colleges. Whether they get to transfer, however, is largely in the hands of the leadership, faculty, and staff at both the four-year and two-year colleges.
Descriptors: College Transfer Students, Two Year College Students, Low Income Groups, Graduation, High Achievement, Student Financial Aid, Success, Academic Persistence, Grade Point Average, Transitional Programs, Access to Education, Student Personnel Services
New England Board of Higher Education. 45 Temple Place, Boston, MA 02111. Tel: 617-357-9620; Fax: 617-338-1577; e-mail: info@nebhe.org; Web site: http://www.nebhe.org
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A