A recent report demonstrates that attending a community college increases the chance for low-income, underrepresented students to attend selective four-year institutions.
In the research paper, “Does the Community College Pathway Influence the Selectivity of Students’ Destination 4-Year Institution?” authors Dr. Justin C. Ortagus and Dr. Xiaodan Hu answer with a resounding “yes.” When comparing minority, low-income and academically underprepared students who directly entered four-year institutions with students of similar backgrounds who went first to community colleges, the students who transferred from community colleges were 24% more likely to attend a selective college or university.
“It’s not correct to say, ‘Community colleges are just for students to complete their remedial education and to major in CTE (career and technical education) courses,’” says Hu, assistant professor of higher education and program coordinator of the Community College Leadership Program at Northern Illinois University. “People tend to overlook the richness that community colleges provide.”
Affordable pathways
The researchers used data from the Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study for 2004–09 conducted by the U.S. Department of Education to estimate the influence of transferring from a community college versus directly entering a four-year institution on the selectivity of the destination institution.
Ortagus and Hu’s study included 7,110 students nationwide, for whom
starting higher education at a selective college or university was not a likely option. Those who chose to attend four-year institutions went to either open admission or minimally selective institutions.
