Iowa's 15 community colleges are advocating for legislative authority to offer four-year bachelor's degrees, joining a growing national movement to address workforce needs and educational access gaps in rural America.
The push comes as Iowa faces a significant credential gap: 42% of jobs currently require a bachelor's degree while only 22% of residents hold one. The state's public universities primarily serve central and eastern regions, leaving many rural communities more than 30 miles from a four-year institution.
Community colleges, by contrast, operate 35 campuses across 15 districts plus more than 100 additional sites statewide, offering open-access admission and lower tuition than traditional four-year institutions.
"We know from national studies that of the students who when they start college say they plan to transfer, only a third actually do," Shields said. "So that's evidence that we're leaving two-thirds of our potential baccalaureate-degree holders on the table because they don't end up finding that transfer is something that works for them."
Iowa joins a rapidly expanding movement. Currently, 203 community colleges across 24 states offer 736 bachelor's degrees, with neighboring Illinois and Nebraska considering similar legislation this session.
Florida, an early adopter, conferred nearly 8,000 community college bachelor's degrees in one year across 28 campuses. California reports graduation rates between 67% and 78% for these programs.
