• Community College Students Seeking Formal Credentials
• Completion and Persistence Rates Among Students Seeking Formal Credentials
• Completion Rates and Postsecondary Preparedness
• Community College Completion and Employment Outcomes
• Conclusions
• References

Currently, federal performance measures, as reflected in the Higher Education Act and the Carl D. Perkins Vocational and Technical Education Act, have been primarily limited to completion of formal credentials such as certificates and associate's degrees. However, because community colleges serve students with a wide range of goals and academic preparation (Berkner, Horn, and Clune 2000), holding community colleges accountable only for student attainment may understate their effectiveness in meeting a variety of objectives. This report provides information on the varying goals, preparation, and outcomes of community college students.

This report uses data from the 1996/01 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study (BPS:96/01), the National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/2000), and the 1999–2000 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:2000). Each data set provides a different perspective on the major questions of the analysis. BPS is a representative sample of all undergraduates, regardless of when they graduated from high school, who enrolled in postsecondary education for the first time in 1995–96 and were last interviewed in 2001, about 6 years later. This survey provides the latest data on degree attainment and persistence, as well as 4-year college transfer rates and outcomes. The analysis sample used in this report is limited to BPS students whose first postsecondary enrollment was in a community college.

The NELS survey comprises a grade cohort, which means all respondents are in one grade or are about the same age. NELS respondents were first surveyed in 1988 when they were in the eighth grade, and were followed through high school and college. They were last interviewed in 2000, about 8 years after most of the participants had graduated from high school. Unlike the BPS cohort, which includes first-time students regardless of age, the NELS cohort reflects a more "traditional" group of students—those who enroll in postsecondary education soon after high school graduation. In the analysis for this report, only 1992 high school graduates who first enrolled in a community college within 2 years of high school graduation are included. NELS provides several measures of high school academic preparation to determine how students' academic performance is associated with their college outcomes.

Finally, the NPSAS survey consists of a representative sample of all students enrolled in postsecondary education at one point in time—the 1999–2000 academic year—including students of all ages as well as students who entered postsecondary education at various points in time and who are at different stages of their studies. NPSAS is used to examine the degree objectives of first-time and continuing community college students enrolled in 1999–2000. Drawing upon these three data sets, this study addresses the following research questions:

1. What percentage of students enrolled in community colleges seeks to complete a formal credential, either in a public 2-year institution or through transfer to a 4-year college or university?
2. How do different types of community college students differ in their intentions to complete a formal credential?
3. Among those intending to complete a certificate or degree or transfer to a 4-year institution, what percentage actually do so, and how do rates of completion vary among different types of students?
4. Among students intending to complete a formal credential, what is the relationship between rates of completion and different levels of postsecondary preparedness?
5. When students are asked about the impact of their postsecondary education on various aspects of their labor market participation, how do the responses of students who completed a formal credential differ from those of students who left without a certificate or degree?

The findings of this study suggest that success rates for community college students, as measured by completion of a formal degree or certificate or transfer to a 4-year institution, are roughly 50 to 60 percent among students who enroll with intentions to earn a credential or transfer.

Results from all three data sets suggest that roughly 9 in 10 community college students enroll intending to obtain a formal credential or to transfer to a 4-year institution. As shown in figure A, among all NPSAS undergraduates enrolled in public 2-year institutions in 1999–2000, 11 percent of first-year students and 10 percent of continuing students reported no degree or transfer intentions. Similarly, among BPS students who first enrolled in public 2-year institutions in 1995–96, 11 percent reported no intentions of earning a degree or transferring to a 4-year institution (figure B). NELS 1992 high school graduates were asked what their highest degree expectations were when they were in 12th grade. Among those who first enrolled in public 2-year institutions, 10 percent reported that they were not seeking a degree and that they expected to complete less than 2 years of postsecondary education and nearly two-thirds reported that they were seeking a bachelor's degree or higher (figure C).

Figure A. Percentage distribution of 1999–2000 undergraduates in public 2-year institutions according to their current degree program and when they enrolled

Figure B. Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students first enrolled in public 2-year institutions according to their degree/certificate and transfer expectations

Figure C. Percentage distribution of 1992 high school graduates first enrolled in public 2-year institutions by December 1994 according to highest level of education they expected to complete as reported in 1992

This study first examined the outcomes of BPS students whose first enrollment was in a community college. Among students who intended to obtain a formal credential or to transfer to a 4-year institution, 11 percent had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, 17 percent had earned an associate's degree, and 11 percent had earned a certificate as of 2001, for a total attainment rate of 39 percent (figure D). An additional 12 percent had transferred to a 4-year institution but had not yet attained a degree. In total, 51 percent of BPS community college students who intended to earn a degree or to transfer to a 4-year institution had fulfilled these expectations within 6 years of their initial enrollment.

The study then examined NELS students, who represent more traditional students who enroll in a community college soon after high school graduation. As shown in figure E, among students who intended to obtain a degree, 21 percent had attained a bachelor's degree or higher, 18 percent had attained an associate's degree, and 11 percent had earned a vocational certificate or license as of 2000 (6 to 8 years after entry), for a total attainment rate of 50 percent. An additional 13 percent had not attained a formal credential but had attended a 4-year institution. Thus, in total, about 63 percent of students intending to obtain a formal credential had either done so or had attended a 4-year institution.

About two-thirds of all community college students attend primarily on a part-time basis (Berkner, Horn, and Clune 2000). Therefore, it takes them longer to complete associate's and bachelor's degrees than the typical time expected—2 years and 4 years, respectively, of full-time study. The length of certificate programs varies, but they are typically 1-year full-time programs (Berkner, Horn, and Clune 2000). Among BPS students, the average time from first enrollment to attainment for students who had attained an associate's degree as their highest credential (16 percent of all students) was about 3 1/2 years (41 months). Students who had completed a certificate (10 percent of all students) took an average of about 2 1/2 years to complete their program. Students who had completed a bachelor's degree within the 6 years of the survey period (10 percent of all students) took nearly 5 years (56 months) to complete the degree. However, about 8 percent of BPS community college students, or roughly 44 percent of those in bachelor's degree programs, were still enrolled in a 4-year institution and had not yet completed a degree. These students required more than 6 years to complete their bachelor's degrees.

An analysis of the rates at which BPS community college students transferred to 4-year institutions revealed that a total of about 29 percent had transferred. Among students who had reported bachelor's degree intentions when they first enrolled, 51 percent had transferred. Among those who had transferred, about 8 in 10 had either attained a bachelor's degree (35 percent) or were still enrolled in a 4-year institution (44 percent) as of 2001 (figure F). Moreover, community college students with bachelor's degree intentions were not likely to earn an associate's degree before transferring. Among transfers, roughly one-fifth of bachelor's degree seekers had earned an associate's degree before transferring.

Figure D. Percentage distribution of 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students first enrolled in public 2-year institutions who intended to obtain a credential according to highest postsecondary education attained by 2001

Figure E. Percentage distribution of 1992 high school graduates first enrolled in public 2-year institutions by December 1994 who intended to obtain a credential according to highest postsecondary education attained by 2000

Figure F. Among 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students first enrolled in public 2-year institutions, the percentage who transferred to a 4-year institution, and among transfers, the percentage who completed a bachelor's degree or were still enrolled as of 2001

Many NELS 1992 high school graduates who began their postsecondary education in community colleges faced challenging obstacles to completing a credential. In 1988, when NELS students were in the eighth grade, 39 percent who enrolled in community colleges were "at risk" (had one or more risk factors) of dropping out of high school. In addition, roughly half (54 percent) entered college with one or more characteristics that placed them at risk of not completing their postsecondary education.

Proficiency test scores also showed that many NELS community college students began their postsecondary education with relatively low ability levels in mathematics and reading. Thirty percent of these students entered community college with 12th-grade mathematics proficiency scores at Level 1 or below. These students could perform simple arithmetical operations on whole numbers but could not perform simple operations on decimals, fractions, powers, or roots. In addition, 44 percent of NELS community college students enrolled with 12th-grade reading proficiency scores at Level 1 or below. These students had basic comprehension skills, but they could not make relatively simple inferences from reading a text beyond the author's main point.

While many NELS 1992 high school graduates entered community college lacking strong academic preparation, about one-third (36 percent) were academically qualified to attend a 4-year institution. These are students who could possibly have enrolled in a 4-year college or university based on several measures of academic preparation, including SAT scores, rank in high school class, NELS achievement test scores, and the rigor of their coursetaking. In addition, 17 percent and 24 percent, respectively, had scored at the highest proficiency levels tested in reading and mathematics as seniors in high school.

Taking into account students' academic profiles, college students who were better prepared academically to enter postsecondary education tended to complete a certificate or degree or attend a 4-year institution more often than those who were less prepared. For example, among those who scored at the highest proficiency level tested in mathematics as seniors in high school, about three-quarters had either attained a degree or certificate or had enrolled in a 4-year institution, compared with roughly half (54 percent) of those who scored at the lowest levels. Similarly, among community college students who were academically qualified for enrollment in a 4-year college, roughly three-quarters had either attained a degree (including 36 percent who had attained a bachelor's degree) or had enrolled in a 4-year institution, compared with 55 percent of those who were either not qualified or only minimally qualified to attend a 4-year college.

BPS community college students who were no longer enrolled 3 years after first attending were asked several questions about the impact of their education on their salary and other employment experiences. Earlier research on the BPS survey showed that 44 percent of community college students had left in 1998 with no credential, while about 8 percent had left with a certificate or an associate's degree (Berkner, Horn, and Clune 2000, table 2.1a). Despite the small percentage of completers, there were some obvious differences between these students and their peers who had not completed with respect to reporting positive employment outcomes. As shown in figure G, 63 percent of those who had attained a formal credential by 1998 reported that their postsecondary education resulted in salary increases, compared with 29 percent who had not attained a credential. Similarly, 71 percent of those who had attained a credential reported that their postsecondary enrollment had led to increased job responsibilities, while 48 percent of those who had not attained one reported the same.

NELS students were also asked about their employment outcomes when they were last interviewed in 2000 (i.e., 6 to 8 years after they had begun their postsecondary education). Community college students who had earned either a certificate or an associate's degree or had transferred to a 4-year institution were more likely to report positive employment outcomes than those who had left without a credential or had not transferred. In addition, community college students who had transferred to a 4-year institution but had not earned a degree were also more likely than those who had left without transferring to report positive outcomes.

Figure G. Among 1995–96 beginning postsecondary students first enrolled in public 2-year institutions and who were no longer enrolled, the percentage who reported their enrollment resulted in a salary increase or improved their job responsibilities as reported in 1998, by degree attainment

Although educational objectives vary among students enrolled in community colleges, most community college students say that they desire a formal credential, either from the community college or through transfer to a 4-year institution. Nearly 90 percent of students beginning their postsecondary education in public 2-year institutions express an intent to attain a certificate or degree (including transfer).

In both the NELS and BPS surveys, roughly one-fifth of community college students with any degree or transfer intentions had earned an associate's degree. However, when success is defined as any degree attainment or 4-year transfer, about one-half (51 percent) of all community college students (BPS) and nearly two-thirds (63 percent) of more traditional students (NELS) had achieved successful outcomes.

At the same time, however, because about two-thirds of community college students attend primarily on a part-time basis, the average amount of time to complete an associate's degree was about 3 1/2 years (as measured by BPS). Those who earned a certificate took about 2 1/2 years to complete the credential, and roughly 44 percent of bachelor's degree seekers were still enrolled after 6 years.

The study also revealed that about 29 percent of all first-time community college students transferred to a 4-year college or university during the 6-year survey period, including about one-half of those with bachelor's degree intentions. For those who did transfer, about 8 in 10 had either attained a bachelor's degree or were still working toward that degree 6 years after they first enrolled in a community college.

Finally, while many students who had left community college without completing a credential reported that their postsecondary education favorably affected their employment, students who had earned a credential were more likely to report positive impacts than students who had not earned one.