Strengthening Community Colleges' Influence on Economic Mobility
Community colleges are an important avenue to upward mobility no matter the students' background, income level, or high school accomplishments. This report finds that an associate degree is particularly meaningful for low-income, high-achieving high school students--over half of whom transfer to a four-year college, and, of those who transfer, three-quarters earn a bachelor's degree. In a time of high unemployment, community colleges are a critical stepping stone for people to increase their skills and earnings potential. The colleges also provide resources, including career counseling, to educate students about the classes and fields of study that have the potential for higher returns, such as health care and computer science.
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(OCTOBER 2009)
- Figure 1: Cost and Enrollment at Various Types of Colleges, 2008-2009 Academic Year
- Figure 2: Florida Enrollee Distribution by High School GPA for Community and Four-Year Colleges
- Figure 3: Florida's Community Colleges Attract a Different Demographic of Students Than Do Its Four-Year Colleges
- Figure 4: High School GPA Strongly Influences Postsecondary Enrollment and Completion
- Figure 5: High School GPA of Florida 12th Graders by Gender and Ethnicity
- Figure 6: College Enrollment Rates for Different Demographic Groups Would Increase if GPAs Rose
- Figure 7: Regardless of High School GPA, a Postsecondary Enrollment and Attainment Gap Exists Between Low-Income and Other Students
- Figure 8: Many High-Perfoming Low-Income High School Students who Begin in Community Colleges Eventually Transfer to Four-Year Colleges and Attain Bachelor's Degrees
- Figure 9: Predicted Difference in Average Annual Earnings for Florida Community College Students, by High School GPA (Relative to "C" Students) Seven Years After Leaving College
- Table 1: Average Annual Earnings Seven Years After Leaving College, by Field of Study
- Figure 10: Predicted Difference in Average Annual Earnings for Florida Community College Students, by Return of Fields of Study (Relative to "Low Return" Fields of Study) Seven Years After Leaving College
- Figure 11: Percent of Florida Community College Students Pursuing Various Fields of Study by High School GPA
- Figure 12: Number of College Credits Completed by High School GPA and Field of Study for Florida Community College Students
- Figure 13: Projected Annual Earnings Seven Years After College, by High School GPA and Fields of Study for Florida Community College Students
- Figure 14: Students Who Reach Higher Education Milestones are More Likely to Concentrate their Coursework in High-Return Fields
- Figure A1: Example of a timeline for a first-time ninth grade student in the AY 1996 cohort
- Table A1: Courses Included in Each Field of Concentration
- Table A1(Part 2): Courses Included in Each Field of Concentration
- Table A1 (Part 3): Courses Included in Each Field of Concentration
