Research & Commentary

Community colleges started out as junior colleges and meant to restrict access to higher education. However, they have evolved to increase access to higher education and the workforce.

Between the webinar on the Survey of Community College Outcomes and the District Dialogues event, we hope you can join us on Nov. 15.

Community colleges differ from four-year institutions in important ways, but they are often measured by the same metrics.

Funding formulas for higher education have traditionally been based primarily on full-time equivalent enrollment. This creates disparities between funding for four-year institutions and community colleges that may worsen over time.

North Carolina has taken dual enrollment/dual credit one step further with its Cooperative Innovative High Schools: high schools that are specifically designed for co-enrollment at a university or community college.

A recent study suggests that admission restrictions for certain college majors are pushing some students into lower-earning career paths. What could this mean for students transferring from community colleges to four-year institutions in the Fifth District?

Demand for non-credit programs at community colleges is growing. What does this mean for the future of community college offerings?

Community college graduation rates lag those of their four-year counterparts in the Fifth District. Is this evidence of failure or mismeasurement?

The calculation of college graduation rates is complicated, and many community college students are left out of the formula altogether.

A large number of high school students attend community college in the United States, with higher rates observed in rural areas. While this enrollment trend has grown over the past twenty years, data on these students' success has not.