Community College Baccalaureate Programs on the Rise

In this post we explore the number of community colleges offering bachelor's degrees, including growth over time and implications for students and four-year universities.

Community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs are becoming more popular.

• Twenty years ago, just 5 states allowed community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees; today, nearly half of all U.S. states do (see map below).

• Furthermore, the number of colleges offering bachelor's degrees in those states has increased, as has the number of bachelor's programs they offer.

• Debate about CCB programs is ongoing, with valid arguments on both sides.

• Those against CCB programs say they needlessly compete with 4-year universities while distracting from community colleges' primary mission. (The "solution in search of a problem" argument.)

• Those for CCB programs cite the lower cost of community colleges and their ability to create programs aligned with their local areas' workforce needs.

More research is needed to understand if such programs increase the pool of bachelor's degree recipients or, as some detractors argue, merely redistribute students who would otherwise earn degrees from 4-year universities.

Our perspective:

At a time when only 31% of community college students who intend to transfer to a 4-year university actually do and only 14% of them complete a degree, there is a responsibility to explore other solutions. CCB programs may be one such solution.