Background/Context: Although much research has dealt with the factors that influence educational expectations, few studies have addressed recent high school graduates who attend community colleges as their first postsecondary institutions. As the costs associated with attending a four-year institution keep rising, community colleges increasingly…

The open admissions policies of community colleges serve to remove barriers for students aspiring to a college education (Mosholder & Zirkle, 2007), provide an affordable opportunity to attend college (Mullin & Honeyman, 2008; Zinser & Hanssen, 2006), and increase underrepresented student population enrollments at four-year…

The community college as the entranceway into the baccalaureate degree is becoming a prevalent choice for students. This study was a qualitative approach to understanding attitudes, behaviors, and knowledge acquisition by successful community college transfer students. University students who transferred from a community college and were making…

Low rates of college completion have long been a major deficiency in the performance of American higher education. Over the last decade, the extent and importance of the problem was documented by the National Center for Public Policy and Higher Education in the "Measuring Up" national and state report cards on higher education, and by…

The 1990 Student Right-to-Know Act requires institutions to annually disclose graduation rates. To assist institutions in meeting this responsibility, the Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) has collected institutional graduation rate data since 1997. Institutions eligible for federal student aid (Title IV funding) are required…

Despite the odds, African American women are achieving some success in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM). However, a dearth of empirical evidence exists on the mechanisms that contribute to their persistence. This study contributes to understanding how African American women are successful in obtaining baccalaureate degrees…

In 1997, policymakers in Kentucky enacted perhaps the most sweeping higher education reform legislation of any state in the past two decades. Kentucky's Postsecondary Education Improvement Act (House Bill 1) has been heralded by many higher education leaders across the U.S. as one of the great success stories--a rare instance when a state's…

Adults are a significant, growing part of today's postsecondary education demographic that may face special challenges that classify them as at-risk. Specifically, adult "at-risk" students may be recent immigrants to the United States, residents of a home where English is not the native language, members of a minority group, employees working…

The purpose of this study was to identify the perceptions of institutional policies and practices, based on the perspectives of minority adult learners, which contribute to and militate against underrepresented adult learners' persistence in college until baccalaureate degree completion, describe why these policies and practices influence…

In the 2003-04 academic year, approximately 4 million undergraduates began postsecondary education for the first time, enrolling in a wide variety of institutions, including 4-year colleges and universities, public 2-year community colleges, and for-profit institutions offering career-oriented and vocational programs. These Web Tables cover the…

Double degrees (also called joint or combined degrees)--programs of study combining two bachelor degrees--are increasingly popular in Australian universities, particularly among women. A case study using qualitative and quantitative surveys of current and past double degree students is presented. The study indicates that double degrees benefit…

The National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) at the U.S. Department of Education developed the Graduation Rate Survey (GRS) to help institutions comply with the "Student Right-to-Know (SRTK) Act" requirements. NCES uses GRS data to calculate graduation rates within 150 percent of normal time for all students in the GRS cohort, as…

U.S. colleges and universities are failing to graduate a greater number of students than in previous decades, although there has been more than a 25 percent increase in the number of students enrolling in colleges after high school graduation for the last three decades. Nevertheless, the 6-year graduation rate has been lingering around 66 percent…

College degree attainment is an important predictor of labor market outcomes. Earning a degree beyond high school has an impact on participation in the labor force, occupational status, and earnings. Black males in the United States are at risk of not pursuing or completing post-secondary education and are underrepresented in professional and…

Females and underrepresented ethnic minorities earn a small percentage of engineering and computer science bachelor's degrees awarded in the United States, earn an even smaller proportion of master's and doctoral degrees, and are underrepresented in the engineering workforce (Engineering Workforce Commission, [2006], as cited in National Science…