A collaboration between The Institute for College Access & Success (TICAS) and the Student Senate for California Community Colleges (SSCCC), this policy brief examines the costs of attending California Community Colleges (CCCs) for low-income students and the roles that financial aid resources, work hours, and student loan borrowing currently…

Locus of control is a psychological attribute not often discussed in the community college setting. The purpose of this study sought to investigate the impact Locus of control and co-variates age, gender, ethnicity, enrollment status, and employment status had on community college student persistence. Study participants were First-year community…

Most research about college students concentrates on credit students, with relatively little research focusing on noncredit students and why some transition from noncredit courses into credit classes. This dissertation research examined factors that may contribute to students transitioning from noncredit courses into credit classes at Mississippi…

Using 1,400 survey responses collected from two large urban community college systems in Texas, this study examined how students' financial habits, stress, and well-being influenced their enrollment behaviors. Working students, compared to their nonworking peers, reported significantly lower levels of overall financial well-being. After…

Researchers from the Georgetown University Center on Education and Workforce, Anthony Carnevale and Nicole Smith, examine the challenges working students face and the impacts of these challenges on completion and debt. Working and paying tuition and fees "as you go" is no longer an option for the majority of America's college students;…

This report shares the perspectives and aspirations of 17 low-income and working-class students based on interviews the Institute for Higher Education Policy (IHEP) conducted over two semesters of their college journeys. The report identifies opportunities for policymakers and institutional leaders to support all students through completion,…

Student loans are likely to remain a prominent instrument for paying for college in Texas, a necessary financial tool for low- and moderate-income students. As college costs rise and growing enrollments further stretch grant funds, the policy challenge is to assist students in determining the appropriate level of student loans for their individual…

In 2006, TG estimated that 47,000 bachelor's degrees would be lost in Texas due to financial barriers experienced by college-qualified high school graduates from the class of 2004. With more current data, TG now estimates that the number will be 52,800. "Digging Deeper" explores how students who enroll in college continue to experience…

Research in the area of student engagement has shown that the more engaged minority students are with faculty and staff, with other students, and with the subject matter they study, the more likely they are to learn and persist toward achieving their academic goals. Secondary data from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (CCSSE)…

This document presents an overview of trends and statistics pertaining to community colleges. The opening charts offer a national view of population served, tuition and revenue data, and popular degrees and career fields. The state-by-state section provides detailed information on each of the 50 states, plus the Pacific Islands and Puerto Rico.…

In this follow-up study, information was obtained regarding the educational and employment patterns of students who withdrew from Bucks County Community College, their reasons for withdrawing, and their evaluation of the college's programs and services. The questionnaire used (a copy of which is provided in an appendix) was similar to the one used…

The Vermont Regional Community College Commission was established to oversee the pre-planning phase of the OEO grant to establish a community college demonstration model. The VRCCC developed a demonstration model of the community college system through 3 regional sites responsible for developing community college operations in Vermont communities.…

This document contains two reports on students in electronics courses at Kalamazoo Valley Community College; the first provides student characteristics data as well as students' perceptions of the courses, and the second presents secondary data gathered from various internal college sources. In the first study, 96 students (46.4% of those…

This study examined whether first-generation community college students (those whose parents did not attend college) differed from others on background, enrollment, and outcome variables and whether first-generation status alone added a unique contribution to predicting academic success. Subjects were 653 first-year students at a large, urban…

This booklet summarizes data on the persistence and attainment outcomes of students in postsecondary education and the enrollment factors related to these outcomes. The primary data describe students, as of 1994, who began their postsecondary education in the 1989-90 academic year. Additional data describe postsecondary education experiences of…