ERIC Number: ED628128
Record Type: Non-Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Feb
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: N/A
EISSN: N/A
Statewide College Attendance Survey, Fall 2022
Alyssa Nguyen; Michelle White; Darla Cooper
RP Group
The California Community Colleges (CCC) Attendance Decisions Survey was designed to understand the factors influencing prospective and previously enrolled community college students' decisions to attend a California community college in fall 2022. This survey was administered in late summer/early fall 2022 and included responses from all 116 CCC by 75,497 previously enrolled and prospective (as of fall 2022) students. Key findings highlight students' increasing need to balance and navigate complex lives, including the need to work and care for dependents, as well as concerns about affordability. Students indicated they needed more flexible options (more course offerings and options such as online) financial and non-financial assistance (e.g., childcare) to help them better balance these competing priorities. In addition, there does seem to be a relationship between students' perceived value of education and their decision whether to attend/enroll in the college, whereby the less valuable they perceived a college education, the less likely they were to enroll or plan to enroll in fall 2022. As students are trying to navigate and balance their priorities, colleges may want to think about how best to emphasize the value propositions for attending college. There are three potential areas of opportunity related to recruitment, outreach, and retention efforts at the state and local levels: (1) Re-emphasize the value proposition for college to make workforce connections more explicit to help current and prospective students make informed decisions about the potential return on investment regarding their education; (2) Increase student-centered course scheduling options and resources to better support students' needs to balance school and personal/work responsibilities; and (3) Leverage state investments such as the California Virtual Campus to meet students' growing demand for and interest in online offerings and state appropriations for mental health and basic needs monies; connect students with these services to support their educational pursuits.
Descriptors: College Attendance, Community Colleges, Community College Students, Decision Making, College Enrollment, Family Work Relationship, Paying for College, Student Financial Aid, Student Personnel Services, Student Attitudes, College Environment, Value Judgment, Student Surveys
RP Group. 369-B Third Street Suite 397, San Rafael, CA 94901. Tel: 510-527-8500; e-mail: info@rpgroup.org; Web site: https://rpgroup.org
Publication Type: Reports - Research; Numerical/Quantitative Data
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education; Two Year Colleges
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: RP Group
Identifiers - Location: California
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A