70 percent of California community college students fail to graduate or transfer, study says

Looking to transfer to a four-year university? Or finish a two-year degree?

The odds are stacked against you, according to a new study released by the Sacramento State Institute for Higher Education Leadership and Policy (IHELP).

The report titled "Divided We Fail" tracked 250,000 "degree-seeking" students (defined as those who enrolled in six or more units in their first year) who entered the California Community Colleges (CCC) in 2003-2004. The study found that 70 percent of students did not complete a degree, certificate, or transfer to a university. Black and Latino students had lower rates of transfer than Whites and Asian-Pacific Islanders. Compounding this, the transfer process historically has been difficult to navigate, hampering students seeking to continue their education.

However, it's not all bad news. The 20- page report also recognized the habits and patterns of successful students, according Nancy Shulock, director of IHELP, and one of the report's authors. Fifty-nine percent of students who completed at least 20 credits in their first year went on to earn a certificate, degree, or transfer. Students who completed college-level math or English course requirements within the first two years met with greater success attaining a degree, certificate, or transfer, than those who did not.

Community colleges have been in the national spotlight over the past few months. Holding the first ever Summit on community colleges on Oct. 5, President Obama called them the "unsung heroes" of higher education across the United States. He also placed a challenge before the two-year institutions: to produce 5 million more college degree and certificate holders by the year 2020. As the nation's largest community college system, the CCCs are expected to lead this charge.

While transferring to a four-year institution can be an obstacle-laden process that has dissuaded students from continuing their education, help is on the way.

Signed into law in September, senate bill 1440 established the Student Transfer Achievement Reform Act (STAR). The bill obligates California community college districts to guarantee students junior status transfer degrees into California State Universities (CSU). After completion of a transfer associate degree, students are given priority consideration when applying to a particular program within the CSU system, which is similar to the student's community college area of emphasis.

The reform is intended to increase the number of transfers from junior colleges into California universities by creating transfer degrees. This assures transferee's to graduate with a bachelor's degree, and accumulate 120 semester units or 180 quarter units with the exception of certain majors. According to a study by the California Community Colleges Chancellors Office, the average transfer student completes 80 semester units when only 60 are needed. Many students face barriers in the transfer process, particularly one of the key elements in low transfer-rates are the duplication and continuous changing of course requirements. Upon transferring many students find they have taken excess units due to duplicative degree requirements, and course credits that did not transfer from community college.

With the STAR Act community college districts are prohibited from adding course requirements in addition to requirements of the reform act. It also prohibits the CSU system from requiring a transfer student to repeat courses similar to those taken at the community college that counted toward their associate degree.

According to a representative for the American River College (ARC) Transfer Center, 14.96 percent of students transferred out of ARC, from fall of 2006 to spring of 2009. Compared to Consumnes River College's 12.79 percent, Folsom Lake's 11.89 percent, and Sacramento City's 13.97.

The statewide percentage for community college transfers to a UC or CSU campus is 16.69 percent.

Susie Williams from the Los Rios Community College District Communications and Research Department said, "The Los Rios Colleges have always been a leader in the state for the number of students they transfer, and we hope this [bill] will help even more students to transfer in a even more effective way.

musaaj@imail.losrios.edu

moorest@imail.losrios.edu