Posts published on July 11, 2011

College Board Cost Study Adds To Pressure For More Productivity

The College Board Advocacy & Policy Center has released a new policy brief, Trends in Community College Education: Enrollment, Prices, Student Aid, and Debt Levels, authored by Sandy Baum, independent policy analyst to the College Board; Kathleen Little, senior adviser, student aid policy at the College Board; and Kathleen Payea, policy analyst at the College Board.

Download Trends in Community College Education: Enrollment, Prices, Student Aid, and Debt Levels. Requires Adobe Reader.

Community colleges serve as the access point to higher education for many students. With lower published prices, less stringent admission requirements and geographical proximity to more students than most institutions in other sectors, community colleges provide opportunities for education and training that would otherwise be unavailable to many. As the need increases for workers with some postsecondary education, but not necessarily a four-year degree, the demands on community colleges are growing.

Relying on data from the College Board reports Trends in Student Aid 2010 and Trends in College Pricing 2010, as well as from the Department of Education and other sources, the authors describe the published prices of community colleges and the other expenses students face while enrolled and how these prices vary across states. They also examine institutional revenue sources, the financial aid community college students receive, student debt and degree completion patterns at two-year public colleges.