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.
Mike,
The higher ed community of course would oppose it, but in your judgment, do you think the government mandating all colleges to issue an externally audited College Report Card with teeth would be a net good? Would the higher education lobby so fight it that it’s not even worth trying? And if you were to try to get a College Report Card mandated, how would you go about it?
However, right now it is really hard to get into any of the community colleges for summer school. They are over crowded. It is almost impossible to get into a class that is transferable.
Expensive colleges and now even community colleges? I hope there is solution. The students are suffering, what future would they have. I know others doesn’t go to college and could get a good job but college is still important. I know a lot sees the need but a move is still needed.
jannice
smart pens
It seems the financial responsible states are better able to offer decent community college rates, while states in the red are going to have to raise prices at all levels…