Expanding Pathways to College Enrollment and Degree Attainment

Complete report

In the 21^st Century, the image of the “traditional” college student as a recent high school graduate who is enrolled full time at a four-year, residential college is no longer the reality for most.^[1] Large numbers of students enroll in community college directly out of high school or enroll in a two- or four-year institution for the first time several years after graduating high school. Moreover, as the economy and technology change the skills required to obtain (or keep) a well-paying job, many working adults find themselves in a position where they need to obtain a postsecondary degree to remain competitive in the labor force. Adult learners can also consist of military veterans, or those who earned some postsecondary credit previously but never completed a certificate or degree.
Over half of undergraduate students have characteristics that distinguish them from the 20^th Century norm. The new majority in higher education today consists of students who have received a GED or equivalent, are employed full time while in school, earned their postsecondary credential by attending part-time, were 25 or older when attaining their bachelor’s degree or during their last postsecondary course, are parents or caregivers, or are connected to the military.^[2] In fact, 40 percent of students enrolled in the fall of 2016 were 25 and older, and 39 percent of students were enrolled part time.^[3] In the 2015-16 academic year, only 16 percent of undergraduate students lived on campus.^[4] The “traditional” college student is no longer the typical student. Yet, despite this changing student population, the current higher education system is, in important ways, still grounded in a design intended for students who followed the traditional pathway, often neglecting the unique needs of varied populations that require different supports and program structures to complete their degrees.
The mismatch between program design and the characteristics and needs of the new majority may be one reason for the significant degree completion challenges in higher education. According to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, only 39.4 percent of students graduate from a two-year public institution within six years, compared to 67.8 percent of traditional students at four-year institutions.^[5] Furthermore, only 43.5 percent of adult learners graduate within six years at four-year institutions. ^[6]
Part of the shortfall in completions is a result of the large share of students who transfer to another institution before completing their program. In fact, 64 percent of students completing a bachelor’s degree attend multiple institutions during their studies.^[7] Unfortunately, the transfer process is far from seamless. In a study conducted by the Community College Research Center at Columbia’s Teachers College, 80 percent of the more than one million students starting community college in fall 2007 were deemed “bachelor’s degree-seeking,” yet only 14 percent of them went on to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years.^[8] One of the main factors in this attrition is the loss of college credits during transfer. Community college transfer students who have at least 90 percent of their credits transferred are 2.5 times more likely to graduate compared to those who had less than half of their credits transfer.^[9] Yet 43 percent of all transfer credits are not counted by the receiving institution.^[10]
Implementing reforms that support the new majority of college students (who are often community college students) is a key to increasing attainment rates in states and developing a skilled workforce in an increasingly educated and competitive global market. These reforms simultaneously will provide a solid infrastructure to students who are often the most disadvantaged and unsupported throughout the postsecondary system.

This report discusses three categories of policies the research indicates as promising opportunities for improving access and attainment for the new majority: Simplifying Transfer, Reforming Remediation, and Alternative Credentials and Pathways.