While the direct impacts of minimum wage changes on employment have received considerable attention, these policy changes have the potential to impact skill attainment by changing the opportunity cost of college enrollment. Using institutional data on college enrollment and program completion, we find that enrollment falls markedly among students…

Community college completion rates are low, especially among low-income students. The existing policy and research attention has primarily focused on academic and financial challenges, but there is ample reason to think that non-academic obstacles might be key drivers of dropout rates for low-income students. This study focuses on the role of…

The growing cost of college is one of the most significant barriers to completion. However, research shows that frequent, intensive advising, combined with financial and other support, can make a tremendous difference in helping students complete. For two years, TICAS has worked with a group of rigorously evaluated organizations across the country…

Community colleges are an important part of the higher education landscape in the United States, but completion rates are extremely low, especially among low-income students. Much of the existing policy and research attention to this issue has focused on addressing academic and financial challenges. However, there is ample reason to think that…

Drawing on a literature and program review, analysis of publicly available data, and consultations with experts in the field, this report examines opportunities for women and student parents to pursue and succeed in STEM fields at community colleges. Findings include the following: (1) Women with associate's degrees earn only 77 percent of what…

This inquiry is an exploration of the educational trajectories of African American women community college students. We compare the persistence of African American women to African American men and to all women college students using the 1996/2001 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Survey and the 1993/2003 Baccalaureate and Beyond…

Postsecondary education yields myriad benefits, including increased earnings potential, higher lifetime wages, and access to quality jobs. But postsecondary degrees are not all equal in the benefits they bring to students, and women tend to obtain degrees in fields with lower earnings. Women with associate degrees earn approximately 75 percent of…

Students who are preparing to become registered nurses are more likely to attend community colleges due to the unequal distribution of financial resources to educational systems that have evolved from the impact of globalization. The purpose of this descriptive cross-sectional study was to increase the understanding of mentoring as it relates to…

In Texas, there is an increase in the enrollment of men of various ethnicities in nursing schools, especially Associate Degree Nursing (ADN) programs. As these men strive to complete the nursing education, they face many concerns that center on barriers that are encountered in what is still a predominately Caucasian and female environment. In…

From July 1978 through June 1979, 2,703 students graduated from the Hawaii community college system, an increase of 6% over the previous year's total. During this period, 2,819 degrees and certificates were awarded; 31% were Associate in Arts, 48% Associate in Science, and 21% Certificates of Achievement. Systemwide, 54% of the graduates were…

A series of data tables and graphs provides a longitudinal summary of information about the students at Los Angeles City College who earned an Associate of Arts degree (AA) from 1964 through 1980. The first table offers information about selected student characteristics, including number of graduates, percent of total enrollment who graduated,…

From July 1977 through June 1978, 2,283 students graduated from the Hawaii community college system, an increase of 12% over the previous year's total. During this period, 2,671 degrees and certificates were awarded; 108 graduates earned two diplomas and two earned three; 30% of the degrees were Associate in Arts (AA), 51% Associate in Science…

After the conclusion of each academic year, the Computer Center at the College of the Canyons in Santa Clarita, California, compiles a data file of degrees and certificates awarded by the college from July 1 through June 30. This information is transmitted to the Chancellor's Office and becomes part of the statewide Management Information System.…

In order to provide a longitudinal look at the characteristics of students earning the associate of arts degree (AA) at Los Angeles City College (LACC), selected statistics were gathered on LACC graduates over the 15-year period, 1964-1979, in terms of number of graduates, percentage of total enrollment, sex, those completing work in the spring…

This study of the of the Florida Community College System compares Associate of Arts (AA) transfers over a five-year period, from 1994-95 to 1998-99. The study tracked transfers with Florida's centralized student database system, which uses social security numbers as student identifiers. It included only students who completed the AA degree, and…