State funding comprises 31.3 percent of community college revenues, according to a new community college fact sheet from the American Association of Community Colleges. That’s a slight bump up from 29.8 percent reported in AACC’s 2016 fact sheet.
Federal funding represents slightly less of revenues at 13.5 percent, compared to 14.1 percent reported last year.
Tuition, local funding and other sources of revenues remained about level at 29.1 percent, 18.2 percent and 8 percent, respectively.
Student body
The annual fact sheet also shows that community college students make up a smaller proportion of all college undergraduates. They represent 41 percent of all undergrads (using fall 2015 data), compared to 45 percent the previous year. Community college advocates note that many two-year college students — who are typically older than four-year undergraduates, usually attend college part time and have families and jobs — tend to leave college and return to the workforce when the economy swings up, as it has for the last few years.
Percentages were also lower for race/ethnic breakdowns. Native American community college students represent 56 percent of all Native American undergraduates, compared to 62 percent in the previous year. Among Hispanics, the number dropped to 52 percent from 57 percent the previous year. For blacks, it dropped to 43 percent from 52 percent.
Among community colleges themselves, the breakdown of ethnicity remained about the same as the previous year: 48 percent white, 23 percent Hispanic, 13 percent black, 6 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, 1 percent Native American and 2 percent two or more races.
