A new report finds that tuition and fees at community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs are considerably less than for bachelor’s degree programs at a public four-year institution — in some states, less than half — and that a larger percentage of students in CCB programs receive student aid.
The new research by Elizabeth Meza, a senior research scientist at the Evans School of Public Policy and Governance at the University of Washington, is a first-time analysis of the affordability of CCBs compared to associate degrees and public universities. She examined 15 states, analyzing their tuition and fees, total cost of attendance (published tuition and required fees, book and supplies, and living costs, like housing) and net price compared to public four-year institutions using federal IPEDS data and institutional sources.
CCB tuition and fees average $5,417 annually compared to $10,022 at public four-year institutions — a savings of nearly $4,600, according to the report. It also looked at annual net price (total cost of attendance minus financial aid) in a limited number of states (only six had data available) and found a 42% difference between CCBs ($8,195) and public four-year institutions ($14,190).
To date, CCB programs are offered at 187 community colleges in 24 states, comprising about 15% of the nation’s community colleges, according to the Community College Baccalaureate Association, an affiliate council of the American Association of Community Colleges.
Comparing states
Meza noted that some community colleges charge more for CCB programs than for associate-degree programs, or they charge more for upper-division courses. The median tuition and fees for CCB programs in the 15 states studied were $4,872 — about $600 more than the median annual tuition of an associate-degree program of $4,274, according to the report.
The research yields interesting comparisons among the states studied. For example, tuition and fees at CCB programs in California, Florida and Texas are under $3,500 annually. Washington’s CCB programs have a higher tuition-and-fee average at more than $7,000, but the report observes it’s still about $3,500 less than at public four-year institutions. Texas had the lowest CCB tuition and fees, with the report noting that one could finish a baccalaureate in four years at a community college for less than $12,000 in tuition and fees, compared to $40,000 at a public four-year university.
What student aid numbers tell us
Meza also examined financial aid patterns and found CCB programs serve high-need populations, with aid covering about 43% of total attendance costs, compared to 30% at public universities. The rates were was higher in some states’ CCB programs, like Texas (51%), Wyoming (47%) and Colorado (45%), and lower in others, such as Oklahoma (33%) and Georgia (41%).
What the overall and some state-specific data indicate is that CCB students need significant aid to attend college, the report says. Part of the reason a larger percentage of CCB students rely on student aid is based on their backgrounds and what they seek in higher education: CCB students tend to be older and looking for a career boost. About three-fourths of Texas CCB students were ages 25 and older, and just under half were over age 30, the report says. In Washington, CCB students are, on average, age 32, compared to the average age of 23 among Washington community college students. Not surprisingly, the report notes other research that CCB students in Washington cited a lack of local bachelor’s degree programs that are affordable and allow them to continue working and caring for family.
“As higher education faces unprecedented challenges related to cost and access, CCB programs offer a viable model for expanding opportunity while controlling the costs students face,” the report says.
The report concludes with a few policy implications. First, it cites the importance of affordable baccalaureates in serving in-demand fields, such as healthcare and education. It also observes a need for better data, especially among states that allow for different pricing between lower- and upper-division community college courses when it comes to reporting CCB program prices.
