The Federal Reserve Bank of Richmond has released some findings from its analysis of community college data from a growing list of states participating in the bank’s Survey of Community College Outcomes (SCCO).
The Richmond Fed’s 2025 survey added five states (Arkansas, Iowa, Massachusetts, New Jersey and Texas) in addition to the five states (Maryland, North and South Carolina, Virginia and West Virginia) and the District of Columbia, resulting in 189 community colleges participating in the survey. That’s up from 121 colleges from the previous survey.
A hallmark of the survey is the “Richmond Fed Success Rate,” which provides a more comprehensive view of community college student success by including more educational pathways and a broader cross-section of students. The bank’s 2025 rate for community colleges is 49.8%, based on the cohort of students who entered in the 2020-21 study year. That’s up from 47.5% in 2024. And it’s far above the traditional graduation rate of 33.8% calculated using data from the federal Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, which is limited in the information it reports on community college students.
The Richmond Fed report also includes aggregate results for states.
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In addition, the report dives into differences within states, looking at associate degrees, certificates, workforce credentials and transfers based on urbanicity. It noted that these rates are typically due to factors such as the concentration of higher education institutions near the colleges, composition of local employers and what types of skills they seek in workers, which drive the types of programs that community colleges provide.
The report also looked at success based on student characteristics, such as part-time and full-time enrollment. For part-time students, the 2025 success rate is 43.6%; that’s roughly 17 percentage points lower than the rate for full-time students. Not surprisingly, colleges with a larger share of full-time students tend to have higher success rates than colleges with more part-time students.
The Richmond Fed also analyzed data based on students’ ages. Across 115 institutions for which data were available, 12% (23,068 students) were under the age of 18 when they enrolled at the college. Two-thirds of students (127,312) were between ages 18 and 24. Adult learners (ages 25 and older) comprised 22% of the cohort.
The report noted that, on aggregate, the youngest group of students has the highest rate of success at 61.2%. Students ages 25 and older have the lowest rate.
“These results are not entirely surprising: Adult learners are more likely to be employed full-time or have caregiving responsibilities compared to recent high school graduates,” it said. “Therefore, these students may face far more roadblocks to completing their education, while younger students may benefit from a financial safety net by a parent or guardian.”
Students from the youngest cohort also outperform older students in both attaining associate degrees and transferring to four-year institutions, the Richmond Fed said. But older adults are more likely to complete certificates and workforce credentials.
“This aligns with trends we see broadly: Adult learners tend to gravitate toward shorter-term credentials instead of two- and four-year degrees,” the report said.
The bank said it will publish a full methodology of the 2025 SCCO data collection this month. In future reports, it will dive into state policies that affect community colleges, pathways and student success. It also will examine what institutional and student characteristics drive the pathways that students pursue.
