Students pursuing bachelor’s degrees at community colleges in Washington state complete them at relatively high rates and, in many cases, faster than community college students who transfer to universities, according to a new research brief.
The study found that 46% of students who entered community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs completed their bachelor’s degree within two years. That rate increased to 60% after three years, 64% after four, 67% after five and 71% after six years.
Among students for whom six years of data were available, the average time from entering the upper-division portion of a CCB program to earning the degree was 2.1 years.
The findings come from a new research brief by Elizabeth Meza of the University of Washington’s Evans School of Public Policy, and Davis Vo, an education researcher at San José-Evergreen Community College District and Stanford University.
“CCB programs are well-positioned to expand access to — and achievement of — the bachelor’s degree for traditionally underserved students,” the authors wrote in the brief, which is the third in a series focusing on CCBs.
The researchers analyzed records for 16,746 students who entered CCB programs between the 2018-19 and 2023-24 academic years at 30 of Washington’s 34 community and technical colleges.
A sizable two-year difference
One of the more striking findings is the difference between students who stay at a community college for their bachelor’s degree and those who transfer to a university.
Among community college students who transferred to universities, 15% completed a bachelor’s degree within two years of transferring, compared with 46% of CCB students within two years of entering the upper-division portion of their programs. At six years, 71% of CCB students had completed, compared with 66% of successful community-college-to-university transfer students.
The report found similar trends across most gender, race/ethnicity and age groups. Black CCB students, for example, had two-, four- and six-year completion rates of 40%, 57% and 63%, respectively. Among Black community college students who transferred to universities, the corresponding rates were 9%, 40% and 49%.
Latiné students also posted strong outcomes. Their six-year CCB completion rate was 73%, slightly higher than the 71% overall rate.
The researchers caution against viewing CCB and university transfer as competing pathways, however. Different students can benefit from having multiple routes to a bachelor’s degree, they noted.
Full-time, part-time differences
Enrollment intensity made a substantial difference, particularly in the first years of a CCB program. Among students who began full time, 54% completed within two years, compared with 30% of those who began part time.
By six years, the gap had narrowed. About 76% of students who initially enrolled full time had completed, compared with 61% of students who started part time.
That 61% rate compares with a national six-year completion rate of 34.1% for part-time students across certificate, associate and bachelor’s programs, according to National Student Clearinghouse Research Center data cited in the brief.
The authors say those results are noteworthy because many CCB students are adult learners, workers and caregivers who may not have the option of attending college full time.
“Rather than treating time to degree and full-time enrollment as a universal and rigid target,” the authors wrote, colleges and states should create flexible pathways that allow students to maintain an enrollment level that fits their lives.
Those options could include block scheduling, evening and weekend classes, hybrid courses and accelerated programs.
The analysis also found relatively high completion rates across different fields of study, with education and health professions, including nursing, posting some of the highest rates.
Rural programs also stood out. CCB programs at colleges classified as rural posted a 73% three-year completion rate, while programs at institutions designated as rural-serving had a 70% rate.
The cost of time
For students, finishing sooner can also mean spending less on their education.
Previous research cited in the report found that annual tuition and fees for community college bachelor’s programs across 15 states average $5,417, compared with $10,022 at public four-year institutions. Over an entire degree, the difference translates to savings of nearly $20,000, according to the report.
Average net price, which includes total attendance costs minus financial aid, was $8,195 annually for CCB students compared with $14,190 at public universities, a 42% difference.
Community college bachelor’s students may see additional savings because they can stay close to home and avoid some of the complications of transferring between institutions. The report cites federal research that found students transferring from public community colleges to public universities lost an average of 22% of their credits.
Making the path easier
Meza and Vo recommend that states develop consistent measures for tracking CCB affordability, including time to completion, and improve longitudinal data systems so outcomes can be examined by student characteristics and geography.
They also urge colleges to reduce administrative hurdles throughout a student’s path to a bachelor’s degree by simplifying applications, recognizing previous coursework and credentials, expanding credit for prior learning and providing proactive advising.
“Students benefit when programs have streamlined application processes, recognize prior credentials and coursework, and reduce credit loss,” the researchers said.
