Liberal Arts Colleges Can Provide A Bridge To Success For Community College Students

Community colleges have had a rough time during COVID-19. Many are reporting reductions in enrollments, and although a slight increase was seen in the spring of 2022 relative to the spring of 2021, community college enrollments are generally down by about 800,000 students relative to pre-pandemic numbers.

A great motivator to enter community college is the promise of being able to transfer to a four-year college and complete a baccalaureate degree. People with four-year degrees compared with people without a baccalaureate degree have been shown to have higher starting salaries, greater lifetime wealth, and even higher life expectancy—so it is not surprising that nearly 80% of community college students intend to achieve a four-year degree; Nevertheless, only about 17% of community college students ever do.

The reasons for this limited success in transfer from community college to four-year colleges are well-documented. First, there is the cost. Many community college students have limited financial resources, and a four-year degree may seem beyond their means. Second, the process of transferring community college course credit to the four-year degree programs can be clunky with substantial credits lost during the transfer process. Although programs have emerged to smooth this process, it is never seamless. Third, students report becoming disillusioned during community college years and wonder what the purpose of more education might be. Some community colleges have tried to address this, and evidence is emerging that dedicated career advising can retain students as the trajectory from college to employment becomes clearer.

Although excellent work is being done in several states—North Carolina, California, New York to name a few—to link community colleges and four-year public institutions, and to smooth the transfer process, these often focus on a small set of majors such as nursing, data programming, and business.

What is missing is collaboration with liberal arts colleges and universities, many of which are private and highly selective but offer substantial financial aid for qualified students. A liberal arts degree, for students who are interested, can provide critical thinking and analytic skills, confidence, and creativity from which community college students may benefit. The lack of collaboration is a missed opportunity, particularly as liberal arts colleges seek to be relevant, to provide public goods, and to engage deeply in diversity and inclusion.

Collaboration between community colleges and liberal arts colleges may take several shapes. One approach may be to develop summer programs that bring community college students and their faculty to liberal arts college campuses for a residential, academic experience. Selected summer courses, co-taught in seminar style as in a liberal-arts setting with community college and liberal arts college faculty, might provide just the level of engagement needed to grow community college students’ confidence that they can be successful in the liberal arts college setting. Spending several summer weeks in such a program may elevate personal aspirations, demonstrate feasibility, and inspire community college students to consider more seriously a four-year degree.

Such an experiment has taken place at Vassar under the name Exploring Transfer. Recent data suggest enormous success in promoting students’ thinking and planning for a four-year degree. We have found that about 90% of students who complete the summer program eventually complete their four-year baccalaureate degree. When asked about the impact of the summer program, community college students described it as “a breakthrough experience,” which pertained both to the academic and residential parts of the program, giving community college students a taste of what liberal arts college entails. The collaboration of faculty across institutions is also meaningful, as different pedagogies can be shared and a greater diversity of backgrounds become represented in the classroom.

Statewide efforts to link community colleges with public colleges and universities are critical to lubricate the pathway for community college students to complete their four-year degrees; however, we would do well to remember the role of the private, four-year liberal arts colleges in promoting transfer as well. Summer educational programs offered by private liberal arts colleges can be pivotal for community college students as they consider their future alternatives. Tasting the liberal arts may open students’ minds to what may be possible as well as equip them with the tools and confidence to pursue further higher education through four-year degree programs.

This research was completed with important contributions from Charles Mangan, Vassar Class of 2022 (Neuroscience & Behavior/Drama).