The Rise Of Community Colleges

During President Obama’s administration, for-profit colleges saw a dramatic decline in students and increasing scrutiny from the Department of Education. The Department of Education had concerns about for-profit colleges taking advantage of students with false promises, poor job placement results, and pushing loans that students could not afford. The combination of increased regulation and declining enrollment resulted in giant for-profit colleges like ITT and Corinthian College abruptly shutting down. In the wake of all of this, there has been a surge in positive press and legislative support regarding community colleges. Here are some of the reasons why.

• Open enrollment. Community colleges are not exclusive and provide everyone access to a college education. In fact, more than forty percent of all undergraduate students are community college students. In addition, a disproportionate number of students at community colleges are low income.
• Higher salary. Unlike with for-profit colleges, many of which have been sued for inflating their job placement and salary statistics, community colleges have been proven to give an associate degree holder a higher average salary than a person with only a G.E.D. or high school diploma. According to Time magazine, a high school graduate makes a median income of $36,000. In contrast, a person who graduated from a community college with a two-year associates degree makes a median of $42,600.
• Need for skilled graduates. Over the last decade, American companies have dramatically increased the outsourcing of call centers and factories. In addition, more companies are installing and using automated machines to replace human employees. Companies are looking for students with higher-level skill sets, which students can get from community colleges.
• Community Colleges are Public. This means that there is more public accountability, which can include transparency, reporting standards, and publicly elected school boards who set the direction of the colleges. In contrast, for-profit colleges are accountable to their owners and shareholders to maximize profit.
• Lower Average Cost. Annual tuition at a community college averages $3,500. This is ten times less than tuition at a private college. Part of every student’s community college tuition is subsidized by federal, state, or local money, which makes it incredibly easier to afford. In addition, states like New York, Tennessee, Oregon, Arkansas, and Kentucky have recently begin offering free community college for eligible students.

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