Editor’s Note: Both Oregon and Tennessee are expecting or have already seen an increase in students because of tuition-free community college. In this two-part series, we take a look at how each state is focusing on the students’ first year. Blue Mountain Community College (BMCC), in Pendleton, Oregon, is anticipating an enrollment bump of as […]

Certificates have surged in popularity in the past 20 years — in fact, they’re the fastest-growing postsecondary credential in the United States, according to the Georgetown University Center on Education and the Workforce. In some instances, data show certificates may even be a better investment than a college degree. Check out our infographic below for […]

A new report being released this month by the Community College Research Center, The Aspen Institute and the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center tracks the performance of the nation’s colleges and states in helping students transfer to four-year universities and earn bachelor’s degrees. The report provides, for the first time, information about which colleges are […]

Editor’s Note: As part of a series of profiles focusing on Pathways Project participants, the following is a look at how Cleveland State Community College, in Tennessee, approaches the challenge of leading students to a career or a four-year college. Cleveland State Community College President Bill Seymour sees his college’s work in building structured pathways […]

What happens in the first year a new student sets foot on a community college campus is vitally important in determining his or her future. The importance of setting up students for success early on isn’t a new idea. In fact, nearly 30 years ago, in The Freshman Year Experience, educator John N. Gardner and […]

During the 2013–14 academic year, the Kentucky Community and Technical College System (KCTCS) awarded 9,580 associate degrees; in 2014–15, the college awarded 9,632. Since 2000, KCTCS has tripled the number of associate degrees it’s awarded. KCTCS Chancellor Rhonda Tracy shares five specific reasons for the remarkable increases: The rise in online learning. “We’ve had a […]

With help from a Lumina Foundation grant, the University System of Georgia (USG) is identifying students who earned enough credits for associate degrees but never received diplomas. The system is making the process easier for students to obtain those two-year degrees retroactively. The objective of the Complete College Georgia initiative is for 60 percent of […]

Editor’s Note: In the first of a series of profiles focusing on Pathways Project participants, we take a look at how the Alamo Colleges are approaching the challenge of leading students to a four-year college or career. The Alamo Colleges include five individually accredited two-year colleges serving about 100,000 students in eight central and south […]

Federal Pell Grants have traditionally been awarded to full- or part-time undergraduate students. Soon, some high school students will be eligible for the grants, which can be used for tuition, books or other fees. The U.S. Department of Education recently announced that a pilot program during the 2016-17 academic year will make Pell Grants available […]

Editor’s Note: This is an article that originally appeared at Community College Daily. A group of national organizations representing higher education associations has released design principles to increase the number of students completing college and to improve achievements for underserved populations. The six principles focus on transforming remedial education and highlight practices such as placing […]