Most students who enroll in a community college (80%) intend to transfer to a four-year institution to earn a bachelor’s degree. Their plan is to save money by:

• Living at home and commuting.
• Earning their credits in the required general education classes at a bargain price.
• Only spending two years at Big Bucks U.

This strategy is called the 2+2 Model.

Unfortunately, this game plan rarely works. Students who pursue the 2+2 Model only succeed in earning a bachelor’s degree 14% of the time. I admit I was surprised (shocked) when I saw the data. And then I thought about it. Here are four reasons why that percentage is so low.

Open Enrollment

It is common for community colleges to have an open enrollment policy. This is an invitation to academically mediocre students. The 2+2 Model tends to attract 1st Gen, minorities, students from low-income families, students who need to “repair” their GPA, and students who require remedial classes. Statistically, the deck is stacked against these students coming “out of the starting gate.”

For example:

• A student with a high school GPA of 2.5 only manages to graduate from college about 20% of the time.
• About half of community college freshmen need remedial classes.
• 1st Gen students only graduate from college 26% of the time.
• Students from the lowest family income quintile only graduate from college 11% of the time.

Any of these factors is a HUGE red flag.

The Transfer Process

One of the biggest barriers to completing a bachelor’s degree is losing credits when transferring from a community college. Even with articulation agreements between two-year and four-year institutions, a significant number of credits may end up lost in the shuffle. This can result in needing to attend five or six expensive semesters at Big Bucks U instead of four.

It is important to plan the transfer of credits before enrolling at your community college. For example, I’m a big fan of Sinclair Community College. However, if you enrolled there with the intention to transfer to my alma mater, The Ohio State University, you would be in for a big shock. OSU doesn’t accept Sinclair students.

“Stuff” Happens

There is a rule of life called “Stuff Happens.” The longer it takes you to earn your degree, the more likely it is that something will occur to derail your plans. For various reasons, two thirds of community college students attend part time and while they are grinding away, pursuing that associate degree, stuff happens.

Financial Planning

One of my “hot buttons” is the lack of adequate financial planning for college. Community college is quite affordable. A majority of states have some kind of free tuition program. A student can muddle through two years of community college financially. However, the “rubber meets the road” when it comes time to enroll at Big Bucks U. Often students don’t have a four-year financial plan and aren’t prepared for the “sticker shock.”

Conclusions

It is bad enough that a student using the 2+2 Model only graduates 14% of the time. Graduating is not crossing the finish line. The graduate has to score a well-paying professional job. The Burning Glass Institue and the Strada Education Foundation have prepared a “college outcomes” study. Only half of college graduates succeed because Supply far exceeds Demand.

I don’t have any data on the students who follow the 2+2 Model. From experience, I do know there is a “who you know” aspect to success at college. In my experience, the parents of 1st Gen, minorities, and students from low-income families are rarely any help obtaining all important internships or job interviews. My guess is 2+2 Model graduates succeed less than 7% of the time.

For many students, pursuing a four-year degree is impossible or extremely risky because of the cost. Community college has a much lower risk factor when it comes to scoring a good job. I am a HUGE proponent of attending community college or technical college to obtain marketable skills, e.g. many types of associates of applied science degrees or associate of occupational studies degrees lead to “breadwinner” jobs. Many more high school graduates should be looking to gain marketable skills in community colleges, CTE, e.g.

Note

Some states handle the 2+2 Model much better than others. For example, California has a Transfer Admission Guarantee (TAG) program that provides students from a community college who earn an associate degree guaranteed admission to several four-year colleges and universities.