The Community College Pathway: An Analysis of the Costs Associated with Enrolling Initially at a Community College Before Transferring to a 4-Year Institution

Education Finance and Policy

Kramer

2022

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Previous research shows that low-income and first-generation college students are less likely to obtain the benefits associated with attending graduate school. No-loan programs, which typically administer financial aid through institutional grants, are designed to improve access and success among students from low-income backgrounds, but we know very little about the influence of noloan programs after students enroll and eventually graduate from college. This study examines the impact of no-loan program participation on graduate school enrollment by leveraging a novel institutional dataset and employing regression discontinuity, difference-in-differences, and propensity score weighting approaches. Results indicate that no-loan program participation has a positive and relatively consistent impact on graduate school enrollment among low-income and first-generation students.

Section: <A>literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

The Impact of No-Loan Program Participation on the Likelihood of Graduate School Enrollment Among Low-Income, First-Generation Students

Education Finance and Policy

Kramer

2022

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“…If a student did not obtain a bachelor's degree in a STEM program, the dependent variable was coded as 0. Given that a vertical transfer student can take longer to complete a bachelor's degree when compared with 4-year starters (Hu, Ortagus, & Kramer, 2017), we ran a secondary analysis on STEM baccalaureate persistence to account for students who were still enrolled in a baccalaureate STEM degree program by 2009. Our second dependent variable, which measures STEM persistence by 2009, was also dichotomous.…”

Section: Variablesmentioning

confidence: 99%

A National Study of the Influence of the Community College Pathway on Female Students’ STEM Baccalaureate Success

Community College Review

2019

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Objective: This study examines the role of community colleges in closing the gender gap in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by studying whether beginning at a community college improves the likelihood of female students earning their bachelor’s degree in STEM. Method: Using nationally representative data, we apply a propensity score matching approach to reduce the selection bias associated with a prospective student’s decision to begin at a community college rather than a 4-year institution. For each gender group, we employ a logistic regression model to estimate the influence of the community college pathway on STEM bachelor’s degree attainment. Results: We find that enrolling initially at a community college has a negative influence on students’ bachelor’s degree attainment in STEM for the pooled sample and male subsample. However, this finding does not hold for the female subsample, indicating that female students who attend community college before transferring to a 4-year institution are not less likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree in STEM. Although additional analyses indicate that community college starters are more likely to drop out from a STEM bachelor’s degree program, the impact only exists for the pooled and male samples but not for female students. Contributions: Considering the significant efforts community colleges have devoted toward creating a suitable environment for female students in which to thrive, this study provides empirical evidence that community colleges have the potential to narrow the STEM achievement gap between gender groups and provide significant utility for female students seeking a bachelor’s degree in STEM fields.

“…To reduce this selection bias, prior studies on the influence of the vertical transfer often use quasi-experimental approaches to compare bachelor’s degree attainment rates between bachelor’s-degree-seeking students who began at a community college and relatively similar students who began at a 4-year institution. After controlling for student characteristics before college enrollment, such as the need for remediation, numerous scholars identified a negative relationship between the community college pathway and the likelihood of obtaining a bachelor’s degree (Alfonso, 2006; Dougherty, 1992; Doyle, 2009; Hu, Ortagus, & Kramer, 2018; Kienzl, Wesaw, & Kumar, 2012; B. T. Long & Kurlaender, 2009; Monaghan & Attewell, 2015; Reynolds, 2012; Reynolds & DesJardins, 2009).…”

Section: Literature Reviewmentioning

confidence: 99%

Does the Community College Pathway Influence the Selectivity of Students’ Destination 4-Year Institution?

Community College Review

2019

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Objectives: In this study, we explore the influence of enrolling initially at a community college before transferring to a 4-year institution on the selectivity of the destination 4-year institution. Method: We leverage nationally representative data and a propensity score matching approach to compare the institutional selectivity between students who begin at a community college before transferring to a 4-year institution and those who begin at a 4-year college or university. To estimate the relationship between the community college pathway and institutional selectivity, we employ an ordinal logistic regression model. Results: We find that transferring from a community college to a 4-year institution had a positive influence on the selectivity of students’ destination 4-year institution. More specifically, students who enroll initially at a community college before transferring to a 4-year institution have a greater probability of attending a very selective 4-year institution and moderately selective 4-year institution when compared with native 4-year students. Students who transferred from a community college have a lower probability of attending minimally selective 4-year institutions and open-admission 4-year institutions when compared with otherwise-similar students who began at a 4-year institution. Contributions: By showing a positive relationship between the vertical transfer and the level of selectivity of students’ destination 4-year institution, this study highlights a potential benefit of beginning at a community college before transferring to a 4-year institution.