I’ve long been an advocate of encouraging academically promising high school students to attend a 4-yr institution after graduating from high school.  In my experience, the chances of those students completing a 4-yr degree are higher than if they had first enrolled in a 2-yr program.

But it’s not just my opinion.  According to the National Center for Education Statistics, students who begin at a 2-yr public institution take “about a year and one-half longer to complete a bachelor’s degree than students who begin at public 4-year institutions, and almost 2 years longer than those who begin at private not-for-profit 4-year institutions.”  And in California, 6 in 10 community college students give up their transfer plans.

And it’s no wonder when there are fewer spots available for transfer students, higher tuition and fees, more competition to enroll in prerequisite courses, and a lack of guidance during the admission process.  What’s frustrating is that school officials push community college and the prospect of transferring as a viable option when less than 50% of community college students actually make it to a four-year program.

We can’t let these students fall through the cracks.  Our state and our country need more college graduates to contribute to the workforce, and it’s a tragedy that students with academic potential are given the promise of transferring but instead are disheartened by an educational system that should be encouraging them to succeed. What can we do to ensure students who can make it at a 4-yr institution are given the best opportunity to get there?