Eighty percent of students who enter community college hope to transfer to a four-year institution and complete a bachelor's degree, but data reveal that only 14 percent achieve that goal within six years, write Davis Jenkins, a senior research associate at TC's Community College Research Center, and Joshua Wyner, founder and executive director of the Aspen Institute’s College Excellence Program.

Washington State has passed measures to smooth the transition from to four-year colleges and universities. But higher education institutions must do their part, Jenkins and Wyner write. For example, Everett Community College works with several Washington State universities to better align its courses with the universities' four-year programs and expectations. For their own part, Washington State universities consider it a core priority to help transfer students from two-year colleges to obtain a four-year degree.

"If two- and four-year colleges followed simple steps to improve the transfer rate among all new students at community colleges in this country by just 10 percent, there could be about 70,000 more students earning bachelor’s degrees every year, according to a recent report from our organizations. That success would mean materially better lives for students and their families and would give the American middle class a booster shot at a time when it is desperately needed," write Jenkins and Wyner, co-authors of “The Transfer Playbook: Essential Practices for Two- and Four-Year Colleges.”

Published Wednesday, Jun 8, 2016