EDUCATION

What's driving students to community colleges?

Leigh Guidry
The Daily Advertiser

Thousands more Louisiana students are opting for community and technical colleges, where students can get an education in half the time and at more than half the price.

Central Louisiana Technical Community College learn about collision repair.

A two-year degree or certificate program does not lead to the same opportunities as a bachelor's degree, of course. But increasingly jobs are requiring more than a high school education but less than a four-year degree.

Community colleges are being asked to fill that gap, and students seem to be responding, if Louisiana Board of Regents enrollment figures are any indication.

Enrollment at state community and technical colleges grew from 51,911 in fall 2006 to 67,277 in fall 2016 — a difference of 15,366 students. Enrollment spiked five years ago at 81,103 in 2011, according to Regents data.

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The shorter time commitment is an obvious draw over a four-year degree, as is the significant difference in price. 

"We believe people are starting to connect the dots that this is the most affordable and quickest way to take care of their family," said Quintin Taylor, executive director of communication and outreach for the Louisiana Community and Technical College System.

Nationally, the average cost of tuition at public two-year colleges is $3,440 a year, compared to $9,410 at public four-year universities, according to the CollegeBoard.

Those savings add up over time to more than $30,000 — the cost of a new midsize SUV or a year's salary for some.

Based on these averages, a bachelor's degree completed in four years would cost $37,640, while an associate's in two years would be $6,880.

Affordability is especially important to the non-traditional students community colleges tend to serve. The average age of students at an LCTCS school last year was between 27 and 28, Taylor said.

"The majority are single mothers trying to juggle work, family and school," he said. "The other non-traditional student is employed currently and in need of a certification to increase pay."

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The number of students at Louisiana four-year schools has stayed about the same since 2006, fluctuating around 139,000 people for the last 10 years.

So the growth at community colleges is not taking away from state universities. Rather, it is reflected in an higher overall student population across the Bayou State.

Today's community college's also have more offerings — from programs teaching trades like welding to general studies classes — and partnerships that ensure a job upon graduation or a seamless transfer to a four-year school.

"We've made investments to programs aligned to regional workforce demands," Taylor said. "So a student knows there's something at the end, and that something is a credential and a job."

Growing in popularity are "2+2" articulation agreements pair similar programs at institutions and allow students to complete two degrees in four years.

"We've signed more articulation agreements in the last two years than we've probably ever signed," Taylor said.

The system saw 15,800 students transfer to a four-year university last year, which is up 3,200 since 2014. Eighty-six percent of those last year transferred to a school in Louisiana, Taylor said.

"We see ourselves as a natural feeder system," he said.

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