Barriers to community college admission increasing

With soaring college costs, more students are turning to community colleges. But with an influx of students, community colleges may be putting out low-income and minority students.

In the April 2012 Center for Higher Education report, Dr. Gary Rhodes analyzed the changing climate of community colleges. Calling it a “complicated cascade effect,” Rhodes explained that with the increasing cost and enrollment limitations at four-year institutions, more middle and upper class students are opting for community colleges, thus excluding low-income and minority students.

“Traditionally, our community colleges have been critical portals of entry to higher education for under-served students. . . It is these students whose futures are being compromised by recent enrollment and curricular trends that are refocusing community colleges on a narrower range of students and educational goals,” Rhodes wrote in the report.

Rhodes blamed insufficient funding and institutional capacity as the reasons for why community colleges are failing at meeting the student demand. To fix this gaping problem, Rhodes and the CFHE call for constructing a higher educational system that is inclusive and affordable to all that desire a college degree.

For many, a college degree includes time spent at a community college. According to The American Association of Community Colleges, community colleges serve half of the undergraduate population in America. The reasoning behind their popularity is due to their lower cost, ability to prepare students for transferring to four-year institutions or entering the work force, their development training and a plethora of useful noncredit programs including English as a second language.

The cost of higher education is an issue close to the hearts and wallets of college students, including those at community colleges. The AACC reports that nearly half of all community college students receive funding for their studies.

Arlene Winrow, who will graduate SUNY Ulster Community College in New York in May, chose to attend Ulster as affordable means to eventually obtaining a Masters degree.

“Even if I hadn’t gotten (a full merit based) scholarship. . .I probably still would have gone to Ulster. Being the youngest of four who’ve all gone to college, once it came down to me, my parents didn’t have the means to help me fund my education," Winrow said. "If I hadn’t gotten the scholarship it would have been up to me to take out a loan for myself."

Last week President Barack Obama began his campaign tour seeking the support of young voters by addressing this very issue of college cost.

Obama will visit three universities of three key election states, the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, the University of Colorado at Boulder, and the University of Iowa at Iowa City this week, reported USA TODAY. While this is a list of elite four-year universities, Obama began his speech by relaying his conversations with Lorain Community College students.

Calling the Lorain students “impressive”, Obama explained that one student, Andrea Ashley, was studying to obtain a degree in electronic medical records after she lost her HR analyst job. As such, Obama cited Ashley as an example to prove how higher education is becoming necessary in a failing economy.

“Andrea's story isn't unique. . .We should be doing everything we can to put higher education within reach for every American -- because at a time when the unemployment rate for Americans with at least a college degree is about half the national average, it's never been more important,” Obama said.

Additionally, on Oct. 5, 2010, Dr. Jill Biden, wife of Vice President Joe Biden and community college instructor, served as a chair for the first White House Summit on Community Colleges. The Summit specifically looked at how community colleges can better offer students both job training as well as the education that is necessary in the workforce.

Beyond the obvious benefits of saving money, Winrow says Ulster has been a great experience and one that prepared her for entering into an accelerated Master's degree program to become a certified public accountant this fall.

Winrow says more students should consider utilizing community colleges.

“Even without a scholarship (community college) is a much cheaper option and I’ve gotten a great education. Plus, being in a pool of less people, you can stand out more amongst your peers,” Winrow said.

Kendall Bitonte is a Fall 2011 USA TODAY Collegiate Correspondent. You can learn more about her here.

This story originally appeared on the USA TODAY College blog, a news source produced for college students by student journalists. The blog closed in September of 2017.