What can community colleges do for your students? 2015 Annual MeCA Conference Presenter: Amanda Card, Assistant Director of Admissions Southern Maine Community College, South Portland, Maine

Community Colleges: Overview  The largest higher education segment in US  Total number of community colleges: 1,132  Total student enrollment as of Fall 2012: 12.8 million  Overall enrollment status:  Part-time = 59%  Full-time = 41%  45% of all undergrads in the US are enrolled at a community college  Average annual tuition and fees ( ): $3,260 “2014 Fact Sheet.” American Association of Community Colleges (AACC)

Mullin, Christopher M. “Transfer: An indispensable part of the community college mission” (Policy Brief PBL).

Community College Student Demographics  Women: 57% and Men: 43%  Average age: 28  First generation: 36%  Single parent: 17%  Non-US Citizen: 7%  Veterans: 4%  Students with disabilities: 12%  10% of students beginning at community college in 2003–04 who took admissions tests earned scores between 1140 and 1600 (1600 was the highest score)  Ethnicity Breakdown: IPEDS Fall 2012 Enrollment Survey and National Postsecondary Student Aid Study Mullin, Christopher M. “Transfer: An indispensable part of the community college mission” (Policy Brief PBL). White: 51%Hispanic: 19%Black: 14%Asian/Pacific Islander: 6% Native American: 1% 2 or more races: 2% Other/Unkno wn: 5% Nonresident Alien: 1%

Trends in Student Enrollment at Community Colleges  Increase in high income family student enrollment: 12% in % in  Increase in middle income family student enrollment: 24% in % in  Overall community college enrollment decline: 2.7%  Lower than the previous year  Over age 24 decline was 6% (accounted for most of the decline)  Ages 24 and younger declined by 0.5% National Student Clearing House 2014 Mullin, Christopher M. “Transfer: An indispensable part of the community college mission” (Policy Brief PBL).

Community Colleges: A Growing Trend Mullin, Christopher M. “Transfer: An indispensable part of the community college mission” (Policy Brief PBL).

Maine Community College Facts  7 total colleges state wide enrolling over 18,000 students  Roughly 300 degree and certificate options are available  All colleges and their 6 off-campus learning centers are located within 25 miles of 92% of Maine’s population  Breakdown of enrollment by college  Central Maine Community College: 3,108  Eastern Maine Community College: 2,558  Kennebec Valley Community College: 2,263  Northern Maine Community College: 1,086  Southern Maine Community College : 7,157  Washington County Community College: 443  York County Community College: 1,583 “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April

Maine community colleges offer four year college opportunities  Student housing is offered at 5 of the 7 community colleges (KVCC and YCCC are non-residential)  Athletics is offered at 4 of the 7 community colleges in the USCAA Division and YSCC  Study abroad opportunities are available (Ireland, Canada) as well as international short term visits “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April 2015.

College is affordable at a Maine community college! ChargesMaine Residents Tuition (full-time)$2,700 Credit Hour$90 Room & Board$6,500 - $8,500 Average Fees$600 - $1,000  Financial Aid is available to students who complete the FAFSA  Currently 82% of full-time students receive financial aid in the form of Pell grants, scholarships, veterans’ benefits and other types of aid “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April 2015.

Transfer: A Goal of Community College Students  A majority of students (80%) plan to transfer and earn a bachelor’s degree  Underrepresented groups show strongest desire to earn a bachelor’s degree: greater than 80% for Latino, African- American and low-income students  Only 25% of students actually transfer to a four-year institution Handel, Stephen J. “Community College Students Earning the Baccalaureate Degree: The Good News Could Be Better.”

Successful Transfer Student Facts  Enrolling at a community college increases a student’s opportunity to enroll at a selective institution after completing their studies versus enrolling directly after high school completion  Studies show that 45% of all students earning bachelor’s degree previously attended a two-year school  The students who are most successful in earning a four year degree exhibit the following behaviors:  Transfer to a public four-year school (most do)  Immediately transfer (most do)  Complete an associates degree (most don’t) Shapiro, Doug T. “College Completion Rates: Student Pathways, Outcomes and Institutional Measures.”

Earning a bachelor’s degree: Two separate paths, same result  Researchers argue that both two-year and four-year institutions are equally equipped at preparing students to earn a bachelor’s degree  Students who transfer from a two-year institution have comparable degree completion rates as those students who started at a four-year institution  Students who transfer are as likely to earn a bachelor’s degree as those students who started at a four-year institution Handel, Stephen J. “Community College Students Earning the Baccalaureate Degree: The Good News Could Be Better.”

National Student Clearing House Research Center

The reality of the transfer process  1 in 4 community college students successfully transfer to a four-year institution  Studies show that 40% of students who do transfer lose more than 10% of their credits in the transfer process  About 14% of community college students essentially began anew after transferring: their new institution accepted fewer than 10% of their community college credits  Only 58% of community college transfers were able to bring over 90% or more of their college credits to the four year institution.  The remaining 28% of transfers lost between 10% and 89% of their credits. Monaghan, David B. and Paul Attewell. “The Community College Route to the Bachelor’s Degree.”

Common theme: Loss of credits  Research has shown that 82% of transfer students earned a bachelor’s degree in the period observed when a 4-year receiving institution accepted all of a community college student’s credits, and 42% earned that degree when the institution accepted only some of their credits  Most common reasons credits are not transferred for community college students:  The need for academic programs to offer courses that make their program unique  Amount of time since credit was earned  Alignment between credits and courses of study Mullin, Christopher M. “Transfer: An indispensable part of the community college mission” (Policy Brief PBL).

What Works in Maine? Most community colleges sign articulation agreements with four year schools. These agreements do not work unless there is buy in from the four year schools. The Maine Community College System participates in the Exploring Transfer program at Vassar College. This is an intensive 5 week summer program which is fully paid for by scholarship funds for qualified students. This is ideal for students interested in transferring to competitive four year institutions. “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April 2015.

Examples of successful transfer agreements between two and four year institutions in Maine  SMCC recently signed 16 new transfer articulation agreements with the University of New England. All agreements with SMCC are listed by institution and program on the school website for student access at anytime.  Maine Maritime Academy Prep is an agreement between Maine Maritime Academy and the Maine Community College System. This allows students to complete coursework at the community college level to better prepare them for enrollment at Maine Maritime upon completion. “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April 2015.

Dual Enrollment: Helping high school students get a head start  There are currently 2,700 Maine high school students enrolled in courses within the Maine Community College System  On Course for College is a program sponsored by the Maine Community College System that allows qualified high school students (typically a B or higher GPA) to enroll in college courses at little or no cost  Courses completed at the community college are eligible to transfer to other institutions  Each college has their own dual enrollment coordinator who works with the student, high school and college to enroll the student in a college course each semester “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April 2015.

Early College for ME  Provides support and scholarship opportunities to high school students starting in their sophomore and junior years in high school  Assistance is given through the college application process with an advisor who continues to support them as they are enrolled students in the community college of their choice  This program is currently available at 74 high schools  Qualified students are eligible to enroll in a college course during their senior year for free  Scholarships totaling up to $2,000 over 2 years are available to qualified students  Between Fall 2003 and Fall 2014, 2,347 ECforME students received scholarships and enrolled in community college “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April 2015.

Even celebrities go to community college!  Tom Hanks reflected on his experience as a community college student recently in an op-ed piece for the New York Times. Please reference and share this great piece with anyone who may be interested! on-his-two-years-at-chabot-college.html?_r=0

Sources  “2014 Fact Sheet.” American Association of Community Colleges (AACC), Web. 2 November  Handel, Stephen J. “Community College Students Earning the Baccalaureate Degree: The Good News Could Be Better.” College and University 89.2 (Winter 2013): Print.  “Maine Community College System.” Maine Community College System, Web. 1 April  Monaghan, David B. and Paul Attewell. “The Community College Route to the Bachelor’s Degree.” Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, Web. 2 November  Mullin, Christopher M. “Transfer: An indispensable part of the community college mission” (Policy Brief PBL). American Association of Community Colleges, Web. 2 November  Shapiro, Doug T. “College Completion Rates: Student Pathways, Outcomes and Institutional Measures.” American Association of Collegiate Registrars and Admissions Officers Webinar, June 18,  Shapiro, Doug and Afet Dundar, et al. “Baccalaureate Attainment: A National View of the Postsecondary Outcomes of Students Who Transferred from Two-Year to Four-Year Institutions.” National Student Clearinghouse Research Center, Web. 2 November  “Table ” National Center for Education Statistics, Web. 2 November

Contact Information Amanda Card, Assistant Director of Admissions Southern Maine Community College, South Portland, Maine