Report: Only 19% of Virginia’s community college students go on to earn bachelor’s degrees
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About 19% of community college students in Virginia will transfer to four-year schools and earn their bachelor’s degree within six years, slightly above the national average of 16%, according to new higher education data released Feb. 7.
The two “Tracking Transfer” reports found that bachelor degree attainment was lower for certain underserved groups in Virginia: 12% of Black community college students earned their bachelor’s within six years, as did only 10% of low-income students and 7% of students older than 25.
Authors of the reports urged college leaders and lawmakers to improve transfer pathways and practices and do more to eliminate barriers for low-income and minority students.
“This is a collective failure, so fixing the broken transfer system will require collective action,” said Tatiana Velasco, a lead author of the reports and research associate at the Community College Research Center. “Both four-year institutions and community colleges have important roles to play, as do state policymakers.”
In Virginia, 40% of community college students will end up transferring to a four-year college and for those who transfer to public colleges, 86% will stay enrolled for the next two years. But less than half of community college transfers will end up completing their bachelor’s in 4 to 6 years.
Some progress has been made nationally over the past seven years according to the reports, which were conducted by researchers from the CCRC and the Aspen Institute on students who entered four-year and community colleges during the 2015-2016 school year. The percentage of U.S. community college students who went on to transfer and earn bachelor’s degrees rose from 14% in 2016 to 16% in 2024.
But surveys indicate that a much larger number – 80% – of community college students aspire to earn their bachelor’s, meaning that most students who want to earn four-year degrees are unable to do so.
“It doesn’t have to be that way,” said Tania LaViolet, a lead author and a director at the Aspen Institute. “The data we analyzed show that there are some high-performing community colleges and four-year institutions that achieve strong results for all students, including those from underserved groups.”
Community college students make up 40% of undergraduates in the U.S. and a significant portion of new students at public four-year colleges. One in five students starting at a public four-year university are community college transfers. Transfers from community colleges bring more diversity to four-year colleges, as transfers are more likely to be low- or middle- income, Black or Hispanic, and older students.
Virginia ranks fifth in the nation on bachelor degree attainment among community college students. But underserved groups such as low-income students and students older than 25 still fall behind national averages in transferring and completing bachelor’s at four-year colleges.
“These findings show us that while much more needs to be done, especially in support of low-income and students of color, Virginia is ahead of most other states in helping students who start at community colleges reach their goals of attaining bachelor’s degrees,” Velasco said.
The reports suggested that community and four-year colleges expand dual enrollment opportunities and emphasize the importance of timely bachelor completion so that community college transfers are able to reduce their costs and find jobs quicker after graduation.
Community colleges should also encourage students to get associate’s degrees before they transfer, the report authors said, because students with associate’s degrees are more likely to earn their bachelor’s. The authors also recommended community colleges to encourage students to enter selective four-year colleges rather than for-profit colleges and primarily online institutions – which have lower bachelor’s degree attainment rates.
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Liana Hardy is the Citizen’s Report for America Corps member and education reporter. Her position is dependent upon reader support; make a tax-deductible contribution to the Citizen through RFA here.
