The Opportunity Costs of Initial Community College Enrollment for Baccalaureate Recipients

• In Event: 44.084 - Roundtable Session 18
  In Roundtable Session: 44.084-15 - Student Outcomes and Higher Education Productivity

Abstract

While previous research intensively focused on transfer students’ baccalaureate degree completion, few empirical studies examined the opportunity costs of initial enrollment at community colleges, in terms of total loan debt, time-to-degree, and institutional selectivity. By conducting regression analysis with propensity score models to control for selection bias, we found concrete evidence that opportunity costs exist for baccalaureate recipients who transferred from a community college. When compared with public four-year natives, transfer students borrow less, experience longer enrollment time, and attend less selective four-year institutions. While supporting transfer students’ baccalaureate completion is important, appropriate resources should be provided to ensure their monetary benefits of attending a lower-cost community college are not offset by longer enrollment time and lower institutional selectivity.

Authors

• Xiaodan Hu, University of Florida

• Justin C. Ortagus, University of Florida

• Dennis Allan Kramer, University of Florida