Who are Community College Baccalaureate Students?

From coast to coast, states are raising expectations for bachelor’s degree attainment to connect more people to the associated economic and social benefits. In 25 states, allowing community colleges to offer bachelor’s programs forms part of the strategy to make these degrees more accessible for students who might not otherwise have an opportunity to earn them. Washington offers a prime example of a state where community college baccalaureate programs are increasing access to bachelor’s programs. We at Community College Research Initiatives at the University of Washington secured new data from the state of Washington that reveal promising results, with some important caveats.

The state legislature in 2005 and again in 2010 authorized the state’s large network of community and technical colleges to offer Bachelor’s of Applied Science (BAS) degrees in high demand professional-technical fields. According to the Washington State Board for Community and Technical Colleges, these degrees are meant to provide access to the workforce-focused population “comprised of a large portion of people of color, older working adults and people (women) who are place-bound with family responsibilities.” For Washington, applied baccalaureate programs are about opportunity and equity.

And now that these BAS programs have been around for nearly 15 years, what can we observe about students who enroll and graduate? Here are four key findings from our recent analysis of state data.

Our first finding gives us something to celebrate: growth in enrollment has increased steadily since applied baccalaureate programs began. Baccalaureate degree programs now enroll around 4,000 students in over 100 programs in 27 of the state’s 34 community and technical colleges. Colleges in rural and urban areas, with small and large total enrollments, have built bachelor’s degree programs tailored to their community businesses and residents. That’s great news for bachelor’s degree access.

Second, the more than 4,000 Bachelor of Applied Science (BAS) graduates in Washington demographically differ from state university students in a few ways. They are older than university students, averaging 32 years old, and are also more racially and economically diverse than their counterparts in more traditional university bachelor’s programs. One likely reason for these similarities between BAS and community college students in transfer programs is that BAS programs enroll students who already have an applied associate degree in a professional-technical field; before the advent of the BAS, the applied associate degree was the end of the road, with no chance to build on the AAS and earn a higher degree. These findings suggest that BAS programs are successfully reaching students who might not have secured a credential from a university; they just wouldn’t have pursued a bachelor’s degree at all.

Third, the overall student population enrolled in BAS programs mirrors that of the state’s community college students enrolled in professional-technical programs. About one-quarter of BAS students enroll in business, and these programs enroll significantly larger numbers of students who are Latinx and students receiving need-based financial aid. Another one-third of the BAS enrollments are in health care, with safety and education programs having smaller enrollments. Health care, safety, and education programs attract higher proportions of students who are female, African-American, parents and older than students in other BAS programs.

The fourth finding surfaces several fields where women and minoritized students are still underrepresented among BAS students. The number of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) programs has increased, as has enrollment in STEM baccalaureate programs, since the BAS was introduced in Washington. Since 2018, more than one-third of the state’s total BAS enrollments have been in STEM. However, enrollment in STEM programs is not as racially or ethnically diverse as in other BAS programs. Also, disproportionately fewer women enroll in STEM programs. These disparities persist despite the fact that STEM jobs have grown dramatically in Washington over the last decade, with higher education institutions pressed to meet growing demand for bachelor’s degrees that prepare students for STEM jobs.

This analysis from Washington suggests that expanding baccalaureate programs at community colleges could go a long way toward increasing the share of Americans with bachelor’s degrees. The numbers of programs, enrollments, and graduations are all growing. And while baccalaureate programs in community colleges can also contribute to addressing racial and socioeconomic disparities in bachelor’s degree attainment, our findings show there’s more work to be done to ensure the benefits of a bachelor’s degree – particularly in STEM fields – reach Americans who have historically been underrepresented among bachelor’s degree holders.

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