NCES 2008-033

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION

Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008
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Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Statistical Analysis Report

August 2008

Stephen Provasnik

Michael Planty

National Center for Education Statistics

NCES 2008-033

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION
U.S. Department of Education

Margaret Spellings

Secretary

Institute of Education Sciences

Grover J. Whitehurst

Director

National Center for Education Statistics

Mark Schneider

Commissioner

Th e National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) is the primary federal entity for collecting, analyzing, and reporting data related 

to education in the United States and other nations. It fulfi lls a congressional mandate to collect, collate, analyze, and report full and 

complete statistics on the condition of education in the United States; conduct and publish reports and specialized analyses of the 

meaning and signifi cance of such statistics; assist state and local education agencies in improving their statistical systems; and review 

and report on education activities in foreign countries.

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indicators of education status and trends; and report timely, useful, and high-quality data to the U.S. Department of Education, the 

Congress, the states, other education policymakers, practitioners, data users, and the general public. Unless specifi cally noted all information contained herein is in the public domain.

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August 2008

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Suggested Citation

Provasnik, S., and Planty, M. (2008). Community Colleges: Special Supplement to Th e Condition of Education 2008 (NCES 2008-033). 

National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

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Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page iii

The Condition of Education summarizes important developments and trends in education 

using the latest available data. The report, 

which is required by law, is an indicator report 

intended for a general audience of readers who 

are interested in education. The indicators represent a consensus of professional judgment on 

the most signifi cant national measures of the 

condition and progress of education for which 

accurate data are available. For the 2008 edition, a special analysis was prepared to take a 

closer look at community colleges. 

Drawing upon a wide range of data sources 

collected by the National Center for Education 

Statistics (NCES), the 2008 special analysis 

provides a descriptive profi le of community 

colleges in the United States, examines the 

characteristics of community college students 

who entered directly from high school, and 

looks at rates of postsecondary persistence and 

attainment among community college students 

in general. It also compares the characteristics 

of these institutions and of the students who 

enroll in them with those of public and private 

4-year colleges and universities. Selected fi ndings include:

 In 2006–07, there were 1,045 community 

colleges in the United States, enrolling 

6.2 million students (or 35 percent of 

all postsecondary students enrolled that 

year).

 Average annual community college tuition 

and fees are less than half those at public 

4-year colleges and universities and onetenth those at private 4-year colleges and 

universities. 

 Community colleges enroll a diverse 

group of students, with various reasons 

for going to college, and have larger 

percentages of nontraditional, lowincome, and minority students than 

4-year colleges and universities. 

 High school seniors who enrolled 

immediately in community colleges in 

2004 spanned a broad range of academic 

achievement—including students who 

were well-prepared for college in terms of 

their performance on standardized tests 

and coursework completed. They included 

a greater percentage of well-prepared 

seniors than did the 1992 senior cohort. 

 About two-thirds of 2004 seniors who 

enrolled immediately in a community college 

seem to have done so with the intention of 

pursuing a bachelor’s degree or higher: as 

high school seniors, 28 percent had planned 

to use a community college as a stepping 

stone to a bachelor’s degree and 39 percent 

revised their original plans to attend a 

4-year college and earn a bachelor’s degree 

by starting their postsecondary education 

at a community college. 

 One-third of 2004 seniors who enrolled 

immediately in a community college did 

so with no intention of pursuing any 

education higher than an associate’s 

degree; however, by 2006, almost 47 

percent of this group had raised their 

educational expectations to start or 

complete a bachelor’s degree. 

 The percentage of students who had left 

school by 2006 without completing a 

degree or certifi cate program was higher 

among 2003–04 community college 

freshmen who intended to transfer to a 

4-year college than among all 2003–04 

freshmen at public 4-year and private 

not-for-profi t 4-year institutions.

Technical notes about the data sources, methodology, and standard errors are included at 

the end of this report. Special analyses are 

available both as booklets and on the NCES 

Condition of Education website (http://nces.

ed.gov/programs/coe).

Executive Summary
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Contents

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page v

Executive Summary .................................................................................................................... iii

List of Tables .............................................................................................................................. vi

List of Figures and Exhibit..........................................................................................................viii

Introduction ............................................................................................................................... 1

Section 1. Institutional Characteristics ........................................................................................ 2

Number, Size, and Location ............................................................................................................................................... 2

Enrollment Patterns .......................................................................................................................................................... 2

State Community College Systems .................................................................................................................................... 5

Degrees Conferred ............................................................................................................................................................. 6

Tuition and Fees ................................................................................................................................................................ 6

Faculty .............................................................................................................................................................................. 8

Admission Criteria ........................................................................................................................................................... 10

Remedial Education ........................................................................................................................................................ 11

Section 2. Student Characteristics ............................................................................................ 12

Part A. Students Who Enroll in Community Colleges Immediately After High School .................................................... 13

Immediate College Enrollment After High School ................................................................................................................ 14

Which Seniors Attend Community Colleges Right After High School? ............................................................................... 14

Background characteristics and immediate enrollment ...................................................................................................... 14

Student achievement and immediate enrollment .............................................................................................................. 16

Students’ immediate educational plans, future educational expectations, and immediate enrollment ................................... 19

Part B. Community College Students’ Short-Term Persistence or Attainment Rate ........................................................ 22

Summary ................................................................................................................................. 23

Notes ....................................................................................................................................... 25

References ............................................................................................................................... 28

Special Analysis Tables .............................................................................................................. 29

Technical Notes ........................................................................................................................ 60

Contents
Page vi | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

List of Tables

Table 1. Percentage of degree-granting institutions with fi rst-year undergraduates using various selection criteria 

for admission, by control and type of institution: 2005–06 ............................................................................ 10

Table 2. Percentage distribution of immediate enrollees in postsecondary institutions in fall 2004, by control and 

type of institution and selected academic achievement characteristics .......................................................... 18

Table 3. Percentage distribution of 2004 and 1992 seniors who enrolled immediately after high school in a 

community college, by their educational plans and expectations as seniors and 2 years later ........................ 21

Table SA-1. Number of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: Academic years 1974–75 

through 2006–07 ........................................................................................................................................... 29

Table SA-2. Number of degree-granting institutions, by enrollment size, control and type of institution, and 

community type: Fall 2006 ............................................................................................................................. 31

Table SA-3. Percentage distribution of degree-granting institutions, by enrollment size, control and type of 

institution, and community type: Fall 2006 .................................................................................................... 32

Table SA-4. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: 1963 through 

2006 ............................................................................................................................................................... 33

Table SA-5. Number of degree-granting community colleges, size of their total enrollment, and ratio of enrollment 

to adult population, by state or jurisdiction: 2005–06 .................................................................................... 35

Table SA-6. Average annual undergraduate tuition and fees for full-time students in degree-granting institutions, 

by control and type of institution: Academic years 1976–77 through 2006–07 ............................................. 37

Table SA-7. Number and percentage distribution of faculty and instructional staff in degree-granting institutions, by 

control and type of institution and selected faculty characteristics: Fall 2003 ................................................. 38

Table SA-8. Percentage of beginning postsecondary students who reported taking various types of remedial courses 

in their fi rst year, by control and type of institution: 2003–04 ........................................................................ 39

Table SA-9. Percentage distribution of undergraduates, by control and type of institution and student characteristics: 

2003–04 ........................................................................................................................................................ 40

Table SA-10. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed 

postsecondary enrollment status, control and type of institution, and selected background 

characteristics: 2004 and 2006 ....................................................................................................................... 41

Table SA-11. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high 

school in a postsecondary institution, by control and type of institution and selected background 

characteristics: 2004 ....................................................................................................................................... 42

Table SA-12. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed 

postsecondary enrollment status, control and type of institution, and selected background 

characteristics: 1992 and 1994 ....................................................................................................................... 43

Table SA-13. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high 

school in a postsecondary institution, by control and type of institution and selected background 

characteristics: 1992 ....................................................................................................................................... 44

List of Tables
Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page vii

List of Tables

Table SA-14. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate postsecondary enrollment 

status and selected characteristics: 2004 ........................................................................................................ 45

Table SA-15. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate postsecondary enrollment 

status and selected characteristics: 1992 ........................................................................................................ 48

Table SA-16. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed 

postsecondary enrollment status, control and type of institution, and academic achievement 

characteristics: 2004 and 2006 ....................................................................................................................... 50

Table SA-17. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high 

school in a postsecondary institution, by control and type of institution and academic achievement 

characteristics: 2004 ....................................................................................................................................... 51

Table SA-18. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed 

postsecondary enrollment status, control and type of institution, and academic achievement 

characteristics: 1992 and 1994 ....................................................................................................................... 52

Table SA-19. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high 

school in a postsecondary institution, by control and type of institution and academic achievement 

characteristics: 1992 ....................................................................................................................................... 53

Table SA-20. Percentage distribution of immediate enrollees in a postsecondary institution in fall 1994, by control 

and type of institution and selected academic achievement characteristics ................................................... 54

Table SA-21. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed 

postsecondary enrollment status, control and type of institution, and educational plans and 

expectations: 2004 and 2006 .......................................................................................................................... 55

Table SA-22. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high 

school in a postsecondary institution, by control and type of institution and educational plans and 

expectations: 2004 ......................................................................................................................................... 56

Table SA-23. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed 

postsecondary enrollment status, control and type of institution, and educational plans and 

expectations: 1992 and 1994 .......................................................................................................................... 57

Table SA-24. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high 

school in a postsecondary institution, by control and type of institution and educational plans and 

expectations: 1992 ......................................................................................................................................... 58

Table SA-25. Percentage of 2003–04 beginning postsecondary students who in 2006 were still enrolled and/or 

had completed a degree or certifi cate program at any postsecondary institution, by control and type 

of institution, program plans, and attendance status ...................................................................................... 59

List of Tables

Continued
Page viii | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

List of Figures and Exhibit

Figures

Figure 1. Number of degree-granting institutions in the United States, by control and type of institution: 

Selected academic years, 1974–75 through 2006–07 ...................................................................................... 3

Figure 2. Percentage distribution of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution and enrollment 

size: Fall 2006 ................................................................................................................................................... 3

Figure 3. Percentage of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution and community type: 

Fall 2006 ........................................................................................................................................................... 4

Figure 4. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: 1963 through 

2006 ................................................................................................................................................................. 4

Figure 5. Estimated number of students enrolled in each state’s community colleges, by state: Fall 2005 ......................5

Figure 6. Number of associate’s degrees conferred in the United States, by control and type of postsecondary 

institution: Academic year 2005–06 ................................................................................................................. 7

Figure 7. Average annual undergraduate tuition and fees for full-time students in degree-granting institutions, 

by control and type of institution: Academic years 1976–77 through 2006–07 .............................................. 7

Figure 8. Percentage distribution of faculty in degree-granting institutions, by faculty employment status, 

main activity, and control and type of institution: Fall 2003 .............................................................................. 8

Figure 9. Percentage distribution of faculty in degree-granting institutions, by highest level of educational 

attainment, minority race/ethnicity, and control and type of institution: Fall 2003 ..........................................9

Figure 10. Percentage of beginning postsecondary students who reported taking remedial courses in their 

fi rst year, by control and type of institution: 2003–04 .................................................................................... 11

Figure 11. Percentage of community college students reporting various reasons for enrolling in a community 

college: Academic year 2003–04 ................................................................................................................... 12

Figure 12. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution after high school 

and percentage distribution of these immediate enrollees, by control and type of institution: 2004 .............. 14

Figure 13. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution after high school 

and percentage distribution of these immediate enrollees, by control and type of institution and race/

ethnicity: 2004 ............................................................................................................................................... 15

Figure 14. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution after high school 

and percentage distribution of these immediate enrollees, by control and type of institution and 

socioeconomic status: 2004 ............................................................................................................................ 16

Figure 15. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a community college after high school, by 

race/ethnicity and socioeconomic status: 2004 .............................................................................................. 17

Figure 16. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled in a postsecondary institution immediately after high school, 

by type of institution and high school grade point average (GPA): 2004 ......................................................... 17

Figure 17. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a community college or a 4-year postsecondary 

institution in fall 2004, by their reported post-high school educational plans: 2004 ...................................... 20

Figure 18. Percentage distribution of fi rst-time undergraduates in 2003–04, by persistence or attainment rate, control 

and type of postsecondary institution, program plans, and attendance status: 2006 ...................................... 23

Exhibit 

Exhibit A. Overview of the datasets used for the special analysis ................................................................................... 61

List of Figures and Exhibit
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 1

INTRODUCTION

This special analysis draws upon a wide range 

of data sources collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) to present 

a descriptive profi le of community colleges in 

the United States (see exhibit A in the Technical 

Notes). Public 2-year postsecondary institutions, commonly known today as “community 

colleges,”1 primarily award associate’s degrees 

and certifi cates and offer a wide range of services in their local communities. For example, 

besides offering academic coursework to earn 

a degree and occupational education or training, community colleges help students transfer 

to public 4-year postsecondary institutions 

with articulation agreements2 and provide 

many forms of noncredit activities, ranging 

from remedial coursework to community and 

support services (Cohen and Brawer 2003; 

Phillippe 2004; Vaughan 2006; Coley 2000). 

Furthermore, by virtue of their open admissions 

policies, they allow all individuals to register 

for courses. Consequently, community colleges offer educational opportunities to greater 

percentages of nontraditional students3 and 

minority students than do 4-year institutions 

(Horn and Nevill 2006, p. 9). 

The special analysis describes both the institutional characteristics of community colleges 

and the characteristics of students who attend 

them. It also compares the characteristics of 

these institutions and the students who enroll 

in them with those of public and private 4-year 

colleges and universities. The special analysis 

is organized into two sections, each of which 

presents data from various sources and examines different questions. Section 1 describes the 

institutional characteristics of community colleges and addresses the following questions:

 How have the number of community colleges and their enrollments changed over 

time?

 How do state community college systems 

differ?

 How much are tuition and fees at community colleges?

 Who teaches at community colleges?

 What are the admission criteria at commun ity colleges?

Section 2 is subdivided into two parts. Part A 

focuses on the characteristics of students who 

enroll in community colleges immediately after 

high school. Using longitudinal data on the 

senior high school classes of 1992 and 2004, 

part A examines the following questions:

 What are the characteristics of students who 

enroll in community colleges immediately 

after completing high school?

 How do “immediate enrollees” in com munity colleges differ from those in public and 

private 4-year colleges and universities?

 What percentage of immediate enrollees 

attend community college as a stepping 

stone to a higher degree?

 Do the educational expectations of immed iate enrollees change after enrolling 

in a community college?

Part B expands the analysis to look at a larger 

population of students than immediate enrollees: it considers students who enter postsecondary education at any time in their lives. Using 

longitudinal data from undergraduates who 

enrolled in a postsecondary institution for the 

fi rst time during the 2003–04 academic year, 

part B addresses the following questions:

 What percentage of beginning undergrad uates at community colleges are still 

enrolled in college 3 years later? 

Community Colleges
Community Colleges

Page 2 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

 Do community college students’ persistence 

rates differ for full- and part-time students 

and by students’ academic plans?

Neither Part A or B of section 2 provides a 

complete picture of the community college 

student body because the available data only 

allow us to look at immediate enrollees and 

fi rst-time enrollees. In addition, community colleges serve students who take noncredit courses 

and training. The longitudinal studies used in 

section 2 of this report do not fully capture this 

population of learners.

As mentioned above, community colleges and 

their students are compared with public 4-year 

postsecondary institutions and their students 

throughout this special analysis. When possible, comparisons are also made with private 

not-for-profi t 4-year institutions and their students; however, sometimes data for all private 

4-year institutions are aggregated, and thus 

some comparisons are made with all private 

4-year institutions. Additional information 

about less-than-2-year, private 2-year (both 

not-for-profit and for-profit), and private 

for-profi t 4-year postsecondary institutions 

is presented in fi gures and supporting tables 

when possible.4

This special analysis relies on a combination of 

data from administrative records and student 

self-reports. When historical data are available, 

trends or historical comparisons are reported. 

Finally, it is important to note that, while many 

of the variables examined in this analysis are related to one another, the purpose of this special 

analysis is to provide descriptive information; 

thus, complex interactions and relationships 

have not been explored here.

SECTION 1. INSTITUTIONAL CHARACTERISTICS

Number, Size, and Location 

Between 1974–75 and 2006–07, the number 

of community colleges in the United States increased by 17 percent, from 896 to 1,045 (see 

table SA-1 and fi gure 1). The number of community colleges was highest during the 1997–98 

academic year (1,092 institutions).5 Compared 

with the growth rate of other types of postsecondary institutions between 1974–75 and 

2006–07, community colleges have grown at a 

slower rate. For example, the number of public 

4-year colleges and universities increased by 20 

percent (from 537 to 643), while the number of 

private 4-year colleges and universities increased 

by 49 percent (from 1,329 to 1,986). 

The typical size and location of colleges and 

universities vary by the control and type of 

institution, but community colleges tend to 

have relatively moderate-sized enrollments and 

are located across all community types (see 

table SA-2). Whereas public 4-year colleges 

and universities tend to have large enrollments 

(62 percent enroll 5,000 students or more) 

and private not-for-profi t 4-year colleges and 

universities tend to have small enrollments (75 

percent enroll fewer than 2,500 students), the 

majority of community colleges (71 percent) 

enroll between 1,000 and 10,000 students (see 

fi gure 2 and table SA-3). Also unlike public 

and private not-for-profi t 4-year institutions, 

which tend to be in cities, community colleges 

are distributed more evenly across community 

types, with 29 percent each in cities and rural 

areas, 24 percent in towns, and 18 percent in 

suburban areas (see fi gure 3). 

Enrollment Patterns 

In fall 2006, over 6.2 million students (35 

percent of all postsecondary students) were 

enrolled in community colleges across the country (see table SA-4).6 This fi gure represented a 

slight decline from their peak enrollment of 

almost 6.3 million students in fall 2002, but 

a 741 percent increase from fall 1963, when 

community colleges enrolled 739,811 students 

(see fi gure 4). In comparison, over this period, 

the enrollment for public 4-year colleges and 

universities increased by 197 percent, while 

the enrollment for private 4-year colleges and 

universities increased by 170 percent. As a 

result of the greater growth in enrollment for 

community colleges over this period, the difference in total enrollment between community 

colleges and public 4-year colleges and universities shrunk. In fall 1968, public 4-year colleges 

and universities enrolled over 2.1 million more 

students than community colleges. By fall 2002, 

this difference had decreased to 211,233 students; however, by fall 2006, the difference had 

increased to 729,893 students. 
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 3

0

400

800

1,200

1,600

Number of

institutions

1990–91 1994–95 1998–99 2002–03 2006–07

Academic year

1974–75 1978–79 1982–83 1986–87

Private for-profit 2-year1 Private

for-profit 4-year

Private not-for-profit 4-year

Community college

Public 4-year

Figure 1. Number of degree-granting institutions in the United States, by control and type of institution: Selected 

academic years, 1974–75 through 2006–07

1

 The number of private-for-profi t 2-year institutions increased markedly between 1995–96 and 1996–97 in large part because the defi nition of degree-granting institutions adopted in 1996–97 included institutions that were not previously recognized as institutions of higher education.

NOTE: Data between 1974–75 and 1995–96 are for institutions of higher education. Data from 1996–97 onward are for degree-granting institutions. Institutions of higher 

education were institutions, accredited by an agency or association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or recognized directly by the Secretary of Education, 

that had courses leading to an associate’s or higher degree or that had courses accepted for credit toward those degrees. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s 

or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs. The degree-granting classifi cation is very similar to the earlier higher education classifi cation, 

but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Changes in counts of institutions over time are partly 

affected by increasing or decreasing numbers of institutions submitting separate data for branch campuses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Institutional Characteristics of Colleges 

and Universities” surveys, 1974–75 through 1985–86; and 1986–87 through 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Institutional Character istics 

Survey” (IPEDS-IC:86–99), and Fall 2000 through Fall 2006.

Percent

000 10 20 30 40 50 10 20 30 40 50 10 20 30 40 50

Enrollment

Under 200

200 to 499

500 to 999

1,000 to 2,499

2,500 to 4,999

5,000 to 9,999

10,000 to 19,999

20,000 to 29,999

30,000 or more

Private not-for-profit 4-year Community college Public 4-year

15 # 1

13 4 2

17 7 4

29 23 15

15 26 17

6 23 23

3 12 21

1 4 12

# 1 6

Figure 2. Percentage distribution of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution and enrollment 

size: Fall 2006

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2007, Enrollment component.
Community Colleges

Page 4 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Community college Public 4-year Private not-for-profit 4-year

City Suburban Town Rural

29

18

24

48

16

26

51

25

15

9 8

29

Figure 3. Percentage of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution and community type: Fall 

2006

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2007, Enrollment component.

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Community college Public 4-year Private not-for-profit 4-year

City Suburban Town Rural

29

18

24

48

16

26

51

25

15

9 8

29

Figure 3. Percentage of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution and community type: Fall 

2006

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2007, Enrollment component.

0

2,000

4,000

6,000

8,000

1,000

3,000

5,000

7,000

Students enrolled

(in thousands)

Year

1963 1966 1969 1972 1975 1978 1981 1984 1987 1990 1993 1996 1999 2002 2006

Private 4-year

Community college

Public 4-year

Figure 4. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: 1963 through 

2006

NOTE: Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Institutions of higher education were institutions, 

accredited by an agency or association recognized by the U.S. Department of Education or recognized directly by the Secretary of Education, that had courses leading to an 

associate’s or higher degree or that had courses accepted for credit toward those degrees. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate 

in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs. The degree-granting classifi cation is very similar to the earlier higher education classifi cation, but it includes more 2-year colleges 

and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Data for private 4-year institutions combine both not-for-profi t and for-profi t institutions. 

Enrollment data do not include students who were only enrolled in noncredit courses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Opening Fall Enrollment in Higher Education, 1963 through 1966; Higher Education General 

Information Survey (HEGIS), “Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education” surveys, 1966 through 1985; and 1986 through 2005 Integrated Postsec ondary Education 

Data System, “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:86–99), and Spring 2001 through Spring 2007.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 5

Examining growth more recently, between fall 

2000 and fall 2006, enrollments at community 

colleges increased by 9 percent, which was 

less than the increases at public 4-year institutions (by 15 percent) and at private 4-year 

institutions (by 30 percent) (see table SA-4). 

Between the most recent years for which fall 

enrollment data are available, 2005 and 2006, 

the enrollment at community colleges increased 

by 1 percent, while enrollments increased by 2 

percent at public 4-year institutions and by 3 

percent at private 4-year institutions. 

Since the early 1970s, more than half of community college enrollments have been part-time 

students, a percentage generally at least twice 

that at public and private 4-year colleges and 

universities (U.S. Department of Education 

2008b, table 187). In fall 2006, about 62 

percent of community college students were 

enrolled part time compared with 27 percent 

of students at public 4-year colleges and universities and 25 percent of students at private 

4-year colleges and universities. 

Community colleges frequently enroll relatively 

large percentages of minority students compared with public and private not-for-profi t 

4-year institutions. In fall 2005, 19 percent of 

community colleges had minority enrollments 

that were 50 percent or more of their total enrollment compared with 15 percent of public 

4-year institutions and 10 percent of private 

not-for-profi t 4-year institutions. However, a 

higher percentage of private for-profi t 2-year 

and 4-year institutions had minority enrollments that were 50 percent or more of their total enrollment (38 and 34 percent, respectively) 

than community colleges (U.S. Department of 

Education 2008b, table 220). Community colleges with enrollments of 25 percent or more of 

Hispanic students may be eligible to participate 

in programs for Hispanic Serving Institutions. 

In addition, 11 community colleges are Historically Black Colleges and Universities and 

17 community colleges are tribally controlled 

(U.S. Department of Education 2008b, tables 

231 and 229).

State Community College Systems

Each state has its own community college system, with the number of institutions and the 

size of their student body varying across the 

states (see fi gure 5). The largest state community college system is in California. In fall 2005, 

California’s 111 community colleges enrolled 

1.4 million students (about 23 percent of the 

nation’s community college students) (see table 

SA-5). The smallest state community college 

systems are in Rhode Island and Vermont (each 

of which has one community college) and in 

Alaska and Nevada (each of which has two). 

500,000 or more (2)

Fewer than 49,999 (19)

50,000–99,999 (14)

200,000–499,000 (6)

Enrollment

100,000–199,999 (9)

Figure 5. Estimated number of students enrolled in each state’s community colleges, by state: Fall 2005 

NOTE: The total public community college enrollment for Florida excludes students enrolled at Dade County College because the college was recently reclassifi ed in IPEDS as 

a public 4-year institution by virtue of its offering bachelor’s degrees beginning in 2006. Dade County College historically has been among the nation’s largest community 

colleges: in 2006, it enrolled over 51,000 students. The District of Columbia has no community colleges.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2005.
Community Colleges

Page 6 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

The percentage of a state’s adult population (18 

years old and older), the primary population 

served by community colleges, varies across 

the states, suggesting that the size of a state 

community college system is not simply the 

function of its population size. For instance, the 

two states with the largest ratio of community 

college enrollment to adult population are 

California, which has the largest adult population of all the states, and Wyoming, which has 

the smallest adult population of all the states. 

In California, community college enrollments 

equal 5.2 percent of the adult population; in 

Wyoming, it equals 5.0 percent of the adult 

population (see table SA-5). In contrast, in New 

York and Pennsylvania, two of the fi ve states 

with the largest adult populations, community 

college enrollments as a percentage of the adult 

population are 1.8 and 1.3 percent, respectively. 

In three states (Alaska, Nevada, and South 

Dakota), this ratio is under 1.0 percent.

State and local government agencies are the 

primary source of funding for community 

colleges. In 2004–05, expenditures for community colleges totaled $38.6 billion, with 38 

percent of revenues coming from state funding,7 20 percent from local funding, 15 percent from federal funding, and the remainder 

from student tuition and fees (17 percent) and 

other sources (10 percent) (U.S. Department 

of Education 2008b, tables 338, 339, and 

348). Sources of revenue for individual public 

colleges can vary widely from these averages. 

For example, institutions in some states receive 

little or no funding from local sources and those 

in other states receive substantial amounts. In 

comparison, expenditures for public 4-year 

institutions totaled $177.2 billion, with 27 

percent of revenues coming from state funding, 4 percent from local funding, 15 percent 

from federal funding, and the remainder from 

student tuition and fees (16 percent) and other 

sources (38 percent).

Community colleges have lower expenditures 

than public 4-year colleges and universities. 

In 2004–05, the average total expenditure per 

full-time-equivalent (FTE) student at a community college was $10,500 compared with 

$31,900 at a public 4-year college or university 

(U.S. Department of Education 2008b, table 

348).8 The instructional cost per FTE student 

at community colleges was $4,100 compared 

with $8,000 at public 4-year colleges and 

universities.9 In making these comparisons, it 

is important to bear in mind that community 

colleges have a larger proportion of part-time 

students than 4-year colleges and universities, thus the FTE student count for community colleges represents a greater number 

of individual students than the FTE student 

count for 4-year colleges and universities. In 

addition, because instructional costs include 

faculty salaries, instructional costs for 4-year 

colleges and universities may be higher than at 

community colleges by virtue of the fact that a 

greater proportion of faculty at 4-year institutions have doctorates, are employed full time, 

and spend a greater portion of their time on 

research and noninstitutional activities than 

community college faculty (see the discussion 

under Faculty below).

Degrees Conferred

Community colleges confer the majority of associate’s degrees awarded in the United States. 

In 2005–06, community colleges conferred 

498,229 associate’s degrees, accounting for 

70 percent of all associate’s degrees awarded 

that year (see fi gure 6). Forty-three percent of 

associate’s degrees conferred by public institutions were in liberal arts and sciences, general 

studies, and humanities, followed by 18 percent 

in health professions or clinical sciences and 

12 percent in business (U.S. Department of 

Education 2008b, table 267). 

Tuition and Fees

In 2006–07, the average annual tuition and 

fees for a full-time, in-state student attending a 

community college were $2,017.10 This amount 

was less than half the average annual tuition 

and fees at public 4-year colleges and universities for full-time, in-state students ($5,685) and 

about one-tenth the average annual tuition and 

fees at private 4-year colleges and universities 

($20,492) (see table SA-6). 

Between 1976–77 and 2006–07, average tuition and fees at community colleges increased 

by 105 percent, accounting for infl ation (a 

$1,032 increase, in constant dollars) (see fi gure 7). Over this period, average tuition and 

fees at public 4-year institutions increased by 
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 7

Number of associate’s degrees conferred

0 100,000 200,000 300,000 400,000 500,000 600,000

4-year

2-year

4-year

2-year

4-year

2-year

Private for-profit

Private not-for-profit

Public

Control and type of

postsecondary institution

498,229

58,905

9,202

37,240

52,045

57,445

Community college

Figure 6. Number of associate’s degrees conferred in the United States, by control and type of postsecondary institution: Academic year 2005–06

NOTE: Data are for degree-granting institutions, which grant associate’s degrees or higher and participate in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2006.

Average tuition

and fees [In constant 2006–07 dollars]

Academic year

1976–77 1979–80 1982–83 1985–86 1988–89 1991–92 1994–95 1997–98 2000–01 2003–04 2006–07

0

3,000

6,000

9,000

12,000

15,000

18,000

$21,000

Private 4-year

Community college

Public 4-year

Figure 7. Average annual undergraduate tuition and fees for full-time students in degree-granting institutions, by 

control and type of institution: Academic years 1976–77 through 2006–07 

NOTE: Data are for the entire academic year and are average total charges for full-time attendance. Data through 1995–96 are for institutions of higher education, while 

later data are for degree-granting institu tions. Institutions of higher education were institutions, accredited by an agency or association recognized by the U.S. Department 

of Education or recognized directly by the Secretary of Education, that had courses leading to an associate’s or higher degree or that had courses accepted for credit toward 

those degrees. Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s or higher degrees and participate in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs. The degree-granting classifi cation 

is similar to the earlier higher education classifi cation, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. 

Some data have been revised from previously published fi gures. Data for private 4-year in stitutions combine both not-for-profi t and for-profi t institutions. Detail may 

not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Institutional Characteristics of 

Colleges and Universities” surveys, 1976–77 through 1985–86; “Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education” surveys, 1976 through 1985; and 1986–87 through 

2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:86–99), “Institutional Characteristics Survey” (IPEDS-C:86–99), Spring 

2001 through Spring 2006, and Fall 2000 through Fall 2006.
Community Colleges

Page 8 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

165 percent (a $3,540 increase), and by 133 

percent (a $11,678 increase) at private 4-year 

institutions. In recent years, the rate of increase 

in average tuition and fees at community colleges has remained lower than it has at public 

4-year institutions but has been higher than at 

private 4-year institutions. The average amount 

of increase in constant dollars, however, has 

been lower at community colleges than at either 

public or private 4-year institutions. Between 

1999–2000 and 2006–07, average tuition and 

fees at community colleges increased by 25 

percent (a $405 increase), compared with 41 

percent for public 4-year institutions (a $1,646 

increase) and 16 percent for private 4-year 

institutions (a $2,901 increase).

Faculty

The faculty and instructional staff at community 

colleges differ in various ways from those at public and private 4-year colleges and universities. 

Unlike their colleagues at 4-year institutions, a 

majority of faculty at community colleges hold 

part-time appointments. In fall 2003, two-thirds 

of faculty at community colleges were employed 

part time (over 240,000 faculty), and onethird were employed full time (approximately 

121,000 faculty) (see fi gure 8 and table SA-7). 

In comparison, at public 4-year institutions, 

28 percent of faculty were employed part time 

that year, while at private 4-year institutions, 42 

percent were employed part time. 

Percent

0 20 40 60 80 100

Private 4-year

Public 4-year

Community college

Other

Administration

Research

Teaching

Part-time

Full-time

Employment

Main activity

33

58

72

67

89

63

72

15

9

3

9

8

8

13

11

#

28

42

Figure 8. Percentage distribution of faculty in degree-granting institutions, by faculty employment status, main 

activity, and control and type of institution: Fall 2003

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Data for private 4-year institutions combine both not-for-profi t and for-profi t institutions. Faculty include instructional staff. The “Other” category under main activity 

includes respond ents who answered that their primary activity at their college or university was public service, clinical service, on sabbatical, or some other activity. Detail 

may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04).
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 9

The primary activity of almost 90 percent 

of faculty at community colleges is teaching, 

with virtually no faculty devoted primarily to 

research. In addition, compared with faculty at 

4-year institutions, smaller percentages at community colleges report administrative duties as 

their main activity (8–9 percent compared with 

3 percent). The percentage of faculty that serve 

primarily in an administrative role, however, 

is small across all institution types (less than 

10 percent). 

The demographics of the faculty at community colleges also differ from those at 4-year 

institutions. Larger percentages of faculty at 

community colleges than at public or private 

4-year institutions have a master’s degree or 

less as their highest level of educational attainment (see fi gure 9). At community colleges, 

there is relative parity in the percentage of 

male and female faculty compared with public 

and private 4-year institutions where males 

predominate (constituting about 60 percent of 

faculty members) (see table SA-7). In addition, 

at community colleges, there are greater percentages of Black and Hispanic faculty than at 

public or private 4-year institutions. However, 

80 to 85 percent of the faculty are White at all 

three types of institutions.

Percent

0 20 40 60 80 100

Private 4-year

Public 4-year

Community college

American Indian/

Alaska Native

Asian

Hispanic

Black

Doctorate

First-professional

Minority faculty

Highest level

of educational

attainment

Master’s

Bachelor’s

Less than bachelor’s

3

11

9

12

7

5

5

3

3

3

9

6

1

#

#

5

12

1

1

5

5

55

26

34

18

58

48

Figure 9. Percentage distribution of faculty in degree-granting institutions, by highest level of educational attainment, minority race/ethnicity, and control and type of institution: Fall 2003 

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Not all race categories shown. Data for private 4-year institutions combine both not-for-profi t and for-profi t 

institutions. Faculty include instructional staff. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04).
Community Colleges

Page 10 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Admission Criteria

Unlike most 4-year colleges and universities, 

the great majority of community colleges (95 

percent in 2005–06) have an “open admissions” policy, which means that students 

neither need to compete for admission at a 

set time of the year nor demonstrate a level 

of academic profi ciency to enroll (see table 1). 

Instead, anyone can apply (and be admitted) 

year round. However, admission does not 

mean students can freely take any courses for 

academic credit. In many community college 

systems, admitted students are not eligible to 

take courses for academic credit in particular 

subjects until they demonstrate certain levels of 

profi ciency in those subjects or have completed 

remedial courses in the subjects.11 Moreover, 

at times community colleges cap enrollments 

in courses or reduce course offerings in some 

subject areas (Evelyn 2003). 

In the 2005–06 academic year, only 4 percent 

of community colleges reported having one or 

more requirements for admission. The most 

commonly reported admission requirement 

for community colleges in 2005–06 was a 

high school record (required by 4.2 percent of 

community colleges), followed by the Test of 

English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) (required by 3.9 percent), college admission test 

scores, such as the SAT or ACT (required by 

2.4 percent), and high school grades (required 

by 2.2 percent).

2-year 4-year

Private Private

Criteria for admission Public Total

Not-forprofi tForprofi t Public TotalNot-forprofi tForprofi t

Open admissions 95.4 52.4 40.5 54.9 13.6 20.1 13.1 43.5

Some admission requirements1 4.3 40.8 57.7 37.2 86.1 78.5 86.5 51.6

High school grades 2.2 7.4 25.2 3.6 68.4 53.0 66.2 8.6

High school class rank 0.2 1.6 6.3 0.6 28.7 16.0 20.5 0.8

High school record 4.2 35.4 55.0 31.3 78.2 71.6 79.7 44.3

College preparatory program 0.8 0.3 1.8 0.0 47.1 18.8 24.3 0.5

Recommendations 0.2 6.3 23.4 2.7 7.7 40.8 51.5 5.1

Demonstration of competencies2 0.2 8.4 9.0 8.3 6.1 11.1 10.3 13.8

Test scores3 2.4 3.0 12.6 1.0 82.3 55.2 70.5 4.1

TOEFL4 3.9 12.3 27.0 9.2 79.3 63.8 70.6 41.1

Guidelines used for admission 

decisions 0.3 6.8 1.8 7.9 0.3 1.4 0.4 4.9

1

 Many institutions have more than one admission requirement.

2

 Formal demonstration of competencies (e.g., portfolios, certifi cates of mastery, assessment instruments).

3

 Includes SAT, ACT, or other admission tests.

4

 Test of English as a Foreign Language.

NOTE: Some data have been revised from previously published fi gures. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2005.

Table 1. Percentage of degree-granting institutions with fi rst-year undergraduates using various selection criteria 

for admission, by control and type of institution: 2005–06
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 11

Remedial Education

One of the key educational tasks that has fallen 

to community colleges is to offer developmental 

or remedial education to prepare students who, 

for one reason or another, are not ready for 

college-level coursework. Remedial courses, 

usually in mathe matics, English, or writing, 

provide instruction to shore up the basic 

fundamentals within a subject and to develop 

studying and social habits related to academic 

success. Given the large increases in postsecondary student enrollment and the open admissions policies offered by many institutions 

(see table 1), student populations have become 

increasingly diverse and many new students 

(especially nontraditional students12) are entering college each year. As a result of the growing 

need for remediation on campuses, some states 

require students to take remedial coursework at 

community colleges and have in turn stopped 

offering these courses at public 4-year institutions (Cohen and Brawer 2003, p. 264).

Based on a survey of beginning postsecondary students in 2003–04, about 29 percent of 

community college students (compared with 

19 percent of students at public 4-year institutions) reported having taken some remedial 

coursework in their fi rst year (see fi gure 10 

and table SA-8).13 Mathematics was the most 

common remedial course reported by beginning 

postsecondary students (15 per cent enrolled in 

remedial mathematics) and by beginning community college students (22 percent) in 2004. 

Ten percent of beginning community college 

students reported having taken remedial reading, 10 percent reported having taken remedial 

writing, and 8 percent reported having taken 

remedial English. 

The reader should interpret these estimates of 

remedial coursework as being at the low end 

of a range because the estimates only account 

for students’ coursework in their fi rst year and 

not over their entire postsecondary education. 

Moreover, these estimates are based on student 

self-reports and may not fully capture all remedial coursetaking because some students may 

not recognize a class as being remedial or they 

may fail to report it for other reasons. When 

compared with estimates generated from postsecondary student transcripts, student estimates 

are often lower (Adelman 2006).14

0

10

20

30

40

50

Percent

Private not-for-profit

4-year students

Public 4-year

students

Community college

students

All postsecondary

students

21

29

19

15

Figure 10. Percentage of beginning postsecondary students who reported taking remedial courses in their fi rst year, 

by control and type of institution: 2003–04

NOTE: Data refl ect self-reported remedial courses. These data include students enrolled at postsecondary institutions in Puerto Rico.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003/04 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up 

(BPS:04/06).
Community Colleges

Page 12 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

SECTION 2. STUDENT CHARACTERISTICS

Community college students are a diverse 

group who report various reasons for going 

to a community college. In 2003–04, nearly 

40 percent of community college students 

were dependent students (i.e., under 24 years 

old and not independent fi nancially from their 

parents), 26 percent were 24 years old or older 

and fi nancially independent from their parents, 

20 percent were independent and married with 

children, and 15 percent were independent, 

single parents (Horn and Nevill 2006, table 

2).15 That same year, when asked to identify one 

or more reasons why they enrolled in a community college, over one-third of community 

college students reported that they enrolled in 

order to transfer to a 4-year college, 43 percent 

reported seeking an associate’s degree, 17 percent reported seeking a certifi cate, 42 percent 

reported seeking job skills, and 46 percent 

reported enrolling for personal interest (see 

fi gure 11). In addition, compared with students 

attending 4-year colleges and universities in 

2003–04, higher proportions of community 

college students were older, female, and from 

low-income families, and lower proportions 

were White (Horn and Nevill 2006, p. 9). 

In 2003–04, the median age of community 

college students (24 years old) was higher than 

the median age for both public and private 

not-for-profi t 4-year college students (21 years 

old) (see table SA-9). Thirty-fi ve percent of 

community college students were 30 years old 

or older (compared with 13 percent at public 

4-year institutions and 21 percent at private 

not-for-profi t 4-year institutions), 18 percent 

were between 24 and 29 years old (compared 

with 16 percent at public 4-year institutions 

and 12 percent at private not-for-profi t 4-year 

institutions), and 38 percent were between 19 

and 23 years old (compared with 60 percent 

at public 4-year institutions and 55 percent at 

private not-for-profi t 4-year institutions). 

Community college students also differed 

from their peers enrolled in public and private 

4-year institutions in terms of sex, race/ethnicity, and income level. About 59 percent of 

community college students in 2003–04 were 

female, a greater percentage than at public 

4-year institutions (54 percent) and at private 

not-for-profi t 4-year institutions (56 percent). 

The majority of community college students 

were White in 2003–04, but Black and Hispanic students made up a larger percentage of 

the student body in community colleges than 

in public 4-year institutions: 15 percent of 

community college students were Black, and 

14 percent were Hispanic (see table SA-9). In 

comparison, 10 percent of students at public 

4-year institutions were Black, and 9 percent 

were Hispanic. The percentage of students at 

private not-for-profi t 4-year institutions who 

were Black was not measurably different from 

that at community colleges, but the percentage 

of Hispanics (12 percent) was smaller. When 

0 20 40 60

Percent

80 100

Personal interest

Obtain job skills

Complete certificate

Complete an associate’s degree

Transfer to another college

Transfer to a 4-year institution

46

42

17

43

15

36

Figure 11. Percentage of community college students reporting various reasons for enrolling in a community college: 

Academic year 2003–04 

NOTE: Respondents could cite more than one reason for attending. Estimates include students enrolled in community colleges in Puerto Rico.

SOURCE: Horn, L., and Nevill, S. (2006). Profi le of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Education Institutions: 2003–04, With a Special Analysis of Community College 

Students (NCES 2006-184), table 6, data from U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003–04 National Post secondary Student Aid Study 

(NPSAS:04).
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 13

incomes for community college students are 

compared with poverty thresholds, 26 percent 

of community college students were in the lowest income level in 2003–04, compared with 

20 percent of students in public and private 

not-for-profi t 4-year institutions (Horn and 

Nevill 2006, table 2).16

Among community college students, general 

levels of commitment to completing a formal 

degree program also varied. A 2006 NCES 

study using NPSAS:04 data classifi ed 2003–04 

community college students into three commitment levels: “more committed,” “less committed,” and “not committed” (Horn and Nevill 

2006, p. 19). For this analysis, a student’s 

level of commitment was based on three factors: enrollment in a formal degree or transfer 

program; intensity of attendance (full-time, less 

than full-time but at least half-time, less than 

half-time); and the student’s reason for enrolling in a community college. Community college 

students were classifi ed as “more committed” 

if they (1) were enrolled in a formal transfer, 

associate’s degree, or certifi cate program; (2) 

attended at least half time; and (3) reported that 

they enrolled in order to transfer to a 4-year 

institution or to earn an associate’s degree or 

vocational certifi cate. Students were designated 

as “less committed” if they (1) enrolled in formal degree or transfer programs but did not 

report explicit intentions to complete a degree 

or transfer or (2) attended classes less than half 

time. Students were designated as “not committed” if they were not enrolled in a formal 

degree program (e.g., students who enrolled 

to take a course or two for personal enrichment). Applying this taxonomy, 49 percent 

of 2003–04 community college students were 

found to be “more committed,” 39 percent 

were “less committed,” and 12 percent were 

“not committed.” 

Given the great diversity of community college 

students, their varying reasons for attending 

community colleges, and their different levels 

of commitment, any analysis of community 

college students—especially one that looks 

at their access to postsecondary education 

and their persistence and attainment once 

enrolled—is complicated. This special analysis 

attempts simply to address parts of these issues, 

particularly those that recent NCES data can 

inform. Thus, the rest of this section focuses 

on two subgroups of the entire community 

college student population: (1) students who 

enrolled immediately in community colleges 

after high school17 and (2) fi rst-time freshmen 

in community colleges. 

Part A of this section examines the immediate college enrollment patterns of high school 

seniors in 2004 and 1992 to understand which 

students go to a community college instead of 

a 4-year college or university immediately after 

high school. It also looks at how the educational expectations of these seniors changed 

after enrolling in a community college. Part 

B of this section examines persistence and attainment rates within a broader population of 

community college students—those who were 

freshmen for the fi rst-time during the 2003–04 

academic year—to see how many community 

college students persist in college or earn a degree or credential within 3 years. Limitations 

due to the relatively short follow-up periods 

in the longitudinal studies prevent a detailed 

discussion about transfer students. Transfers 

are included in these measures, but they are not 

identifi ed as a separate category in the tables.

Part A. Students Who Enroll in Community 

Colleges Immediately After High School

Data from two surveys are used here to describe 

the characteristics of students who enroll immediately after high school in community colleges and to determine if there have been any 

changes in these characteristics over time. The 

most recent data come from the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second 

Follow-up, 2006,” a longitudinal study that 

began with a nationally representative cohort 

of high school sophomores in 2002. These same 

students were interviewed again in 2004, when 

most were seniors,18 and then a second time in 

2006, when most had begun their postsecondary education or gotten jobs. The ELS:2002 

data allow us to map out what percentage of 

the senior class of 2004 enrolled immediately 

in college as well as the type of college in which 

they enrolled. Moreover, these data allow us to 

compare students who enrolled in community 

colleges with their peers who enrolled in 4-year 

colleges and universities by sex, race/ethnicity, 

and socioeconomic status, and by measures of 
Community Colleges

Page 14 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

high school academic preparation (coursework) 

and ability (using 10th-grade mathematics assessment scores). 

In this special analysis, ELS data are compared 

with data on the senior high school class of 

1992 to see if there are any differences between 

immediate enrollees at community colleges in 

2004 and over a decade earlier. Data on the 

senior high school class of 1992 come from 

the National Education Longitudinal Study 

of 1988 (NELS:88), an earlier longitudinal 

study that began with a nationally representative cohort of 8th-graders in 1988. This study 

interviewed the students in the sample in 1992, 

when most were seniors,19 and followed up 

again in 1994, when most had begun their 

postsecondary education or gotten jobs. 

Immediate College Enrollment After High 

School

In 2004, among students who were in the 12th 

grade in the spring (hereafter referred to as 

“2004 seniors”), almost all graduated from 

high school,20 and the majority (63 percent) 

enrolled in a postsecondary institution in the 

fall (hereafter referred to as “immediate enrollees”) (see fi gure 12 and table SA-10). Roughly 

one-third of these immediate enrollees (30 

percent) enrolled in a community college (see 

table SA-11). In 1992, the same percentage 

of seniors graduated from high school as in 

2004,21 but a smaller percentage (51 percent) 

were immediate enrollees (see table SA-12). 

Among immediate enrollees in 1992, however, 

the percentage who enrolled in a community 

college (31 percent) was about the same as in 

2004 (see table SA-13). 

Which Seniors Attend Community Colleges 

Right After High School?

Background characteristics and immediate 

enrollment

Among 2004 seniors, a greater percentage of females than males were immediate enrollees (67 

vs. 59 percent) (see table SA-10).22 However, 

among those immediate enrollees, no measurable difference was found between the percentage of females and males who enrolled in a 

community college (29 vs. 31 percent) because 

females enrolled in 4-year institutions at higher 

rates than males (see table SA-11). Among all 

2004 seniors, the percentages of Asians/Pacifi c 

Islanders and Whites who enrolled immediately 

after high school in a postsecondary institution 

(75 and 69 percent, respectively) were greater 

than the percentages of Blacks (53 percent), 

Hispanics (47 percent), and American Indians/

Alaska Natives (46 percent) who did so (see fi gure 13). However, among immediate enrollees, 

a greater percentage of Hispanics enrolled in a 

community college than Asians/Pacifi c Islanders, Whites, Blacks, or students of more than 

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Private

not-for-profit

4-year

Public

4-year

Community

college

Immediate

postsecondary

enrollment

63

30

45

21

Among immediate enrollees

Figure 12. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution after high school and 

percentage distribution of these immediate enrollees, by control and type of institution: 2004

NOTE: Immediate enrollees in other types of postsecondary institutions are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 15

one race (46 percent vs. 25, 28, 30, and 24 

percent, respectively). These same patterns by 

sex and race/ethnicity were observed in 1992 

(see tables SA-12 and SA-13).23

The same relationship found with sex and 

race/ethnicity—whereby those students with 

the highest rates of immediate enrollment 

in a postsecondary institution had among 

the lowest rates of enrollment in community 

colleges—was also apparent when looking 

at 12th-graders’ family socioeconomic status 

(SES), parents’ highest level of education, and 

income. SES is a composite measure created 

using parents’ income, level of education, and 

occupation. These three separate measures 

yield consistent fi ndings.

Among all 2004 seniors, a greater percentage 

of students from families within the highest 

quarter of SES enrolled immediately in college 

than students from families within the lowest 

quarter of SES (82 vs. 42 percent) (see fi gure 14 

and table SA-10).24 However, among immediate enrollees, 17 percent of students from the 

highest SES families enrolled in a community 

college, whereas 44 percent of students from 

the lowest SES families did so. Likewise, among 

2004 seniors, as students’ parental education 

and income increased, so did the percentage 

who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution. And again, among immediate 

enrollees, the inverse was true for enrollment 

in community colleges: as students’ parental 

education and family income increased, the 

percentage who enrolled immediately in a 

community college decreased (see table SA-11). 

These same differences by SES, parental education, and family income were detected among 

1992 seniors (see tables SA-12 and SA-13).

In sum, these data suggest that, like the community college population as a whole, the 

population of immediate enrollees going to 

community colleges includes seniors from 

a wide spectrum of family backgrounds. 

However, at the same time, these immediate 

enrollees consist disproportionately of seniors 

who are among the least likely to attend a 

4-year college or university right out of high 

school—Hispanics and those from families in 

the lowest quarter of SES. This does not mean 

that these two groups constitute a majority of 

immediate enrollees in community colleges, but 

rather that they enroll at higher rates than their 

peers. Indeed, looking at differences by race/

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

American Indian/

Alaska Native 

More than

one race

Asian/

Pacific Islander

White Black Hispanic

Private not-for-profit

4-year

Public 4-year

Among immediate enrollees

Immediate Community college

postsecondary

enrollment

69

53

47 46

61

28

46

25

46 47

33

52

40

45

22

16 13

20

15!

23

37

24

30

75

Figure 13. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution after high school and 

percentage distribution of these immediate enrollees, by control and type of institution and race/ethnicity: 

2004 

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Immediate enrollees in other types of postsecondary institutions not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”
Community Colleges

Page 16 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

ethnicity while controlling for SES, underscores 

that (1) Hispanic immediate enrollees, regardless of family SES, generally enroll at higher 

rates in community colleges than their peers 

of other races/ethnicities (except American 

Indians/Alaska Natives) and (2) immediate 

enrollees from the lowest SES families enroll in 

community colleges at higher rates than their 

peers from the highest SES families regardless 

of being White, Black, Hispanic, Asian/Pacifi c 

Islander, or more than one race (see fi gure 15). 

Among American Indian/Alaska Native immediate enrollees, however, family SES does not 

seem to be related to the rates at which they 

enroll in community colleges.

Student achievement and immediate enrollment

Among 2004 seniors, the rate of immediate 

enrollment in community colleges and in 4-year 

colleges and universities differed by academic 

achievement. For example, seniors who had 

a high school GPA above 2.5 (i.e., generally 

equivalent to a C+ or better) enrolled immediately in 4-year institutions at higher rates 

than in community colleges; while those whose 

high school GPA was 2.5 or below enrolled 

immediately in community colleges at higher 

rates generally than in 4-year institutions (see 

fi gure 16 and tables SA-16 and SA-17). This 

same pattern held true when comparing other 

measures of academic achievement:

 Seniors with standardized mathematics 

scores in the top half of 12th-graders 

enrolled immediately in 4-year institutions 

at higher rates than in community colleges, 

while the opposite was true for those with 

standardized mathematics scores in the 

bottom quarter. 

 Seniors who had completed mathematics 

coursework more advanced than algebra 

II enrolled immediately in 4-year institutions at higher rates than in community 

colleges, while the reverse was true for 

those whose highest level of mathematics 

coursework was algebra I/geometry or 

below. 

 Seniors who had coursework more advanced 

than general biology enrolled immediately 

in 4-year institutions at higher rates than in 

community colleges, while the reverse was 

true for those whose highest level of science 

coursework was general biology or below. 

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Private

not-for-profit

4-year

Public

4-year

Community

college

Immediate

postsecondary

enrollment

Lowest 25 percent Middle 50 percent Highest 25 percent

Among immediate enrollees

Socioeconomic status

35

17

42

35

43

51

12

17

29

62

82

44

Figure 14. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution after high school and 

percentage distribution of these immediate enrollees, by control and type of institution and socioeconomic 

status: 2004

NOTE: Immediate enrollees in other types of postsecondary institutions are not shown. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 17

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Any 4-year

institution

Community

college

GPAs 2.5 and under GPAs above 2.5

1.50 or 1.51–2.00 2.01–2.50 2.51–3.00 3.01–3.50 3.51–4.00

below

19

8

24

19

26

37

18

59

10

78

10

5!

Figure 16. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled in a postsecondary institution immediately after high school, by 

type of institution and high school grade point average (GPA): 2004

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

NOTE: Individual columns do not add to 100 because 2004 seniors who enrolled in other postsecondary institutions, delayed enrollees, and those who did not enroll in a 

postsecondary institution before 2006 are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

0

20

40

60

80

100

Percent

Lowest 25 percent Highest 25 percent

Socioeconomic status

53

31

43

30

15

43 42

35

15 17

38

17

More than

one race

American

Indian/

Alaska

Native

Asian/

Pacific

Islander

White Black Hispanic

Figure 15. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a community college after high school, by race/

ethnicity and socioeconomic status: 2004 

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”
Community Colleges

Page 18 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

 Seniors who had completed foreign language 

coursework at or more advanced than year 

2 enrolled immediately in 4-year institutions 

at higher rates than in community colleges, 

while the reverse was true for those who had 

completed year 1 or no foreign language 

coursework. 

Among 1992 seniors, these same patterns generally were found for these last four measures 

(see tables SA-18 and SA-19).25 No comparison 

with 1992 immediate enrollees by GPA is possible because NELS and ELS did not collect 

comparable information on grades.26

Although this pattern might seem to indicate 

that seniors with either weaker academic 

achievement or weaker high school records 

enroll immediately in community colleges in 

larger numbers than their better qualifi ed or 

better prepared peers, it is important to keep in 

mind that smaller percentages of these seniors 

go to college than their better qualifi ed or better prepared peers. This means that the differences in the rates of immediate enrollment in 

community colleges by academic achievement 

do not necessarily tell us anything about the 

proportions of better prepared or better qualifi ed students among the immediate enrollees 

in community colleges. For example, even 

though 2004 seniors with higher GPAs tended 

to enroll at community colleges at lower rates 

than in 4-year institutions, among immediate 

enrollees in community colleges the percentage 

with GPAs above 2.5 was actually larger than 

the percentage with lower GPAs (64 vs. 36 

percent) (see table 2). 

The results are mixed when one looks at the 

other measures of academic achievement in 

table 2. Among the immediate enrollees in 

community colleges in fall 2004, 

In 4-year institution1

Academic achievement characteristic All

Community 

college Public

Private notfor-profi t

 Total 1,849,000 551,000 832,000 379,000

Cumulative GPA for grade 122

2.5 or below 19.6 36.2 10.1 9.7

Above 2.5 80.4 63.8 89.9 90.3

12th-grade standardized mathematics score 

Bottom half 35.6 60.4 22.9 20.0

Top half 64.4 39.6 77.1 80.0

Highest level of mathematics completed in 

high school2

Algebra II or below 36.7 62.4 23.8 20.7

More advanced than algebra II 63.3 37.6 76.2 79.3

Highest level of science completed in 

high school2

General biology or below 20.4 37.2 11.9 9.8

More advanced than general biology 79.6 62.8 88.1 90.2

Highest level of foreign language study 

completed in high school2

Year 2 or below 57.5 76.2 51.7 38.1

More advanced than year 2 42.5 23.8 48.3 61.9

1

 Private for-profi t 4-year institutions are not shown separately. 

2

 Denominator excludes 7 percent of students who had incomplete or missing transcript data.

NOTE: Not all types of postsecondary institutions shown. Academic levels are labeled according to the most commonly known course at that level; courses with different 

names or on topics of different but similar academic diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical Notes and 

Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings from the Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Data include a 

few cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in the “All” 

column, but they are not included in the distributions showing control of institution. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

Table 2. Percentage distribution of immediate enrollees in postsecondary institutions in fall 2004, by control and 

type of institution and selected academic achievement characteristics
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 19

 a greater percentage had completed 

science coursework more advanced than 

gen eral biology than had completed 

less academically challenging science 

coursework (63 vs. 37 percent); 

however, 

 a smaller percentage scored in the top 

half of 12th-graders in mathematics than 

in the bottom half (40 vs. 60 percent), 

 a smaller percentage had completed 

math ematics coursework more advanced 

than algebra II than had completed less 

academically challenging mathematics (38 

vs. 62 percent), and 

 a smaller percentage had completed foreign 

language coursework more advanced 

than year 2 than had completed less 

academically challenging foreign language 

coursework (24 vs. 76 percent). 

By comparison, among the 1992 immediate 

enrollees in community colleges, across all 

four measures of academic achievement, the 

percentage of better qualifi ed or better prepared 

students was smaller than the percentage who 

had weaker academic qualifi cations or preparation (see table SA-20). 

In sum, these data suggest that 12th-graders 

who enrolled immediately in community colleges in 2004 not only spanned a broad range 

of academic achievement—including some 

students who were very well-prepared for 

college—but also included a greater proportion of well-prepared students than did the 

1992 senior cohort. In addition, these data 

suggest that many 2004 immediate enrollees in 

community colleges were students with a high 

school GPA of C+ or above but who lacked 

mathematics coursework beyond algebra II, 

foreign language coursework beyond year 2, 

or both.

Students’ immediate educational plans, future 

educational expectations, and immediate enrollment

In both ELS and NELS, students were asked 

what their plans were right after high school 

and what they expected their highest level of 

educational attainment would be. The 2004 

and 1992 seniors’ responses provide perspective on the extent to which students—among 

those who intend to eventually get a bachelor’s 

degree—start their postsecondary education at 

a community college. Their responses also can 

help clarify what percentage of students, who 

intend to go to a 4-year college or university 

when they are high school seniors, started out 

at a community college. Comparing students’ 

expectations while seniors in high school with 

their expectations 2 years after enrolling in 

a community college may also provide some 

perspective on the extent to which students’ 

experience in a community college raises or 

lowers their educational expectations. 

When asked about their immediate plans after 

high school, 62 percent of 2004 seniors said 

they planned to attend a 4-year college or university after high school, and 22 percent said 

they planned to attend a 2-year college (see 

table SA-14). Among those who said they expected to attend a 4-year college or university, 

13 percent actually enrolled in a community 

college in the fall (65 percent enrolled in a 

4-year college or university) (see fi gure 17 and 

table SA-21).27

When asked about their expectations for their 

highest educational attainment, 35 percent of 

2004 seniors said they expected to it to be a 

graduate degree, 37 percent said a bachelor’s 

degree,28 and 15 percent said attending or completing 2-year college (see table SA-14). Among 

those who expected their highest educational 

attainment to be a graduate degree, 14 percent 

enrolled in a community college in the fall (see 

table SA-21), while among those who expected 

it to be a bachelor’s degree, 22 percent did so. 

Among those who said they expected their 

highest educational attainment to be attending or completing 2-year college, 26 percent 

enrolled in a community college (and 5 percent 

in a 4-year college or university).29

These two sets of statistics independently provide some context for the percentage of 2004 

seniors who enrolled immediately at a community college yet intended to earn more than 

an associate’s degree. However, independently 

they do not reveal what percentage of these 

immediate enrollees—i.e., immediate community college enrollees who sought to attain a 

bachelor’s degree or higher—actually enrolled 

because they planned on using the community 
Community Colleges

Page 20 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

college as a “stepping stone” versus the percentage who did so because their plans to attend 

a 4-year institution did not come to fruition. 

However, if one examines these immediate 

enrollees’ post-high school plans, accounting 

for their educational expectations, one can get 

a sense of the percentage of 2004 seniors who 

deliberately chose to use community colleges as 

a stepping stone versus the percentage whose 

initial post-high school plans did not include a 

community college.30 Among the 551,000 seniors who enrolled immediately in community 

colleges in the fall of 2004, 

 about 28 percent had said as seniors that 

they (1) planned on attending a 2-year 

institution immediately after high school 

and (2) expected to earn a bachelor’s 

degree or higher, while 

 about 39 percent had said as seniors that 

they (1) planned on attending a 4-year 

institution immediately after high school 

and (2) expected to earn a bachelor’s 

degree or higher (data not shown).

(Such estimates for 1992 seniors are not possible because NELS only asked seniors if they 

intended to pursue some postsecondary education, not what level of postsecondary institution 

they planned to attend.)

Students’ educational expectations, of course, 

are not fi xed and many personal, social, economic, and institutional factors can change 

them. However, examining changes in the educational expectations of seniors who enrolled 

immediately after high school in a community 

college provides some sense of the extent to 

which this experience was associated with 

higher or lower educational expectations. 

Among the 2004 seniors who had said that their 

highest level of educational attainment would 

be to attend or complete a 2-year college and 

who actually enrolled immediately in a community college, 47 percent had higher educational 

expectations when asked again in 2006 (36 

percent expected to attend a 4-year college or 

university, and 11 percent expected to obtain a 

graduate degree); 14 percent said they no longer 

knew what their highest educational attainment 

would be (see table 3).31 Among those who had 

said as seniors that their highest educational 

attainment would be to attend or complete a 

4-year college and who actually enrolled im0 20 40 60

Percent

80 100

Community college

4-year institution

41

65

5

13

13

5

Vocational, technical, or trade school

Post-high school plans

2-year college

4-year college or university

12

4

5!

#

Don’t plan to continue

Don’t know or unspecified plans

Figure 17. Percentage of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in a community college or a 4-year postsecondary 

institution in fall 2004, by their reported post-high school educational plans: 2004 

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

NOTE: Detail do not sum to 100 because the percentages of seniors who did not enroll immediately in college and the percentages who enrolled in other types of 

postsecondary institutions are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 21

mediately in a 2-year college, 79 percent still 

expected to earn a bachelor’s degree when asked 

again in 2006 (14 percent had lowered their 

expectation to attending a 2-year college, and 7 

percent no longer knew what their highest level 

of educational attainment would be).32 Among 

those who had said as seniors that their highest 

educational attainment would be a graduate 

degree and who actually enrolled immediately 

in a 2-year college, 54 percent still expected to 

earn a graduate degree when asked again in 

2006 what their highest educational attainment 

would be (32 percent had lowered their expectation to attending or completing a 4-year college, 

8 percent had lowered it to attending a 2-year 

college, and 5 percent no longer knew what their 

highest educational attainment would be).

Comparing these percentages with those for 

1992 seniors’ expectations in 1994, reveals no 

measurable differences in the percentages of 

2004 and 1992 immediate community college 

enrollees who raised their educational expectations after 2 years. However, a smaller percentage of 2004 than 1992 immediate community 

college enrollees who as seniors said that their 

highest educational attainment would be a 

bachelor’s degree lowered their educational 

expectations after 2 years (14 vs. 18 percent). 

In addition, a greater percentage of 2004 than 

1992 immediate community college enrollees 

who as seniors said that their highest educational attainment would be a graduate degree 

still had this expectation when asked 2 years 

later (54 vs. 43 percent). 

In sum, these data suggest that about two-thirds 

of 2004 seniors who enrolled immediately in 

a community college did so with the intention 

of pursuing a bachelor’s degree or higher: 28 

percent deliberately using the community college as a stepping stone and 39 percent revising 

their postsecondary education plans and starting at a community college. The other one-third 

Highest educational attainment expected 

when asked 2 years later

Plans and expectations Total All

Don’t 

know

Attend or 

complete 

2-year 

college

Attend or 

complete 

4-year 

college

Obtain 

graduate 

degree

2004 immediate community college enrollees

Highest educational attainment expected 

when in 12th-grade (2004) 100.0

Don’t know 8.0 100.0 18.3 19.5 40.1 22.1 

High school diploma or less 1.4 100.0 17.4! 32.7! 36.4 13.6!

Attend or complete 2-year college 20.9 100.0 13.9 39.6 35.9 10.6

Attend or complete 4-year college 43.6 100.0 7.0 13.9 51.6 27.5

Obtain graduate degree 26.1 100.0 5.4 7.9 32.4 54.2

1992 immediate community college enrollees

Highest educational attainment expected 

when in 12th-grade (1992) 100.0

Don’t know 4.1 100.0 ‡ 21.8 49.8 26.2

High school diploma or less 1.0! 100.0 # 47.0 27.1! 25.9!

Attend or complete 2-year college 9.4 100.0 2.3! 58.1 30.2 9.5

Attend or complete 4-year college 57.3 100.0 1.9 18.1 48.4 31.6

Obtain graduate degree 25.7 100.0 ‡ 12.6 44.0 43.0

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”

Table 3. Percentage distribution of 2004 and 1992 seniors who enrolled immediately after high school in a community 

college, by their educational plans and expectations as seniors and 2 years later
Community Colleges

Page 22 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

of these seniors who enrolled in a community 

college did so with no declared intention of 

pursuing any education higher than an associate’s degree; however, by 2006, almost 47 

percent of them had raised their educational 

expectations to at least attend or complete a 

4-year college.33

Expectations, of course, are not a guarantee of 

achievement. Thus, this analysis now turns to 

examine the percentage of community college 

students who persist in their studies or attain 

a degree or certifi cate. For this analysis, data 

from the Beginning Postsecondary Students 

(BPS) Longitudinal Study are used to provide a 

broader picture of students’ short-term persistence or attainment in community colleges.

Part B. Community College Students’ ShortTerm Persistence or Attainment Rate

The BPS Longitudinal Study is designed to collect data related to persistence in and completion of postsecondary education programs. It 

surveys a nationally representative sample of 

students who are enrolled in a postsecondary 

institution for the fi rst time, regardless of when 

they completed high school. All individuals 

in BPS were initially surveyed through the 

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study 

(NPSAS) to fi nd out how they and their families 

pay for education beyond high school. These 

same students are then surveyed after 3 years 

through BPS to fi nd out about their undergraduate experiences, persistence in school, 

and degree completion.34

The most recent national data from the 2003–04 

Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal 

Study, First Follow-up (BPS:04/06) allow us to 

describe the 3-year persistence or attainment rate 

for community college students who enrolled for 

the fi rst time as freshmen in a community college 

in 2003–04. This subpopulation of community 

college students differs from the subpopulation 

just considered (in part A) in that it includes 

community college students who did not enter 

college immediately after high school. Besides 

immediate enrollees, it includes students who 

delayed enrollment in college for any period 

of time. Thus, in contrast to the subpopulation 

examined in part A, this subpopulation includes 

students of a wider age range with more “nontraditional” student characteristics.35

In 2006, about 50 percent of students who 

began at a community college in 2003–04 

were still enrolled in college (either in the 

same school or having transferred to a new 

school),36 6 percent had completed a degree 

or certifi cate program and left college, and 45 

percent had left college without completing a 

degree or certifi cate program (see table SA25).37 A greater percentage of these fi rst-time 

freshmen at community colleges than fi rst-time 

freshmen at public 4-year institutions or at private not-for-profi t 4-year institutions had left 

school in 2006 without completing a degree or 

certifi cate program (45 vs. 17 and 16 percent, 

respectively) (see fi gure 18). 

Yet, many community college students have no 

intention of getting a degree or other credential; 

thus, for such a comparison, it is important to 

consider community college students’ academic 

intentions. This special analysis compares the 

short-term persistence or attainment rate of 

community college students who intended 

to transfer to a 4-year college with those of 

community college students who intended to 

complete an associate’s degree, who intended to 

earn a certifi cate, and who had no intention to 

earn a degree or certifi cate. Such a comparison 

reveals that community college students who 

intended to transfer to a 4-year college had a 

higher persistence or attainment rate than those 

who had no specifi c academic intentions (see 

table SA-25). Still, however, the percentage of 

students who had left school by 2006 without 

completing a degree or certifi cate program was 

higher among 2003–04 community college 

freshmen who intended to transfer to a 4-year 

college than among all 2003–04 freshmen at 

public 4-year colleges and universities and 

all 2003–04 students at private not-for-profi t 

4-year institutions (39 vs. 17 and 16 percent, 

respectively) (see fi gure 18). 

Comparing community college students’ 

persistence or attainment rate by their attendance status reveals that students who always 

attended college full time had higher rates of 

persistence or attainment than students who 

always attended part time. Yet, the persistence 

or attainment rate for students who alternated 

between full- and part-time attendance was 

higher than either those for full-time or parttime students. 
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 23

SUMMARY

Drawing upon data from various NCES 

surveys, this special analysis has provided a 

descriptive profi le of community colleges in the 

United States, has examined the characteristics 

of seniors who enrolled immediately after high 

school in community colleges in fall 2004 and 

1992, and has looked at the rates of postsecondary persistence and attainment by 2006 

among students who began at a community 

college in 2003–04. 

The defi ning institutional characteristics of 

community colleges described in this special 

analysis are as follows:

 In 2006–07, there were 1,045 community 

colleges in the United States, enrolling 

6.2 million students (or 35 percent of all 

postsecondary students enrolled that year).

 Community colleges rely to a larger 

extent than 4-year institutions on parttime faculty and staff. In addition, 

compared with the faculty and staff at 

4-year institutions, the main activity of a 

greater percentage of community college 

faculty and staff is teaching.

 Average annual community college tuition 

and fees are less than half those at public 

4-year colleges and universities and onetenth those at private 4-year colleges and 

universities.

 Some 95 percent of community colleges 

have an open admissions policy.

Percent

Among first-time community college students

First-time college students at

0 20 40 60 80 100

No longer enrolled

in 2006 and no degree

or certificate earned

Still enrolled in 2006

and/or completed a

degree or certificate 

Mixed full- and part-time

Part-time always

Full-time always

No degree intentions

Intending to earn a certificate

Intending to earn an associate's degree

Intending to transfer to 4-year college

Attendance status through 2006

Program plans

Community college

Private not-for-profit 4-year college

Public 4-year college

70

30

59

42

53

50

61

55

84

83

30

70

41

58

47

50

39

45

16

17

Figure 18. Percentage distribution of fi rst-time undergraduates in 2003–04, by persistence or attainment rate, control 

and type of postsecondary institution, program plans, and attendance status: 2006

NOTE: Estimates in the table include students enrolled in institutions in Puerto Rico. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003/04 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up 

(BPS:04/06).
Community Colleges

Page 24 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

 Community colleges enroll a diverse group 

of students, with various reasons for going 

to college, and have larger percentages of 

nontraditional, low-income, and minority students than 4-year colleges and universities.

The defi ning characteristics of high school 

seniors who go to a community college immediately after high school include the following:

 Seniors from demographic groups with 

the lowest rates of immediate enrollment 

in a postsecondary institution—students 

from the lowest quarter of SES families 

and Hispanic and American Indian/Alaska 

Native students—had the highest rates 

of immediate enrollment in community 

colleges in 1992 and 2004.

 Seniors who enrolled immediately in 

community colleges in 2004 spanned a 

broad range of academic achievement—

including some students who were very 

well-qualifi ed for college in terms of their 

performance on standardized tests and 

coursework completed. They included 

a greater percentage of well-prepared 

seniors than did the 1992 senior cohort 

and included many students with a high 

school GPA of C+ or above but who 

lacked mathematics coursework beyond 

algebra II, foreign language coursework 

beyond year 2, or both.

 About two-thirds of 2004 seniors who 

enrolled immediately in a community 

college seem to have done so with the intention of pursuing a bachelor’s degree or 

higher: as high school seniors, 28 percent 

had planned to use a community college as 

a stepping stone to a bachelor’s degree and 

39 percent revised their original plans to 

attend a 4-year college and earn a bachelor’s 

degree by starting their postsecondary education at a community college. 

 One-third of 2004 seniors who enrolled 

immediately in a community college did 

so with no intention of pursuing any education higher than an associate’s degree; 

however, by 2006, almost 47 percent of them 

had raised their educational expectations 

to start or complete a bachelor’s degree. 

The short-term persistence or attainment rate 

of fi rst-time community college students in 

2003–04 was lower than that of fi rst-time 

undergraduates in 4-year institutions, even 

when looking separately at “more committed” 

community college students.

 Forty-fi ve percent of students beginning 

at a community college in 2003–04 

had left school without completing a 

degree or certifi cate program by 2006. 

Among the community college fi rst-time 

freshmen who in tended to transfer to a 

4-year college, 39 percent had left school 

by 2006 with out completing a degree or 

certifi cate pro gram.

 Sixteen percent of students beginning 

at a community college in 2003–04 had 

completed a degree or certifi cate program 

by 2006, while 40 percent had not completed a degree or certifi cate program but 

were still enrolled.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 25

NOTES

1

 Historians of education trace the roots of community colleges back to institutions created in the early 20th century as “junior colleges,” 

the fi rst of which was established in 1901 in Illinois. Since then, in response to labor markets and social change, the number, size, form, 

and curriculum of 2-year colleges have changed many times as have the names applied to them (e.g., “city college,” “technical institute,” 

and “branch college”). For a while in the 1950s and 1960s, “community college” referred to public 2-year institutions, while “junior college” 

referred to private ones. In recent years, however, “junior college” has fallen out of use, and the term “community college” has become 

ambiguous, sometimes referring to just public 2-year institutions and sometimes referring to both public and private ones. Throughout 

this special analysis, however, “community colleges” refers to public 2-year postsecondary institutions, regardless of the actual name of the 

institution. Private for-profi t and not-for-profi t 2-year institutions, sometimes referred to as trade or technical institutes, are not included 

as community colleges (Cohen and Brawer 2003, pp. 3–4; Brint and Karabel 1989, chapter 2; Phillippe 2004).

2

 Articulation agreements defi ne how course credits are transferred between postsecondary institutions.

3

 The characteristics of “nontraditional” undergraduates include any or all of the following: delaying enrollment (i.e., not entering postsecondary education in the same calendar year as fi nishing high school); attending part time for at least part of the academic year; working full 

time while enrolled; being fi nancially independent from one’s parents; having dependents; or being a single parent. For more information 

on nontraditional students, see Choy (2002).

4

 Most sampled data have sample sizes that are too small to generate reliable statistics for fi ne-grained analysis of students and faculty at 

less-than-2-year, private 2-year (both not-for-profi t and for-profi t), and, sometimes, private for-profi t 4-year postsecondary institutions. 

Furthermore, due to the amount of data shown in this special analysis’ fi gures and supporting tables, it is not always possible for them to 

include breakouts for all categories of postsecondary institutions without compromising their readability, clarity, and effi ciency.

5

 Although the number of community colleges has remained fairly steady over the past few years, more recent year-to-year changes are partially due to 

how branch campuses and technical schools are counted and to the revision of survey procedures and defi nitions (Cohen and Brawer 2003, p. 14).

6

 Enrollment data for all years do not include students who were only enrolled in noncredit courses. All enrollment data discussed are 

based on reports of fall enrollment, not enrollment counts over the course of the academic year.

7

 State funding includes state grants and contracts for operations, state appropriations, state nonoperating grants, and capital appropriations.

8 Total expenditures include current outlays plus capital outlays to the extent that those capital costs are included as depreciation.

9

 The number of FTE students at 4-year colleges and universities includes graduate students.

10 The total tuition and fees reported is the average retail price of community college; however, this cost is reduced for many students by 

fi nancial aid. The levels and types of student fi nancial aid vary by student and institution characteristics (Berkner and Wei 2006).

11 In many community colleges, students need to pass college placement tests in particular subject areas to take academic courses in 

those subject areas (College for Adults 2006).

12 See footnote 3.

13 While the terms “developmental” and “remedial” are typically used interchangeably, the estimates presented in this section are based on 

student responses to questions about how much “remedial” coursework they had taken. It is possible that students would have responded 

differently if they were asked about “developmental education” coursework.

14 Unlike this special analysis which looks at student’s coursework in the fi rst year using Beginning Postsecondary Students (BPS) Longitudinal Study data, Adelman (2006) examined the student’s entire postsecondary transcript using the National Education Longitudinal 

Study (NELS:1988/1994). The NELS fi le looked specifi cally at the 1992 high school cohort, while the BPS data fi le includes all fi rst-time 

postsecondary enrollees, regardless of their high school graduation date.

 It is also important to keep in mind that estimates of remedial coursetaking at different points in time may not be comparable and 

that trends in remedial coursetaking over time may not be reliable because many colleges have relabeled courses from “remedial” to 

“developmental education” and have converted remedial credit coursework to noncredit coursework or tutoring. For more information, 

see Jenkins and Boswell (2002).

15 At public and private 4-year institutions in 2003–04, about 65 percent of undergraduates were dependent students (i.e., under 24 years 

old and not independent fi nancially from their parents), 19 percent were 24 years or older and fi nancially independent from their parents, 10 

percent were independent and married with children, and 6 percent were independent, single parents (Horn and Nevill 2006, table 2).
Community Colleges

Page 26 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

16 The lowest income level included all those in families at or below 125 percent of the 2002 poverty threshold. Established poverty 

thresholds are based on family income and family size. For more information on the poverty thresholds, see U.S. Department of Education 

(2008a), supplemental note 1 (at http://nces.ed.gov/programs/coe/2008/supnotes/n01.asp).

17 Students were considered as having enrolled “immediately” after high school if they enrolled before the end of December of their senior 

high school year. For more details on the defi nition of immediate enrollees and the assignment of their postsecondary enrollment status, 

see the Technical Notes.

18 The 2004 Follow-up augmented the original sample to ensure a nationally representative sample of high school seniors. For more

information on ELS:2002, see http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/els2002/.

19 The 1992 Second Follow-up augmented the original sample to ensure a nationally representative sample of high school seniors. For 

more information on NELS:88, see http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/nels88/.

20 One percent completed a GED by 2006, and 2 percent had earned no diploma or equivalent by 2006.

21 One percent completed a GED by 1994, and 2 percent had earned no diploma or equivalent by 1994.

22 The percentage of male and female students in the 2004 senior cohort and among immediate enrollees can be found along with 

percentage distributions for all the variables used in this special analysis in table SA-14. Table SA-15 presents the comparable percentages 

for 1992 seniors and immediate enrollees.

23 One difference in 1992 that was not detectable in 2004 was that, among immediate enrollees in 1992, American Indians/Alaska Natives 

as well as Hispanics enrolled at greater percentages in community college than Asians/Pacifi c Islanders, Whites, or Blacks.

24 Each student’s family was assigned an SES value based on fi ve equally weighted, standardized components: father’s/guardian’s education, 

mother’s/guardian’s education, family income, father’s/guardian’s occupation, and mother’s/guardian’s occupation. An occupation prestige 

value was determined by using the 1961 Duncan index. The information about these components came from the parent questionnaire,

or, when missing, from the student questionnaire or imputation. Students from families with the highest SES are those whose family SES 

value was in the top 25 percent of all sampled students’ families. Students from families with the lowest SES are those whose family SES 

value was in the bottom 25 percent of all sampled students’ families.

25 The pattern among 1992 seniors differed from that among 2004 seniors only in that apparent differences between the rate of immediate 

enrollment in 4-year institutions and community colleges were not statistically signifi cant for 1992 seniors who either had completed 

general biology as their most advanced science coursework or had completed as their most advanced foreign language coursework year 

1 of a foreign language.

26 For details on the comparability of NELS and ELS variables, see the Technical Notes.

27 No comparison with the responses of seniors from 1992 is possible because 1992 seniors were only asked if they intended to go on for 

some postsecondary education, not what level of postsecondary institution they planned to attend.

28 Includes a small percentage of students who said they expected their highest educational attainment to be above a 2-year degree but 

less than a bachelor’s degree.

29 Comparing these percentages with those for 1992 seniors’ expectations and their actual enrollment, no differences were detected except 

for the percentage of seniors who expected their highest educational attainment would be to attend or complete 2-year college: a smaller 

percentage of 1992 seniors than 2004 seniors who reported this expectation actually enrolled in a community college immediately after 

high school (13 vs. 26 percent) (see tables SA-23 and SA-21).

30 One can only get a sense of these percentages because there is no way to determine what these immediate enrollees actually intended. 

31 For the percentage distributions of 2004 seniors and immediate enrollees by educational expectations, see tables SA-21 and SA-22. For 

the comparable percentages for 1992 and immediate enrollees, see tables SA-23 and SA-24.

32 This 79 percent includes both students whose highest educational attainment expectations had not changed as well as students who 

had raised their expectations from a bachelor’s degree to a graduate degree.

33 This group includes 8 percent of 2004 immediate community college enrollees who responded “don’t know” when asked as seniors 

what they expected their highest educational attainment to be.

34 The BPS:04/06 First Follow-up in 2006 with 2003–04 fi rst-time freshmen is the earliest logical timeframe to measure associate degree 

attainment and transfer rates to 4-year institutions among full-time community college students. However, it is not a suffi cient timeframe 

to capture degree attainment for part-time students or to measure any bachelor degree attainment. For these reasons, this special analysis 

focuses primarily on persistence rather than attainment.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 27

35 See footnote 3.

36 About one-fi fth of students who began at a community college in 2003–04 and who were still enrolled in college in 2006 (10 percent 

of all beginning community college students in 2003–04) had completed a degree or certifi cate program. About four-fi fths of students 

who began at a community college in 2003–04 and who were still enrolled in college in 2006 (40 percent of all beginning community 

college students in 2003–04) had not completed a degree or certifi cate program.

37 While this statistic can serve as a measure of “event dropouts,” it is important to keep in mind that some community college students 

may never have intended to get a degree and that some of these students may eventually return to college to complete a degree.
Community Colleges

Page 28 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

REFERENCES

Adelman, C. (2006). The Toolbox Revisited: Paths to Degree Completion From High School Through 

College. Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Berkner, L., He, S., Mason, M., and Wheeless, S. (2007). Persistence and Attainment of 2003-04 Beginning Postsecondary Students: After Three Years (NCES 2007-169). National Center for Education 

Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Berkner, L., and Wei, C.C. (2006). Student Financing of Undergraduate Education: 2003–04, With 

a Special Analysis of the Net Price of Attendance and Federal Education Tax Benefi ts (NCES 2006-

186). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of 

Education. Washington, DC.

Brint, S., and Karabel, J. (1989). The Diverted Dream: Community Colleges and the Promise of 

Educational Opportunity in America, 1900–1985. New York: Oxford University Press.

Choy, S.P. (2002). Nontraditional Undergraduates: Findings from The Condition of Education 2002 (NCES 

2002-012). National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Cohen, A., and Brawer, F. (2003). The American Community College (4th ed.). San Francisco: JosseyBass Publishers.

Coley, R. (2000). The American Community College Turns 100: A Look at Its Students, Programs, 

and Prospects. Princeton, NJ: Educational Testing Service.

College for Adults. (2006). Admissions - Placement Testing. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from http://

www.collegeforadults.org/admissions/room203.html.

Curtin, T.R., Ingels, S.J., Wu, S., and Heuer, R. (2002). The National Education Longitudinal Study 

of 1988: Base-Year to Fourth Follow-up Data File User’s Manual (NCES 2002-323). National Center 

for Education Statistics, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Evelyn, J. (2003, June 20). The “Silent Killer” of Minority Enrollments. The Chronicle of Higher 

Education. Retrieved May 20, 2008, from http://chronicle.com/weekly/v49/i41/41a01701.htm.

Horn, L., and Nevill, S. (2006). Profi le of Undergraduates in U.S. Postsecondary Education Institutions: 

2003–04: With a Special Analysis of Community College Students (NCES 2006-184). National Center for 

Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Ingels, S., Pratt, D., Wilson, D., Burns, L., Currivan, D., Rogers, J., and Hubbard-Bednasz, S. (2007). 

Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002) Base-Year to Second Follow-up Public Use Data 

File Documentation (NCES 2008-347). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

Phillippe, K. (Ed.). (2004). National Profi le of Community Colleges: Trends and Statistics. Washington, 

DC: American Association of Community Colleges.

Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings From The 

Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). National Center for Education Statistics, Institute 

of Education Sciences, U.S. Department of Education. Washington, DC.

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. 

(2008a). The Condition of Education 2008 (NCES 2008-031). Washington, DC.

U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics. 

(2008b). Digest of Education Statistics, 2007 (NCES 2008-022). Washington, DC.

Vaughan, G. (2006). The Community College Story (3rd ed.). Washington, DC: Community College Press.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 29

Special Analysis Tables

Table SA-1. Number of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: Academic years 1974–75 through 2006–07

2-year 4-year

Private Private

Academic year All Total Public Total

Not-forprofi t For-profi t Total Public TotalNot-forprofi t For-profi t

1974–75 3,004 1,138 896 242 † † 1,866 537 1,329 † †

1975–76 3,026 1,128 897 231 † † 1,898 545 1,353 † †

1976–77 3,046 1,133 905 228 188 40 1,913 550 1,363 1,348 15 

1977–78 3,095 1,157 921 236 † † 1,938 552 1,386 † †

1978–79 3,134 1,193 924 269 188 81 1,941 550 1,391 1,376 15 

1979–80 3,152 1,195 926 269 † † 1,957 549 1,408 † †

1980–81 3,231 1,274 945 3291 182 147 1,957 552 1,405 1,387 18 

1981–82 3,253 1,274 940 3341 † † 1,979 558 1,421 † †

1982–83 3,280 1,296 933 3631 † † 1,984 560 1,424 † †

1983–84 3,284 1,271 916 355 † † 2,013 565 1,448 † †

1984–85 3,331 1,306 935 371 186 185 2,025 566 1,459 1,430 29 

1985–86 3,340 1,311 932 379 † † 2,029 566 1,463 † †

1986–87 3,406 1,336 960 376 173 203 2,070 573 1,497 1,462 35 

1987–88 3,587 1,452 992 460 186 274 2,135 599 1,536 1,487 49 

1988–89 3,565 1,436 984 452 180 272 2,129 598 1,531 1,478 53 

1989–90 3,535 1,408 968 440 177 263 2,127 595 1,532 1,479 53 

1990–91 3,559 1,418 972 446 167 279 2,141 595 1,546 1,482 64

1991–92 3,601 1,444 999 445 176 269 2,157 599 1,558 1,486 72

1992–93 3,638 1,469 1,024 445 179 266 2,169 600 1,569 1,493 76

1993–94 3,632 1,442 1,021 421 181 240 2,190 604 1,586 1,506 80

1994–95 3,688 1,473 1,036 437 192 245 2,215 605 1,610 1,510 100

1995–96 3,706 1,462 1,047 415 187 228 2,244 608 1,636 1,519 117

1996–97 4,009 1,742 1,088 654 184 470 2,267 614 1,653 1,509 144

1997–98 4,064 1,755 1,092 663 179 484 2,309 615 1,694 1,528 166

1998–99 4,048 1,713 1,069 644 164 480 2,335 612 1,723 1,531 192

1999–2000 4,084 1,721 1,068 653 150 503 2,363 614 1,749 1,531 218

2000–01 4,182 1,732 1,076 656 144 512 2,450 622 1,828 1,551 277

2001–02 4,197 1,710 1,085 625 135 490 2,487 628 1,859 1,541 318

2002–03 4,168 1,702 1,081 621 127 494 2,466 631 1,835 1,538 297

2003–04 4,236 1,706 1,086 620 118 502 2,530 634 1,896 1,546 350

2004–05 4,216 1,683 1,061 622 112 510 2,533 639 1,894 1,525 369

2005–06 4,276 1,694 1,053 641 113 528 2,582 640 1,942 1,534 408

2006–07 4,314 1,685 1,045 640 107 533 2,629 643 1,986 1,533 453

See notes at end of table.
Community Colleges

Page 30 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-1. Number of degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: Academic years 1974–75 through 2006–07—Continued

2-year 4-year

Private Private

Academic year All Total Public Total

Not-forprofi t For-profi t Total Public TotalNot-forprofi t For-profi t

Percent change 

from 1974–75 to 

2006–07 44 48 17 164 † † 41 20 49 † †

Percent change 

from 1976–77 to 

2006–07 42 49 15 181 -43 1,233 37 17 46 14 2,920

† Not available.

1

 Large increases are due to the addition of schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. 

NOTE: Data through 1995–96 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Institutions of higher education were institutions, accredited by an agency or association recognized 

by the U.S. Department of Education or recognized directly by the Secretary of Education, that had courses leading to an associate’s degree or higher or that had courses accepted for credit toward those degrees. Degreegranting institutions grant associate’s degrees or higher and participate in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs. The degree-granting classifi cation is similar to the earlier higher education classifi cation, but it includes more 

2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Changes in counts of institutions over time are partly affected by increasing or decreasing numbers of institutions submitting 

separate data for branch campuses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Institutional Characteristics of Colleges and Universities” surveys, 1974–75 through 

1985–86; and 1986–87 through 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Institutional Characteristics Survey” (IPEDS-IC:86–99), and Fall 2000 through Fall 2006.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 31 

Table SA-2. Number of degree-granting institutions, by enrollment size, control and type of institution, and community type: Fall 2006

Control and type of 

institution and community 

type

Enrollment size

All

Under 

200

200– 

499

500– 

999

1,000– 

2,499

2,500– 

4,999

5,000– 

9,999

10,000– 

19,999

20,000– 

29,999

30,000 

or more

 Total 4,301 499 603 645 909 651 495 317 126 56

2-year institutions

Public 1,043 13 39 69 237 266 241 130 37 11

4-year institutions

Public 643 3 11 23 97 110 149 135 76 39

Private not-for-profi t 1,530 234 202 259 449 229 97 46 10 4

Private for-profi t 452 66 131 116 80 40 8 6 3 2

Public 2-year institutions

City 304 1 2 10 23 71 93 70 26 8

Suburban 186 1 3 1 16 32 78 41 11 3

Town 250 6 16 33 98 68 26 3 0 0

Rural 303 5 18 25 100 95 44 16 0 0

Public 4-year institutions

City 307 2 8 7 28 29 64 84 54 31

Suburban 105 0 0 6 14 21 25 21 11 7

Town 170 0 1 4 29 47 49 30 10 0

Rural 61 1 2 6 26 13 11 0 1 1

Private not-for-profi t 4-year 

institutions

City 782 123 123 117 194 124 56 33 8 4

Suburban 387 71 42 47 112 72 33 9 1 0

Town 234 17 17 61 110 21 6 2 0 0

Rural 127 23 20 34 33 12 2 2 1 0

NOTE: Total includes private 2-year and private for-profi t 4-year institutions. Some institutions do not report separate enrollment data for each branch campus. For this reason, counts of institutions in this table are somewhat 

lower than the fi gures appearing in some other tables. For details on the community types, see U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). The Condition of Education 2008 (NCES 

2008-031), supplemental note 1.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2007, Enrollment component.
Community Colleges

Page 32 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-3. Percentage distribution of degree-granting institutions, by enrollment size, control and type of institution, and community type: Fall 2006

Control and type of 

institution and community 

type

Enrollment size

All

Under 

200

200– 

499

500– 

999

1,000– 

2,499

2,500– 

4,999

5,000– 

9,999

10,000– 

19,999

20,000– 

29,999

30,000 

or more

 Total 100 12 14 15 21 15 12 7 3 1

2-year institutions

Public 100 1 4 7 23 26 23 12 4 1

4-year institutions

Public 100 # 2 4 15 17 23 21 12 6

Private not-for-profi t 100 15 13 17 29 15 6 3 1 #

Private for-profi t 100 15 29 26 18 9 2 1 1 #

Public 2-year institutions

City 100 # 1 3 8 23 31 23 9 3

Suburban 100 1 2 1 9 17 42 22 6 2

Town 100 2 6 13 39 27 10 1 0 0

Rural 100 2 6 8 33 31 15 5 0 0

Public 4-year institutions

City 100 1 3 2 9 9 21 27 18 10

Suburban 100 0 0 6 13 20 24 20 10 7

Town 100 0 1 2 17 28 29 18 6 0

Rural 100 2 3 10 43 21 18 0 2 2

Private not-for-profi t 4-year 

institutions

City 100 16 16 15 25 16 7 4 1 1

Suburban 100 18 11 12 29 19 9 2 # 0

Town 100 7 7 26 47 9 3 1 0 0

Rural 100 18 16 27 26 9 2 2 1 0

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Totals include private 2-year and private for-profi t 4-year institutions. For details on the community types, see U. S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2008). The Condition of Education 

2008 (NCES 2008-031), supplemental note 1. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2006–07 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Spring 2007, Enrollment component.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 33 

Table SA-4. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: 1963 through 2006

2-year 4-year

Year All Total Public Private Total Public Private

19631 4,779,609 850,361 739,811 110,550 3,929,248 2,341,468 1,587,780

19641 5,280,020 988,926 874,779 114,147 4,291,094 2,592,929 1,698,165

19651 5,920,864 1,172,952 1,041,264 131,688 4,747,912 2,928,332 1,819,580

19661 6,389,872 1,325,970 1,189,169 136,801 5,063,902 3,159,748 1,904,154

19671 6,911,748 1,512,762 1,372,053 140,709 5,398,986 3,443,975 1,955,011

19681 7,513,091 1,792,296 1,646,474 145,822 5,720,795 3,784,178 1,936,617

1969 8,004,660 2,067,533 1,934,346 133,187 5,937,127 3,962,522 1,974,605

1970 8,580,887 2,319,385 2,195,412 123,973 6,261,502 4,232,722 2,028,780

1971 8,948,644 2,579,289 2,457,319 121,970 6,369,355 4,346,990 2,022,365

1972 9,214,820 2,756,186 2,640,939 115,247 6,458,634 4,429,696 2,028,938

1973 9,602,123 3,012,100 2,889,621 122,479 6,590,023 4,529,895 2,060,128

1974 10,223,729 3,403,994 3,285,482 118,512 6,819,735 4,703,018 2,116,717

1975 11,184,859 3,970,119 3,836,366 133,753 7,214,740 4,998,142 2,216,598

1976 11,012,137 3,883,321 3,751,786 131,535 7,128,816 4,901,691 2,227,125

1977 11,285,787 4,042,942 3,901,769 141,173 7,242,845 4,945,224 2,297,621

1978 11,260,092 4,028,467 3,873,690 154,777 7,231,625 4,912,203 2,319,422

1979 11,569,899 4,216,666 4,056,810 159,856 7,353,233 4,980,012 2,373,221

1980 12,096,895 4,526,287 4,328,782 197,5052 7,570,608 5,128,612 2,441,996

1981 12,371,672 4,716,211 4,480,708 235,5032 7,655,461 5,166,324 2,489,137

1982 12,425,780 4,771,706 4,519,653 252,053 7,654,074 5,176,434 2,477,640

1983 12,464,661 4,723,466 4,459,330 264,136 7,741,195 5,223,404 2,517,791

1984 12,241,940 4,530,773 4,279,097 251,676 7,711,167 5,198,273 2,512,894

1985 12,247,055 4,531,077 4,269,733 261,344 7,715,978 5,209,540 2,506,438

1986 12,503,511 4,679,548 4,413,691 265,8573 7,823,963 5,300,202 2,523,761

1987 12,766,642 4,776,222 4,541,054 235,1683 7,990,420 5,432,200 2,558,220

1988 13,055,337 4,875,155 4,615,487 259,668 8,180,182 5,545,901 2,634,281

1989 13,538,560 5,150,889 4,883,660 267,229 8,387,671 5,694,303 2,693,368

1990 13,818,637 5,240,083 4,996,475 243,608 8,578,554 5,848,242 2,730,312

1991 14,358,953 5,651,900 5,404,815 247,085 8,707,053 5,904,748 2,802,305

1992 14,487,359 5,722,390 5,484,555 237,835 8,764,969 5,900,012 2,864,957

1993 14,304,803 5,565,867 5,337,328 228,539 8,738,936 5,851,760 2,887,176

1994 14,278,790 5,529,710 5,308,467 221,243 8,749,080 5,825,213 2,923,867

1995 14,261,781 5,492,529 5,277,829 214,700 8,769,252 5,814,545 2,954,707

1996 14,367,520 5,563,327 5,314,463 248,864 8,804,193 5,806,036 2,998,157

1997 14,502,334 5,605,569 5,360,686 244,883 8,896,765 5,835,433 3,061,332

1998 14,506,967 5,489,314 5,245,963 243,351 9,017,653 5,891,806 3,125,847

19994 14,791,224 5,592,699 5,339,449 253,250 9,198,525 5,969,950 3,228,575

2000 15,312,289 5,948,431 5,697,388 251,043 9,363,858 6,055,398 3,308,460

See notes at end of table.
Community Colleges

Page 34 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-4. Total fall enrollment in degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: 1963 through 2006—Continued

2-year 4-year

Year All Total Public Private Total Public Private

2001 15,927,987 6,250,579 5,996,701 253,878 9,677,408 6,236,455 3,440,953

2002 16,611,711 6,529,379 6,270,380 258,999 10,082,332 6,481,613 3,600,719

2003 16,911,481 6,494,234 6,209,257 284,977 10,417,247 6,649,441 3,767,806

2004 17,272,044 6,545,863 6,243,576 302,287 10,726,181 6,736,536 3,989,645

2005 17,487,475 6,488,055 6,184,229 303,826 10,999,420 6,837,605 4,161,815

2006 17,758,870 6,518,540 6,225,120 293,420 11,240,330 6,955,013 4,285,317

Percent change from

1963 to 2006 272 667 741 165 186 197 170

2000 to 2006 16 10 9 17 20 15 30

1

 Data for 2-year branch campuses of 4-year institutions are included with the 4-year institutions. 

2

 Large increases are due to the addition of schools accredited by the Accrediting Commission of Career Schools and Colleges of Technology. 3

 Because of imputation techniques, data are not consistent with fi gures for other years. 

4

 Data were imputed using alternative procedures.

NOTE: Data through 1995 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Institutions of higher education were institutions, accredited by an agency or association recognized by 

the U.S. Department of Education or recognized directly by the Secretary of Education, that had courses leading to an associate’s degree or higher or that had courses accepted for credit toward those degrees. Degree-granting 

institutions grant associate’s degrees or higher and participate in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs. The degree-granting classifi cation is similar to the earlier higher education classifi cation, but it includes more 2-year colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Data for private institutions combine both not-for-profi t and for-profi t institutions; data for these two categories were not collected separately 

until 1976. Enrollment data for all years do not include students who were only enrolled in noncredit courses.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Opening Fall Enrollment in Higher Education, 1963 through 1966; Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education” surveys, 1966 through 1985; and 1986 through 2005 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:86–99), and Spring 2001 through Spring 2007.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 35 

Table SA-5. Number of degree-granting community colleges, size of their total enrollment, and ratio of enrollment to adult population, by state or 

jurisdiction: 2005–06

Institutions Total enrollment Adult population 

(18 years and older)

Ratio of enrollment 

State or jurisdiction Number Percent Number Percent to adult population

 United States 1,053 100.0 6,184,229 100.0 225,662,922 2.7

Alabama 25 2.4 78,401 1.3 3,484,729 2.2

Alaska 2 0.2 1,101 0.0 488,619 0.2

Arizona 20 1.9 200,845 3.2 4,538,120 4.4

Arkansas 22 2.1 47,771 0.8 2,119,686 2.3

California 111 10.5 1,398,758 22.6 26,924,935 5.2

Colorado 15 1.4 79,803 1.3 3,584,076 2.2

Connecticut 12 1.1 46,227 0.7 2,686,523 1.7

Delaware 3 0.3 13,978 0.2 650,110 2.2

District of Columbia 0 0.0 0 0.0 466,649 0.0

Florida 24 2.3 277,446 4.5 14,068,333 2.0

Georgia 53 5.0 144,594 2.3 6,908,921 2.1

Hawaii 6 0.6 22,330 0.4 987,417 2.3

Idaho 3 0.3 12,014 0.2 1,072,185 1.1

Illinois 48 4.6 352,824 5.7 9,616,726 3.7

Indiana 14 1.3 59,969 1.0 4,735,891 1.3

Iowa 16 1.5 82,118 1.3 2,271,891 3.6

Kansas 26 2.5 74,262 1.2 2,068,238 3.6

Kentucky 23 2.2 84,669 1.4 3,206,543 2.6

Louisiana 41 3.9 33,514 0.5 3,197,767 1.0

Maine 7 0.7 12,435 0.2 1,040,580 1.2

Maryland 16 1.5 119,246 1.9 4,255,196 2.8

Massachusetts 16 1.5 84,209 1.4 4,988,309 1.7

Michigan 30 2.8 215,585 3.5 7,617,287 2.8

Minnesota 30 2.8 110,324 1.8 3,909,837 2.8

Mississippi 17 1.6 66,298 1.1 2,151,135 3.1

Missouri 20 1.9 86,742 1.4 4,426,121 2.0

Montana 12 1.1 9,134 0.1 726,784 1.3

Nebraska 8 0.8 40,220 0.7 1,323,298 3.0

Nevada 2 0.2 16,371 0.3 1,861,009 0.9

New Hampshire 4 0.4 13,750 0.2 1,017,270 1.4

New Jersey 19 1.8 151,885 2.5 6,635,222 2.3

New Mexico 20 1.9 64,137 1.0 1,445,669 4.4

New York 35 3.3 271,308 4.4 14,791,841 1.8

North Carolina 59 5.6 200,507 3.2 6,701,118 3.0

North Dakota 7 0.7 9,205 0.1 490,933 1.9

Ohio 32 3.0 173,962 2.8 8,707,971 2.0

Oklahoma 13 1.2 65,617 1.1 2,685,178 2.4

Oregon 17 1.6 80,513 1.3 2,844,499 2.8

Pennsylvania 21 2.0 124,077 2.0 9,635,748 1.3

Rhode Island 1 0.1 16,042 0.3 830,159 1.9

South Carolina 20 1.9 78,883 1.3 3,281,596 2.4

South Dakota 5 0.5 5,485 0.1 587,238 0.9

Tennessee 13 1.2 74,829 1.2 4,596,210 1.6

Texas 64 6.1 543,491 8.8 17,013,818 3.2

See notes at end of table.
Community Colleges

Page 36 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-5. Number of degree-granting community colleges, size of their total enrollment, and ratio of enrollment to adult population, by state or 

jurisdiction: 2005–06—Continued

Institutions Total enrollment Adult population 

(18 years and older)

Ratio of enrollment 

State or jurisdiction Number Percent Number Percent to adult population

Utah 6 0.6 35,796 0.6 1,758,865 2.0

Vermont 1 0.1 5,515 0.1 490,519 1.1

Virginia 24 2.3 154,967 2.5 5,836,037 2.7

Washington 35 3.3 190,423 3.1 4,869,531 3.9

West Virginia 10 0.9 17,807 0.3 1,429,399 1.2

Wisconsin 18 1.7 115,357 1.9 4,243,976 2.7

Wyoming 7 0.7 19,485 0.3 393,210 5.0

NOTE: Degree-granting institutions grant associate’s degrees or higher and participate in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs. Total count of institutions includes 13 institutions which were unable to respond to the Fall 2005 

survey due to natural disaster and 8 institutions in other U.S. jurisdictions. Total enrollment includes 10,215 students in the 8 institutions in other U.S. jurisdictions.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS), Fall 2005; U.S. Census Bureau, Current Population Survey (CPS), 2005–06.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 37 

Current dollars Constant 2006–07 dollars

Public institutions Private institutions Public institutions Private institutions

Academic year All 2-year 4-year All 2-year 4-year All 2-year 4-year All 2-year 4-year

1976–77 $479 $283 $617 $2,467 $1,592 $2,534 $1,665 $986 $2,145 $8,580 $5,537 $8,814

1977–78 512 306 655 2,624 1,706 2,700 1,667 999 2,134 8,551 5,559 8,801

1978–79 543 327 688 2,867 1,831 2,958 1,617 975 2,049 8,545 5,456 8,815

1979–80 583 355 738 3,130 2,062 3,225 1,534 933 1,939 8,231 5,421 8,480

1980–81 635 391 804 3,498 2,413 3,617 1,496 922 1,894 8,243 5,686 8,523

1981–82 714 434 909 3,953 2,605 4,113 1,548 943 1,973 8,574 5,650 8,923

1982–83 798 473 1,031 4,439 3,008 4,639 1,660 984 2,145 9,232 6,256 9,648

1983–84 891 528 1,148 4,851 3,099 5,093 1,788 1,059 2,302 9,728 6,215 10,215

1984–85 971 584 1,228 5,315 3,485 5,556 1,874 1,127 2,370 10,257 6,726 10,723

1985–86 1,045 641 1,318 5,789 3,672 6,121 1,960 1,203 2,472 10,860 6,889 11,482

1986–87 1,106 660 1,414 6,316 3,684 6,658 2,030 1,212 2,594 11,591 6,760 12,220

1987–88 1,218 706 1,537 6,988 4,161 7,116 2,147 1,244 2,709 12,315 7,332 12,540

1988–89 1,285 730 1,646 7,461 4,817 7,722 2,164 1,230 2,773 12,568 8,115 13,006

1989–90 1,356 756 1,780 8,147 5,196 8,396 2,180 1,216 2,861 13,098 8,354 13,499

1990–91 1,454 824 1,888 8,772 5,570 9,083 2,216 1,256 2,878 13,372 8,491 13,845

1991–92 1,628 936 2,117 9,419 5,754 9,759 2,405 1,383 3,127 13,913 8,499 14,415

1992–93 1,782 1,025 2,349 9,942 6,059 10,294 2,552 1,468 3,365 14,239 8,678 14,743

1993–94 1,942 1,125 2,537 10,572 6,370 10,952 2,711 1,570 3,541 14,759 8,893 15,291

1994–95 2,057 1,192 2,681 11,111 6,914 11,481 2,792 1,618 3,638 15,080 9,384 15,582

1995–96 2,179 1,239 2,848 11,864 7,094 12,243 2,879 1,638 3,762 15,676 9,374 16,177

1996–97 2,271 1,276 2,987 12,498 7,236 12,881 2,918 1,639 3,837 16,055 9,296 16,548

1997–98 2,360 1,314 3,110 12,801 7,464 13,344 2,979 1,658 3,925 16,156 9,421 16,842

1998–99 2,430 1,327 3,229 13,428 7,854 13,973 3,015 1,646 4,006 16,660 9,743 17,335

1999–2000 2,506 1,338 3,349 14,081 8,235 14,588 3,021 1,613 4,039 16,979 9,930 17,591

2000–01 2,562 1,333 3,501 15,000 9,067 15,470 2,987 1,554 4,081 17,489 10,571 18,037

2001–02 2,700 1,380 3,735 15,742 10,076 16,211 3,093 1,581 4,279 18,034 11,543 18,571

2002–03 2,903 1,483 4,046 16,383 10,651 16,826 3,254 1,662 4,536 18,364 11,939 18,861

2003–04 3,319 1,702 4,587 17,315 11,545 17,763 3,641 1,867 5,031 18,994 12,665 19,486

2004–05 3,629 1,849 5,027 18,154 12,122 18,604 3,865 1,969 5,353 19,333 12,909 19,812

2005–06 3,874 1,935 5,351 18,862 12,450 19,292 3,974 1,985 5,489 19,350 12,772 19,791

2006–07 4,101 2,017 5,685 19,991 12,620 20,492 4,101 2,017 5,685 19,991 12,620 20,492

NOTE: Data are for the entire academic year and are average total charges for full-time attendance. Tuition and fees were weighted by the number of full-time-equivalent undergraduates, but were not adjusted to refl ect student 

residency. Data through 1995–96 are for institutions of higher education, while later data are for degree-granting institutions. Institutions of higher education were institutions, accredited by an agency or association recognized 

by the U.S. Department of Education or recognized directly by the Secretary of Education, that had courses leading to an associate’s degree or higher or that had courses accepted for credit toward those degrees. Degree-granting 

institutions grant associate’s degrees or higher and participate in Title IV federal fi nancial aid programs. The degree-granting classifi cation is very similar to the earlier higher education classifi cation, but it includes more 2-year 

colleges and excludes a few higher education institutions that did not grant degrees. Because of their low response rate, data for private 2-year colleges must be interpreted with caution. Some data have been revised from 

previously published fi gures. Data for private institutions combine both not-for-profi t and for-profi t institutions. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Higher Education General Information Survey (HEGIS), “Institutional Characteristics of Colleges and Universities” surveys, 1976–77 through 1985–86; 

“Fall Enrollment in Institutions of Higher Education” surveys, 1976 through 1985; and 1986–87 through 2005–06 Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, “Fall Enrollment Survey” (IPEDS-EF:86–99), “Institutional 

Characteristics Survey” (IPEDS-C:86–99), Spring 2001 through Spring 2006, and Fall 2000 through Fall 2006.

Table SA-6. Average annual undergraduate tuition and fees for full-time students in degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution: 

Academic years 1976–77 through 2006–07
Community Colleges

Page 38 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-7. Number and percentage distribution of faculty and instructional staff in degree-granting institutions, by control and type of institution and 

selected faculty characteristics: Fall 2003

2-year institution 4-year institution

Faculty characteristic Total Public Private Public Private

 Total 1,212,00 362,000 8,600 494,000 347,000

Sex

Male 57.5 50.7 52.4 60.7 60.1

Female 42.5 49.3 47.6 39.3 39.9

Race/ethnicity

White 82.5 82.7 95.2 80.6 84.6

Black 5.5 6.8 2.0 5.1 4.8

Hispanic 3.5 4.9 0.4 3.2 2.6

Asian 6.3 2.9 1.0 9.0 6.1

Pacifi c Islander 0.1 0.2 # 0.1 0.1

American Indian/Alaska Native 0.4 0.6 # 0.4 0.2

More than one race 1.7 1.8 1.4 1.7 1.6

Employment status

Full-time 56.3 33.3 58.3 71.7 58.2

Part-time 43.7 66.7 41.7 28.3 41.8

Highest level of educational attainment

Less than bachelor’s 4.2 11.9 6.7 0.9 0.9

Bachelor’s 9.3 18.5 18.2 5.2 5.5

Master’s 37.4 55.1 52.3 26.3 34.3

First-professional 7.8 2.9 2.6 9.2 11.0

Doctorate 41.3 11.6 20.3 58.4 48.4

Main activity

Teaching 73.8 89.3 79.7 63.4 72.1

Research 8.8 0.1 # 15.3 9.0

Administration 6.7 3.1 11.9 8.5 7.6

Other 10.8 7.5 8.3 12.8 11.4

# Rounds to zero.

NOTE: Totals may differ from fi gures reported in other tables because of varying survey methodologies. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2004 National Study of Postsecondary Faculty (NSOPF:04).
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 39 

Table SA-8. Percentage of beginning postsecondary students who reported taking various types of remedial courses in their fi rst year, by control and type 

of institution: 2003–04

2-year institution 4-year institution

Private Private

Remedial course All Public 

Not-forprofi t For-profi t Public Not-forprofi t For-profi t

 Any 20.5 28.6 17.6 8.3 18.6 15.2 10.6

English 6.1 8.4 8.4 2.2 5.2 4.5 4.9

Mathematics 15.5 22.3 13.1 5.1 13.9 9.8 7.9

Reading 6.4 10.0 5.2 1.7 4.7 3.8 3.0

Study skills 2.3 2.8 3.6 1.7 1.9 2.1 3.1

Writing 7.9 9.6 5.6 4.8 8.1 7.3 4.9

NOTE: Totals include students in private not-for-profi t less-than-2-year institutions; sample size was too small to show as a separate category. Courses are self-reported by students during their fi rst year. Institutions and 

administrative transcript records report higher rates of remedial coursetaking than do students. This table includes students enrolled at postsecondary institutions in Puerto Rico.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003/04 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:04/06).
Community Colleges

Page 40 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-9. Percentage distribution of undergraduates, by control and type of institution and student characteristics: 2003–04

Community 

college

4-year institution

Characteristic Public Private not-for-profi t

Sex

Male 40.9 45.5 44.2

Female 59.1 54.5 55.9

Race/ethnicity

White 59.9 70.2 67.3

Black 15.3 10.4 13.0

Hispanic 14.4 8.9 12.0

Asian 5.3 5.9 4.2

American Indian/Alaska Native 1.0 1.0 0.4

Pacifi c Islander 0.7 0.4 0.2

More than one race 2.1 2.0 1.8

Other 1.3 1.2 1.1

Age

18 or younger 9.3 10.7 11.4

19–23 37.7 60.3 55.5

24–29 18.2 15.6 12.2

30–39 17.5 7.6 11.0

40 or older 17.3 5.8 9.9

Median 24.0 21.0 21.0

Average 28.5 23.7 25.0

Marital status

Not married1 70.4 85.1 81.8

Married 27.3 13.9 16.6

Separated 2.3 1.0 1.6

Single parent 17.2 6.3 9.0

Parents’ highest level of education

High school or less 40.8 26.7 27.6

Some postsecondary education 27.1 22.9 20.2

Bachelor’s degree or higher 32.1 50.4 52.2

Dependency and income2

Dependent students 38.8 65.7 62.3

Less than $20,000 6.0 7.1 6.8

$20,000–39,999 8.4 11.4 10.7

$40,000–59,999 7.7 11.8 9.9

$60,000–79,999 6.5 11.9 9.6

$80,000–99,999 3.8 8.7 8.5

$100,000 or more 6.3 14.8 16.8

Independent students 61.2 34.3 37.7

Less than $10,000 12.6 9.0 7.9

$10,000–19,999 10.6 6.6 6.0

$20,000–29,999 9.5 5.5 5.9

$30,000–49,999 12.3 6.0 7.3

$50,000 or more 16.3 7.3 10.7

1

 Includes single, divorced, and widowed students.

2

 Based on 2002 income.

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003–04 National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS:04).
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 41 

No postsecondary 

education 

through 

2006

Immediate enrollment in a postsecondary institution Delayed enrollment

Less-than2-year 

institution

2-year institution 4-year institution

In 2-year 

institution 

in 2006

In 4-year 

institution 

Background characteristic Total All in 2006 1 Public All Public Private Total

 Total 23.0 63.1 0.9 19.9 18.8 42.3 28.4 13.9 13.7 8.0 4.3

Sex 

Male 27.3 59.1 0.7 19.5 18.2 38.9 26.5 12.4 13.5 7.9 4.5 

Female 18.9 67.1 1.0 20.3 19.5 45.7 30.3 15.4 13.9 8.2 4.0 

Race/ethnicity 

White 19.5 68.9 0.7 20.2 19.1 48.0 31.8 16.2 11.6 6.5 4.1 

Black 28.8 52.7 1.3 16.6 15.9 34.8 25.0 9.7 18.4 11.3 5.0 

Hispanic 33.0 46.9 1.2 23.2 21.6 22.4 15.3 7.1 19.6 12.3 4.4 

Asian/Pacifi c Islander 13.4 75.2 0.4! 19.5 18.6 55.3 39.5 15.9 11.0 6.4 4.1 

American Indian/Alaska 

Native 37.9 46.0 ‡ 18.9 17.0 25.5 18.4! 7.1! 16.1 10.7! 4.6!

More than one race 28.2 61.0 1.3! 15.6 14.6 44.1 27.3 16.8 10.6 5.9 3.8 

Socioeconomic status (SES) 

Lowest 25 percent 40.0 42.3 1.6 19.7 18.6 20.9 14.9 6.1 17.4 11.5 3.7 

Middle 50 percent 23.6 62.4 0.8 23.0 21.6 38.5 27.1 11.4 13.9 8.5 3.9 

Highest 25 percent 7.5 82.0 0.3! 14.5 14.1 67.2 42.2 25.0 10.4 4.5 5.5 

Parent’s highest level of 

education

Did not fi nish high school 43.1 39.6 0.9! 21.4 19.3 17.2 12.9 4.3 16.7 11.8 2.5 

High school completer or GED 36.6 47.4 1.7 20.6 19.0 25.2 19.1 6.1 15.9 10.5 3.6 

Some college 25.5 59.4 0.9 23.5 22.4 35.0 24.2 10.8 14.9 9.0 4.3 

Graduated from college 13.5 74.6 0.3! 19.1 17.9 55.1 37.9 17.2 11.8 6.1 4.4 

Completed master’s or 

equivalent 9.7 79.6 0.5! 14.3 14.0 64.7 39.2 25.5 10.7 5.0 5.5 

Completed Ph.D., M.D., or 

other advanced degree 8.1 82.1 0.3! 10.5 10.4 71.3 40.2 31.1 9.7 4.1 5.2 

Student’s family’s income from 

all sources in 2001 

$20,000 or less 39.5 42.0 1.4 18.9 18.2 21.7 14.6 7.1 18.0 11.8 3.8 

$20,001–35,000 31.7 51.9 0.8 22.1 20.9 29.1 20.3 8.8 16.1 9.8 4.3 

$35,001–50,000 26.6 60.1 1.4 22.7 20.9 36.1 25.0 11.1 13.2 8.0 3.7 

$50,001–75,000 19.9 67.0 0.8 21.6 20.6 44.8 31.3 13.5 12.8 7.9 4.1 

$75,001–100,000 12.9 76.0 0.5! 18.8 17.6 56.7 37.2 19.4 11.1 5.8 4.4 

More than $100,000 6.9 81.7 0.1 13.1 12.5 68.6 43.0 25.7 11.0 4.8 5.8 

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Total includes private 2-year institutions that are not shown separately. 

NOTE: Data include a few cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in the “Total” column for immediate enrollment 

and the “All” columns for type of institution, but they are not included in the distributions showing control of institution. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding 

or because some subcategories are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

Table SA-10. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed postsecondary enrollment status, control and type 

of institution, and selected background characteristics: 2004 and 2006
Community Colleges

Page 42 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-11. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high school in a postsecondary institution, by 

control and type of institution and selected background characteristics: 2004

In 2-year institution1 In 4-year institution

Background characteristic Public

Private 

for-profi t Public

Private notfor-profi tPrivate 

for-profi t

 Total 29.8 1.4 45.0 20.5 1.5 

Sex

Male 30.7 1.9 44.8 19.0 1.9 

Female 29.0 1.0 45.2 21.8 1.2 

Race/ethnicity

White 27.8 1.2 46.1 22.5 1.1 

Black 30.1 1.2! 47.3 16.0 2.4 

Hispanic 46.1 3.4! 32.6 12.9 2.3!

Asian/Pacifi c Islander 24.8 1.0! 52.5 19.5 1.6 

American Indian/Alaska Native 36.9 ‡ 39.9 15.5! # 

More than one race 24.0 ‡ 44.8 22.9 4.6 

Socioeconomic status 

Lowest 25 percent 43.9 2.5 35.2 11.7 2.6 

Middle 50 percent 34.5 2.0 43.4 16.9 1.5 

Highest 25 percent 17.2 0.2! 51.4 29.4 1.1 

Parent’s highest level of education

Did not fi nish high school 48.7 5.3! 32.7 7.1 3.7!

High school completer or GED 40.1 2.8 40.3 11.4 1.5 

Some college 37.7 1.6 40.7 16.5 1.7 

Graduated from college 24.0 1.0! 50.8 21.3 1.7 

Completed master’s or equivalent 17.6 0.2! 49.3 31.2 0.9!

Completed Ph.D., M.D., or other advanced degree 12.7 ‡ 48.9 37.4 0.5!

Student’s family’s income from all sources in 2001

$20,000 or less 43.2 1.1! 34.7 15.1 1.8!

$20,001–35,000 40.2 2.1 39.1 14.9 2.1

$35,001–50,000 34.7 2.6 41.5 17.0 1.4

$50,001–75,000 30.7 1.2 46.5 18.9 1.1

$75,001–100,000 23.2 1.1! 49.0 24.0 1.6

More than $100,000 15.2 0.4 52.5 29.9 1.5

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Private not-for-profi t 2-year institutions are not shown separately. 

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 43 

No postsecondary 

education 

through 

19941

Immediate enrollment in a postsecondary institution Delayed enrollment

2-year institution 4-year institution

In 2-year 

institution 

in 1994

In 4-year 

institution 

Background characteristic Total in 1994 2,3 All3 Public All Public Private Total

 Total 27.9 51.4 17.0 15.7 33.6 21.9 11.7 20.7 10.6 8.3

Sex 

Male 31.4 48.3 16.8 15.7 31.0 20.7 10.2 20.3 10.5 8.4

Female 24.4 54.6 17.2 15.8 36.3 23.1 13.2 21.0 10.7 8.3

Race/ethnicity 

White 26.1 53.0 16.6 15.4 35.6 23.0 12.5 20.8 10.5 8.8

Black 35.2 43.3 13.6 12.1 29.2 19.5 9.7 21.6 9.7 9.0

Hispanic 35.2 44.2 21.3 19.9 21.7 15.4 6.3 20.5 12.5 5.7

Asian/Pacifi c Islander 15.3 66.3 21.4 20.7 43.3 25.7 17.6 18.3 10.6 6.5

American Indian/Alaska 

Native 45.5 40.7 22.5 22.5 17.0 12.4 4.5! 13.8 9.7 2.0

Socioeconomic status

Lowest 25 percent 51.5 31.0 14.8 13.4 14.7 10.7 4.0 17.6 11.4 4.0

Middle 50 percent 29.5 48.4 19.4 18.1 28.3 20.0 8.4 22.0 12.1 7.9

Highest 25 percent 8.2 71.4 14.5 13.3 56.3 33.1 23.1 20.4 7.4 12.1

Parent’s highest level of 

education 

Did not fi nish high school 48.6 32.5 14.4 11.9 15.8 11.8 4.0 19.0 11.9 4.4

High school completer 

or GED 44.3 36.8 17.7 16.6 18.4 12.5 5.8 18.9 11.7 5.0

Some college 28.4 49.4 19.2 18.1 29.5 20.8 8.7 22.2 11.8 8.4

Graduated from college 11.6 66.5 15.4 14.6 50.7 33.5 17.2 21.9 8.7 11.5

Completed master’s or 

equivalent 6.6 75.6 11.6 10.3 63.8 33.9 29.9 17.8 6.7 10.7

Completed Ph.D., M.D., or 

other advanced degree 5.5 76.8 12.8 10.0 62.0 32.1! 30.0 17.7 4.1 13.0

Student’s family’s income 

from all sources in 1991

Less than $20,000 43.3 37.9 15.4 14.2 21.4 14.9 6.5 18.8 10.4 5.8

$20,000–34,999 33.4 47.3 19.0 17.2 27.3 19.5 7.8 19.3 10.6 6.6

$35,000–49,999 25.8 51.9 18.3 17.3 33.1 22.3 10.8 22.3 12.2 8.4

$50,000–74,999 14.8 63.7 19.6 18.4 43.4 28.5 14.9 21.4 10.3 9.4

$75,000–99,999 10.0 69.4 15.3 13.1 54.1 33.8 20.2 20.6 7.3 12.4

$100,000 or more 6.4 72.4 6.2 5.9 66.2 32.9 33.3 21.2 5.7 14.9

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

1

 Includes some cases of students who were enrolled in postsecondary courses before high school graduation but who did not enroll in any postsecondary institution after high school. 2

 Total includes 12th-graders (0.8 percent) who enrolled immediately in a less-than-2-year postsecondary institution. The sample size for these students is too small to show breakouts. 3

 Total includes private 2-year institutions that are not shown separately. 

NOTE: Data include some cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in the “Total” column for immediate enrollment and the “All” columns for type of institution, but they are not included in the distributions showing control of institution. Spring 1992 12th-graders who attended postsecondary institutions for which there is no IPEDS 

information are excluded. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or because some subcategories are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”

Table SA-12. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed postsecondary enrollment status, control and type 

of institution, and selected background characteristics: 1992 and 1994
Community Colleges

Page 44 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-13. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high school in a postsecondary institution, by 

control and type of institution and selected background characteristics: 1992

In 2-year institution1 In 4-year institution2

Background characteristic Public

Private 

for-profi t Public

Private notfor-profi t

 Total 30.6 1.4 42.6 22.3

Sex

Male 32.4 1.4 42.9 20.5

Female 28.9 1.5 42.3 24.0

Race/ethnicity

White 29.0 1.4 43.5 23.3

Black 28.1 2.5! 45.1 21.2

Hispanic 45.1 1.5! 34.9 13.6

Asian/Pacifi c Islander 31.3 ‡ 38.8 26.5

American Indian/Alaska Native 55.1 # 30.6 11.1!

Socioeconomic status

Lowest 25 percent 43.4 3.1 34.6 12.0

Middle 50 percent 37.4 2.0 41.2 16.8

Highest 25 percent 18.6 0.3 46.4 32.2

Parent’s highest level of education

Did not fi nish high school 36.5 6.0! 36.3 10.2

High school completer or GED 45.0 2.5 34.0 15.4

Some college 36.6 1.6 42.1 17.1

Graduated from college 21.9 0.5! 50.3 25.8

Completed master’s or equivalent 13.6 0.4 44.8 39.5

Completed Ph.D., M.D., or other advanced degree 13.0! # 41.8 39.1

Student’s family’s income from all sources in 1991

Less than $20,000 37.4 2.5 39.3 16.2

$20,000–34,999 36.4 2.2 41.3 16.0

$35,000–49,999 33.3 1.1! 42.9 20.2

$50,000–74,999 28.9 1.3! 44.8 23.2

$75,000–99,999 18.9 0.6 48.8 29.2

$100,000 or more 8.1 # 45.4 46.0

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Private not-for-profi t 2-year institutions are not shown separately because the sample size is too small to show breakouts. 

2

 Private for-profi t 4-year institutions are not shown separately because the sample size is too small to show breakouts. 

NOTE: Spring 1992 12th-graders who attended postsecondary institutions for which there is no IPEDS information are excluded. Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 45 

Table SA-14. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate postsecondary enrollment status and selected characteristics: 

2004

Characteristic

Entire 

12th-grade cohort

Immediate enrollees in a 

postsecondary institution

 Total 100.0 100.0 

Sex

Male 49.1 45.9 

Female 50.9 54.1 

Race/ethnicity

White 62.0 67.6 

Black 13.3 11.1 

Hispanic 15.1 11.2 

Asian/Pacifi c Islander 4.5 5.4 

American Indian/Alaska Native 0.9 0.7 

More than one race 4.2 4.1 

Socioeconomic status

Lowest 25 percent 22.0 14.7

Middle 50 percent 50.5 49.9

Highest 25 percent 27.2 35.3

Parent’s highest level of education

Did not fi nish high school 5.3 3.3

High school completer or GED 20.1 15.1

Some college 34.1 32.1

Graduated from college 22.9 27.1

Completed master’s or equivalent 11.7 14.7

Completed Ph.D., M.D., or other advanced degree 5.9 7.7

Student’s family’s income from all sources in 2001

$20,000 or less 13.0 8.7

$20,001–35,000 17.9 14.8

$35,001–50,000 19.1 18.2

$50,001–75,000 21.8 23.2

$75,001–100,000 14.0 16.9

More than $100,000 14.1 18.3

Cumulative GPA for grade 12

Nonrespondent and missing 6.6 5.6

1.50 or below 3.5 0.9

1.51–2.00 9.8 4.5

2.01–2.50 18.0 13.1

2.51–3.00 21.8 22.6

3.01–3.50 22.0 27.6

3.51–4.00 18.2 25.7

See notes at end of table.
Community Colleges

Page 46 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-14. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate postsecondary enrollment status and selected characteristics: 

2004—Continued

Characteristic

Entire 

12th-grade cohort

Immediate enrollees in a 

postsecondary institution

12th-grade standardized mathematics score

Lowest 25 percent 23.9 13.6

Lower middle quarter 24.7 22.1

Upper middle quarter 25.1 29.1

Top 25 percent 26.0 35.1

Highest level of mathematics completed in high school

Nonrespondent 6.6 5.6

Low academic, nonacademic, or no mathematics coursework 6.0 1.9

Algebra I/geometry 18.9 10.6

Algebra II 22.9 22.2

Trigonometry/algebra III 16.4 19.3

Precalculus 16.6 22.2

Calculus 12.6 18.3

Highest level of science completed in high school

Nonrespondent 6.6 5.6

Low academic or no science 7.2 2.8

General biology 23.9 16.5

Chemistry I or physics I 30.4 33.2

Chemistry I and physics I 15.5 20.3

Chemistry II or physics II or advanced biology 16.4 21.6

Highest level of foreign language study completed in high school

Nonrespondent 6.6 5.6

No credit 19.5 10.3

Year 1 14.2 10.7

Year 2 30.0 33.4

Year 3 15.7 20.6

Year 4 8.2 11.5

Advanced placement (AP) 5.8 7.9

Post-high school educational plans

Plan to get postsecondary education 92.4 98.1

Vocational, technical, or trade school 8.0 3.6

2-year community college 22.3 17.0

4-year college or university 62.2 77.5

Don’t plan to continue 1.3 0.1!

Don’t know or unspecifi ed plans 5.7 1.7

Early high school graduation, already attending postsecondary school 0.3 #!

Missing 0.2 0.1!

See notes at end of table.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 47 

Characteristic

Entire 

12th-grade cohort

Immediate enrollees in a 

postsecondary institution

Highest educational attainment expected when in 12th-grade (2004)

Don’t know 8.0 4.2

High school diploma or less 4.5 0.6

Attend or complete 2-year college 15.1 8.9

Attend or complete 4-year college 36.7 40.2

Obtain graduate degree 35.5 46.0

Highest educational attainment expected 2 years later (2006)

Don’t know 7.5 5.3

High school diploma or less 5.5 ‡ 

Attend or complete 2-year college 14.5 8.7

Attend or complete 4-year college 35.2 36.8

Obtain graduate degree 37.3 49.2

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Academic levels are labeled according to the most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic 

diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical Notes and Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings From the 

Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

Table SA-14. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate postsecondary enrollment status and selected characteristics: 

2004—Continued
Community Colleges

Page 48 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Table SA-15. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate postsecondary enrollment status and selected characteristics: 

1992

Characteristic

Entire 

12th-grade cohort

Immediate enrollees in a 

postsecondary institution

 Total 100.0 100.0 

Sex

Male 50.2 47.1 

Female 49.8 52.9 

Race/ethnicity

White 72.5 74.8 

Black 11.9 10.0 

Hispanic 9.9 8.5 

Asian/Pacifi c Islander 4.3 5.6 

American Indian/Alaska Native 1.0 0.8 

Missing 0.3! 0.3!

Socioeconomic status

Lowest 25 percent 19.3 11.6 

Middle 50 percent 50.1 47.2 

Highest 25 percent 28.9 40.1 

Parent’s highest level of education

Did not fi nish high school 7.3 4.6 

High school completer or GED 17.9 12.8 

Some college 36.7 35.2 

Graduated from college 14.6 19.0 

Completed master’s or equivalent 9.3 13.7 

Completed Ph.D., M.D., or other advanced degree 4.3 6.4 

Missing 9.7 8.2 

Student’s family’s income from all sources in 1991

Less than $20,000 17.7 13.0 

$20,000–34,999 18.5 17.0 

$35,000–49,999 17.2 17.4 

$50,000–74,999 17.7 22.0 

$75,000–99,999 5.9 7.9 

$100,000 or more 5.7 8.0 

Missing 17.3 14.6 

12th-grade standardized mathematics score

Lowest 25 percent 14.9 8.1 

Lower middle quarter 18.6 15.9 

Upper middle quarter 21.0 23.2 

Top 25 percent 22.8 33.6 

Incomplete test 0.3! 0.2!

Missing 22.4 19.0

Highest level of mathematics completed in high school

Nonrespondent 19.0 15.4 

Low academic, nonacademic, or no mathematics coursework 11.2 5.0 

Algebra I/geometry 18.3 12.1 

Algebra II 20.6 22.0 

Trigonometry/algebra III 12.9 17.6 

Precalculus 9.2 13.8 

Calculus 8.8 14.1 

See notes at end of table.
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 49 

Table SA-15. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate postsecondary enrollment status and selected characteristics: 

1992—Continued

Characteristic

Entire 

12th-grade cohort

Immediate enrollees in a 

postsecondary institution

Highest level of science completed in high school

Nonrespondent 19.0 15.4 

Low academic or no science 8.8 4.6 

General biology 29.2 22.2 

Chemistry I or physics I 21.8 26.4 

Chemistry I and physics I 9.7 14.4 

Chemistry II or physics II or advanced biology 11.6 17.0 

Highest level of foreign language study completed in high school

Nonrespondent 19.0 15.4 

No credit 19.2 10.8 

Year 1 15.8 13.0 

Year 2 25.6 30.7 

Year 3 11.8 16.5 

Year 4 6.1 9.3 

Advanced Placement (AP) 2.6 4.3 

Post-high school educational plans 

Plan to get postsecondary education 71.4 90.3 

Don’t plan to continue 16.6 4.6 

Don’t know or unspecifi ed plans 4.4 1.8 

Missing 2.8 1.6 

Legitimate skip 4.8 1.6 

Highest educational attainment expected when in 12th-grade (1992)

Nonrespondent 3.7 2.3 

Don’t know 4.8 3.0 

High school diploma or less 5.1 0.5 

Attend or complete 2-year college 11.8 5.2 

Attend or complete 4-year college 43.9 47.4 

Obtain graduate degree 30.7 41.6 

Highest educational attainment expected 2 years later (1994)

Don’t know 1.7 1.0 

High school diploma or less 6.3 # 

Attend or complete 2-year college 19.0 9.5 

Attend or complete 4-year college 32.5 32.5 

Obtain graduate degree 40.4 56.9 

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

NOTE: Race categories exclude persons of Hispanic ethnicity. Academic levels are labeled according to the most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic 

diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical Notes and Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings From the 

Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”
Community Colleges

Page 50 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Academic achievement 

characteristic

No postsecondary 

education 

through 

2006

Immediate enrollment in a postsecondary institution Delayed enrollment

Total

Less-than2-year 

institution

2-year institution 4-year institution

Total

In 2-year 

institution 

in 2006

In 4-year 

institution 

All in 2006 1 Public All Public Private

 Total 23.0 63.1 0.9 19.9 18.8 42.3 28.4 13.9 13.7 8.0 4.3 

Cumulative GPA for grade 122 

1.50 or below 64.2 15.9 ‡ 10.6 9.6 5.0! 2.7! 2.3! 19.1 11.9 4.0!

1.51–2.00 50.1 29.2 0.9! 20.7 18.8 7.6 4.5 3.1 20.4 14.9 2.8 

2.01–2.50 34.5 45.7 1.7 25.2 23.9 18.9 12.1 6.7 19.5 13.1 4.2 

2.51–3.00 20.8 65.4 0.8 27.2 26.0 37.5 26.7 10.8 13.7 8.0 4.2 

3.01–3.50 11.1 79.3 0.7 19.3 18.0 59.3 41.8 17.5 9.6 5.0 4.1 

3.51–4.00 3.2 89.2 0.4! 10.4 9.9 78.4 49.7 28.7 7.5 2.1 5.2 

12th-grade standardized 

mathematics score

Lowest 25 percent 46.0 35.9 1.9 21.7 20.1 12.2 7.8 4.4 17.9 12.0 2.8 

Lower middle quarter 25.9 56.5 0.9 28.1 26.5 27.5 19.3 8.2 17.3 11.1 4.6 

Upper middle quarter 15.6 73.1 0.5 20.3 19.4 52.4 37.1 15.3 11.3 5.7 4.8 

Top 25 percent 5.6 85.4 0.2! 10.3 9.9 74.9 47.9 26.9 8.9 3.8 4.8 

Highest level of mathematics 

completed in high school2

Low academic, nonacademic, or 

no mathematics coursework 63.7 20.4 1.2! 15.8 14.2 3.4 1.9! 1.5! 15.8 10.5 2.9 

Algebra I/geometry 45.9 35.3 1.6 24.7 23.0 9.0 5.2 3.8 18.5 12.7 3.0 

Algebra II 21.7 61.0 1.0 27.6 26.1 32.5 23.0 9.4 17.0 10.7 4.8 

Trigonometry/algebra III 13.1 74.4 0.8! 22.1 20.9 51.6 37.4 14.2 12.4 7.7 4.1 

Precalculus 6.2 84.2 0.3! 15.1 14.5 68.8 47.3 21.5 9.6 3.8 5.5 

Calculus 3.0 91.5 0.1! 7.3 7.1 84.1 50.9 33.1 5.3 1.0 4.2 

Highest level of science completed 

in high school2

Low academic or no science 59.4 24.7 1.9! 16.9 14.9 5.8 3.4 2.5 15.7 10.1 2.5!

General biology 38.2 43.5 1.2 24.6 23.4 17.7 12.3 5.4 18.2 12.3 3.7 

Chemistry I or physics I 17.0 68.9 1.0 23.5 22.2 44.4 31.6 12.8 14.0 8.2 4.7 

Chemistry I and physics I 7.2 82.7 0.3! 15.8 15.2 66.5 43.7 22.8 9.8 4.9 4.7 

Chemistry II or physics II or 

advanced biology 8.1 83.3 0.1! 14.0 13.1 69.2 43.9 25.3 8.5 3.5 4.3 

Highest level of foreign language 

study completed in high school2

No credit 49.4 33.3 1.2 19.5 18.2 12.5 8.9 3.7 17.1 11.1 3.7 

Year 1 31.8 47.3 1.7 25.8 24.1 19.9 14.5 5.4 20.6 13.8 4.4 

Year 2 16.0 70.3 0.7 23.6 22.3 46.1 33.5 12.5 13.4 7.8 4.7 

Year 3 8.1 82.9 0.4! 18.5 17.7 64.0 42.5 21.5 8.9 4.3 4.1 

Year 4 5.5 88.3 0.4! 11.0 10.6 76.8 45.4 31.4 6.2 2.8 3.2 

Advanced Placement (AP) 5.5 86.8 ‡ 10.9 10.5 75.6 43.5 32.1 7.7 2.1! 4.8 

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Total includes private 2-year institutions that are not shown separately. 

2

 Data are not shown for 7 percent of students who had incomplete or missing transcript data.

NOTE: Academic levels are labeled according to the most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For 

details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical Notes and Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings From the Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Data 

include a few cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in the “Total” column for immediate enrollment and the 

“All” columns for type of institution, but they are not included in the distributions showing control of institution. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or because some subcategories are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

Table SA-16. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed postsecondary enrollment status, control and type 

of institution, and academic achievement characteristics: 2004 and 2006
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 51 

In 2-year institution1 In 4-year institution

Academic achievement characteristic Public

Private 

for-profi t Public

Private notfor-profi tPrivate 

for-profi t

 Total 29.8 1.4 45.0 20.5 1.5

Cumulative GPA for grade 122

1.50 or below 60.4 6.1! 16.8! 9.4! 5.1!

1.51–2.00 64.3 5.8 15.5 6.5 4.2!

2.01–2.50 52.2 2.4 26.4 11.4 3.3 

2.51–3.00 39.8 1.1 40.8 15.0 1.5 

3.01–3.50 22.7 1.3 52.7 21.2 0.8 

3.51–4.00 11.1 0.4 55.7 31.6 0.6!

12th-grade standardized mathematics score

Lowest 25 percent 56.0 4.2 21.6 8.6 3.6 

Lower middle quarter 47.0 2.3 34.2 13.1 1.4 

Upper middle quarter 26.6 0.8 50.7 19.6 1.3 

Top 25 percent 11.5 0.3 56.1 30.5 1.0 

Highest level of mathematics completed in 

high school2

Low academic, nonacademic, or no mathematics 

coursework 69.3 7.9! 9.3 4.4! 3.0!

Algebra I/geometry 65.1 4.5 14.7 7.5 3.2 

Algebra II 42.8 1.7 37.7 14.0 1.4 

Trigonometry/algebra III 28.1 1.3 50.2 17.6 1.5 

Precalculus 17.2 0.3 56.2 24.4 1.2 

Calculus 7.7 ‡ 55.7 35.4 0.8!

Highest level of science completed in high school2

Low academic or no science 60.5 7.2 13.6 7.2 2.8!

General biology 53.8 2.6 28.3 10.3 2.2 

Chemistry I or physics I 32.2 1.4 45.9 16.6 2.0 

Chemistry I and physics I 18.3 0.4 52.9 26.9 0.7!

Chemistry II or physics II or advanced biology 15.7 0.8 52.7 29.6 0.8!

Highest level of foreign language study completed in 

high school2

No credit 54.6 3.8 26.7 9.6 1.5!

Year 1 51.0 2.9 30.7 8.5 2.8 

Year 2 31.7 1.3 47.7 16.3 1.5 

Year 3 21.4 0.9 51.2 25.2 0.7!

Year 4 12.0 0.4 51.5 34.1 1.4!

Advanced Placement (AP) 12.1 # 50.1 35.2 1.8!

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Private not-for-profi t 2-year institutions are not shown separately. 

2

 Data are not shown for 7 percent of students who were missing or had incomplete transcript data.

NOTE: Academic levels are labeled according to the most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For 

details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical Notes and Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings From the Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Detail 

may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

Table SA-17. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high school in a postsecondary institution, by 

control and type of institution and academic achievement characteristics: 2004
Community Colleges

Page 52 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Academic achievement 

characteristic

No postsecondary 

education 

through 

19941

Immediate enrollment in a postsecondary institution Delayed enrollment 

2-year institution 4-year institution

In 2-year 

institution 

in 1994

In 4-year 

institution 

Total in 1994 2,3 All3 Public All Public Private Total

 Total 27.9 51.4 17.0 15.7 33.6 21.9 11.7 20.7 10.6 8.3

12th-grade standardized 

mathematics score4

Lowest 25 percent 54.6 27.9 19.5 17.6 7.5 5.5 2.1 17.5 10.7 3.3

Lower middle quarter 35.0 43.9 23.5 21.7 18.9 13.5 5.4 21.1 12.1 6.5

Upper middle quarter 19.0 56.7 19.1 17.4 37.1 25.8 11.3 24.3 12.5 10.7

Top 25 percent 7.6 75.8 10.0 9.6 65.6 39.9 25.7 16.6 6.2 9.8

Highest level of mathematics 

completed in high school5

Low academic, nonacademic, or 

no mathematics coursework 61.1 23.0 18.0 16.2 3.9 2.4 1.5 16.0 10.5 2.4

Algebra I/geometry 41.7 33.9 22.9 21.1 9.8 6.7 3.1 24.4 15.0 6.4

Algebra II 21.1 55.0 21.4 20.4 32.7 23.3 9.4 23.9 12.2 10.1

Trigonometry/algebra III 11.2 70.0 17.2 16.0 52.4 36.4 16.0 18.8 8.2 9.6

Precalculus 4.6 77.2 10.0 9.4 66.7 42.9 23.9 18.2 6.5 11.5

Calculus 3.8 82.8 5.4 4.9 77.5 45.0 32.5 13.4 4.4 8.5

Highest level of science completed 

in high school5

Low academic or no science 53.6 27.1 18.6 17.3 7.5 5.3 2.3 19.3 12.5 2.8

General biology 39.1 39.1 20.9 19.2 17.1 12.4 4.7 21.9 13.1 6.6

Chemistry I or physics I 15.4 62.3 19.5 18.1 42.1 28.9 13.3 22.2 10.6 10.3

Chemistry I and physics I 6.1 76.5 10.8 10.4 65.6 40.0 25.6 17.4 7.5 9.5

Chemistry II or physics II or 

advanced biology 8.4 75.6 10.7 10.1 64.7 40.2 24.5 16.0 4.4 10.6

Highest level of foreign language 

study completed in high school5

No credit 53.1 29.1 17.3 15.9 10.8 7.8 3.0 17.9 10.9 4.2

Year 1 35.7 42.4 23.0 21.2 18.4 13.9 4.5 21.9 13.7 5.8

Year 2 14.6 61.8 19.9 18.7 41.1 30.2 10.9 23.5 11.5 10.7

Year 3 8.6 71.8 13.3 12.5 58.1 33.3 24.8 19.5 7.5 10.9

Year 4 5.8 78.5 8.4 7.8 70.0 39.2 30.8 15.8 4.8 10.5

Advanced Placement (AP) 3.4! 85.3 5.0 4.4 79.7 44.8 34.9 11.2 3.8! 7.1

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

1

 Includes some cases of students who were enrolled in postsecondary courses before high school graduation but who did not enroll in any postsecondary institution after high school. 2

 Total includes 12th-graders (0.8 percent) who enrolled immediately in a less-than-2-year postsecondary institution. The sample size for these students is too small to show breakouts. 3

 Total includes private 2-year institutions that are not shown separately. 

4

 Data are not shown for 22 percent of students who had incomplete or missing standardized mathematics scores.

5

 Data are not shown for 19 percent of students who had incomplete or missing transcript data.

NOTE: No GPA data shown because NELS did not collect GPA information from schools that is comparable to that collected by the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). Academic levels are labeled according to the 

most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical 

Notes and Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings From the Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Data include some cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in the “Total” column for immediate enrollment and the “All” columns for type of institution, but they are not 

included in the distributions showing control of institution. Spring 1992 12th-graders who attended postsecondary institutions for which there is no IPEDS information are excluded. Detail may not sum to totals because of 

rounding or because some subcategories are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”

Table SA-18. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed postsecondary enrollment status, control and type 

of institution, and academic achievement characteristics: 1992 and 1994
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 53 

In 2-year institution1 In 4-year institution2

Academic achievement characteristic Public

Private 

for-profi t Public

Private notfor-profi t

 Total 30.6 1.4 42.6 22.3

12th-grade standardized mathematics score3

Lowest 25 percent 62.9 5.2 19.6 6.6

Lower middle quarter 49.5 2.3 30.7 12.0

Upper middle quarter 30.8 1.5 45.5 19.9

Top 25 percent 12.7 0.3! 52.6 33.7

Highest level of mathematics completed in 

high school4

Low academic, nonacademic, or no mathematics 

coursework 70.4 6.3! 10.5 5.8

Algebra I/geometry 62.4 3.3 19.7 8.8

Algebra II 37.1 1.0 42.4 16.5

Trigonometry/algebra III 22.8 1.3! 52.0 22.4

Precalculus 12.2 ‡ 55.5 30.8

Calculus 6.0 # 54.3 39.1

Highest level of science completed in high school4

Low academic or no science 64.0 3.6 19.5 8.2

General biology 49.1 2.8 31.7 11.6

Chemistry I or physics I 29.1 1.1! 46.3 20.8

Chemistry I and physics I 13.6 0.3! 52.2 33.1

Chemistry II or physics II or advanced biology 13.4 0.5! 53.2 32.4

Highest level of foreign language study completed 

in high school4

No credit 54.8 3.2 26.9 9.5

Year 1 50.0 2.8 32.8 9.7

Year 2 30.3 1.1 48.9 17.4

Year 3 17.4 0.4! 46.3 34.6

Year 4 10.0 0.5! 50.0 39.1

Advanced Placement (AP) 5.2 ‡ 52.5 40.9

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Private not-for-profi t 2-year institutions are not shown separately because the sample size is too small to show breakouts. 

2

 Private for-profi t 4-year institutions are not shown separately because the sample size is too small to show breakouts. 

3

 Data are not shown for 19 percent of students who had incomplete or missing standardized mathematics scores.

4

 Data are not shown for 15 percent of students who had incomplete or missing transcript data.

NOTE: No GPA data shown because NELS did not collect GPA information from schools that is comparable to that collected by the Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002). Academic levels are labeled according to the 

most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical 

Notes and Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings From the Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Spring 1992 12th-graders who attended postsecondary 

institutions for which there is no IPEDS information are excluded. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”

Table SA-19. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high school in a postsecondary institution, by 

control and type of institution and academic achievement characteristics: 1992
Community Colleges

Page 54 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

In 4-year institution1

Academic achievement characteristic All Community college Public Private not-for-profi t

 Total 1,266,000 387,000 539,000 283,000

Cumulative GPA for grade 122

2.5 or below — — — —

Above 2.5 — — — —

12th-grade standardized mathematics score ELS

Bottom half 29.7 53.2 18.6 13.3

Top half 70.3 46.8 81.4 86.7

Highest level of mathematics completed in high school3

Algebra II or below 46.2 74.6 33.3 26.6

More advanced than Algebra II 53.8 25.4 66.7 73.4

Highest level of science completed in high school3

General biology or below 31.7 53.8 21.6 15.8

More advanced than general biology 68.3 46.2 78.4 84.2

Highest level of foreign language study completed in high school3

Year 2 or below 64.5 84.4 60.4 40.8

More advanced than year 2 35.5 15.6 39.6 59.2

— Not available. 1

 Private for-profi t 4-year institutions are not shown separately. 

2

 No comparison with 2004 immediate enrollees by GPA is possible because NELS and ELS did not collect comparable information on grades. For details on the comparability of NELS and ELS variables, see the Technical Note. 

3

 Denominator excludes about 20 percent of students who had incomplete or missing transcript data.

NOTE: Not all types of postsecondary institutions shown. Academic levels are labeled according to the most commonly known course at that level; courses with different names or on topics of different but similar academic 

diffi culty may be included under these rubrics. For details on coursework classifi cation, see the Technical Notes and Methodology in Planty, M., Provasnik, S., and Daniel, B. (2007). High School Coursetaking: Findings from the

Condition of Education 2007 (NCES 2007-065). Data include a few cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in 

the “All” column, but they are not included in the distributions showing control of institution. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”

Table SA-20. Percentage distribution of immediate enrollees in a postsecondary institution in fall 1994, by control and type of institution and selected 

academic achievement characteristics
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 55 

No postsecondary 

education 

through 

2006

Immediate enrollment in a postsecondary institution Delayed enrollment

Plans and expectations

Less-than2-year 

institution

2-year 

institution 4-year institution

In 2-year 

institution 

in 2006

In 4-year 

institution 

Total All in 2006 1 Public All Public Private Total

 Total 23.0 63.1 0.9 19.9 18.8 42.3 28.4 13.9 13.7 8.0 4.3 

Post-high school educational plans 

Plan to get postsecondary education 19.1 67.0 0.8 20.7 19.5 45.5 30.5 15.0 13.8 7.9! 4.4 

Vocational, technical, or trade 

school 49.2 28.6 4.4 19.0 12.9 5.2 2.1 3.1 21.8 14.2 3.8 

2-year community college 33.5 48.0 1.1 41.7 40.7 5.2 3.1 2.1 18.4 14.1 2.0 

4-year college or university 10.0 78.7 0.3 13.3 12.7 65.1 44.0 21.2 11.0 5.1 5.3

Don’t plan to continue 83.3 6.4! # 5.9! 4.9! ‡ # ‡ 10.1 7.9! ‡

Don’t know or unspecifi ed plans 67.2 18.4 1.4! 12.7 12.1 4.4 3.6 0.8! 14.2 8.1 3.8

Highest educational attainment 

expected when in 12th-grade (2004)

Don’t know 50.5 33.3 0.7! 20.2 18.9 12.3 8.2 4.2 16.2 10.9 2.8 

High school diploma or less 79.0 9.0 1.5! 6.2 5.7 ‡ ‡ # 11.9 7.2 2.8!

Attend or complete 2-year college 45.8 37.4 2.7 29.6 26.0 5.1 2.4 2.7 16.5 11.7 1.8 

Attend or complete 4-year college 15.5 69.3 0.6 23.4 22.4 45.3 31.9 13.4 15.1 8.6 5.4 

Obtain graduate degree 7.3 81.8 0.3! 14.1 13.8 67.4 44.0 23.3 10.8 5.4 4.7 

Highest educational attainment 

expected 2 years later (2006)

Don’t know 36.1 44.4 1.9 24.7 # 17.8 10.5 7.2 19.4 12.1 3.5 

Attend or complete 2-year college 42.2 38.0 2.2 26.9 24.0 9.0 5.8 3.2 19.4 13.3 2.9 

Attend or complete 4-year college 19.1 66.0 0.8 23.7 22.5 41.6 30.0 11.6 14.7 9.0 4.8 

Obtain graduate degree 5.4 83.2 0.3! 15.7 15.3 67.2 43.5 23.7 11.2 5.4 5.1 

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Total includes private 2-year institutions that are not shown separately. 

NOTE: Data include a few cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in the “Total” column for immediate enrollment 

and the “All” columns for type of institution, but they are not included in the distributions showing control of institution. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or because some subcategories are not shown.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

Table SA-21. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed postsecondary enrollment status, control and type 

of institution, and educational plans and expectations: 2004 and 2006
Community Colleges

Page 56 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

In 2-year institution1 In 4-year institution

Plans and expectations Public

Private 

for-profi t Public

Private notfor-profi tPrivate 

for-profi t

 Total 29.8 1.4 45.0 20.5 1.5

Post-high school educational plans

Plan to get postsecondary education 29.1 1.4 45.5 20.8 1.5

Vocational, technical, or trade school 45.1 20.8 7.2 2.8 7.9

2-year community college 84.8 1.7 6.5 2.1 2.2

4-year college or university 16.2 0.4 55.8 25.8 1.1

Don’t plan to continue 76.9 ‡ # ‡ #

Don’t know or unspecifi ed plans 65.4 2.4! 19.5 3.0 ‡

Highest educational attainment expected in 2004 

(when in 12th-grade)

Don’t know 56.9 3.4 24.6 10.6 1.9!

High school diploma or less 63.8 ‡ 14.2 # #

Attend or complete 2-year college 69.7 9.2 6.4 3.2 4.0

Attend or complete 4-year college 32.3 0.9 46.1 17.5 1.8

Obtain graduate degree 16.9 0.2! 53.9 27.7 0.8

Highest educational attainment expected 2 years 

later (2006)

Don’t know 51.4 3.9! 23.7 13.8 2.5!

Attend or complete 2-year college 63.1 7.5 15.2 4.0 4.4 

Attend or complete 4-year college 34.1 1.2 45.4 15.9 1.6 

Obtain graduate degree 18.4 0.2! 52.3 27.7 0.8 

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Private not-for-profi t 2-year institutions are not shown separately.

NOTE: Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 (ELS:2002), “Second Follow-up, 2006.”

Table SA-22. Percentage distribution of the spring 2004 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high school in a postsecondary institution, by 

control and type of institution and educational plans and expectations: 2004
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 57 

No postsecondary 

education 

through 

19941

Immediate enrollment in a postsecondary institution Delayed enrollment 

2-year 

institution 4-year institution

In 2-year 

institution 

in 1994

In 4-year 

institution 

Plans and expectations Total in 1994 2,3 All3 Public All Public Private Total

 Total 27.9 51.4 17.0 15.7 33.6 21.9 11.7 20.7 10.6 8.3 

Post-high school educational plans

Plan to get postsecondary education 13.7 65.1 19.9 18.7 44.4 28.9 15.5 21.2 10.2 9.8 

Don’t plan to continue 67.1 14.3 9.2 7.5 3.6 2.4 1.2! 18.6 10.9 4.1

Don’t know or unspecifi ed plans 56.5 21.7 13.4 12.4 7.5 5.3 2.3! 21.8 15.9 3.5

Highest educational attainment 

expected when in 12th-grade (1992)

Don’t know 45.7 32.2 16.2 13.3 13.5 8.7 4.9 22.1 13.2 5.8

High school diploma or less 88.5 4.8 3.6 3.1 1.0! 1.0! ‡ 6.7 5.0 0.4!

Attend or complete 2-year college 60.7 22.7 16.0 12.6 3.4 2.4 1.1! 16.6 10.3 2.1 

Attend or complete 4-year college 20.9 55.5 21.6 20.6 33.4 23.1 10.2 23.6 12.8 9.0 

Obtain graduate degree 10.0 69.7 13.8 13.2 55.7 34.3 21.3 20.3 8.0 11.8 

Highest educational attainment 

expected 2 years later (1994)

Don’t know 52.3 31.3 16.0 13.6 10.6 7.1 3.4! 16.4 9.4 4.1!

Attend or complete 2-year college 55.2 25.8 20.2 17.8 3.8 2.4 1.5 19.0 13.1 2.4!

Attend or complete 4-year college 24.2 51.4 23.0 21.8 27.4 20.1 7.3 24.3 13.6 8.5 

Obtain graduate degree 5.7 72.5 13.4 12.4 58.9 36.6 22.3 21.9 8.7 12.5 

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Includes some cases of students who were enrolled in postsecondary courses before high school graduation but who did not enroll in any postsecondary institution after high school. 2

 Total includes 12th-graders (0.8 percent) who enrolled immediately in a less-than-2-year postsecondary institution. The sample size for these students is too small to show breakouts. 3

 Total includes private 2-year institutions that are not shown separately. 

NOTE: Data include some cases of students who enrolled immediately in a postsecondary institution for which the control of the institution was unknown. These cases are included in the “Total” column for immediate enrollment and the “All” columns for type of institution, but they are not included in the distributions showing control of institution. Spring 1992 12th-graders who attended postsecondary institutions for which there is no IPEDS 

information are excluded. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding or because some subcategories are not shown. 

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”

Table SA-23. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort, by immediate and delayed postsecondary enrollment status, control and type 

of institution, and educational plans and expectations: 1992 and 1994
Community Colleges

Page 58 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

In 2-year institution1 In 4-year institution

Plans and expectations Public

Private 

for-profi t Public

Private notfor-profi tPrivate 

for-profi t

 Total 30.6 1.4 42.6 22.3 0.4 

Post-high school educational plans

Plan to get postsecondary education 28.7 1.1 44.4 23.4 0.4!

Don’t plan to continue 52.7 6.3! 17.0 7.3! 0.9!

Don’t know or unspecifi ed plans 57.2 4.2! 24.2 10.4! #

Highest educational attainment expected when in 

12th-grade (1992)

Don’t know 41.4 2.0! 26.9 14.8 ‡

High school diploma or less 64.5 9.7! 20.0! ‡ #

Attend or complete 2-year college/school 55.4 12.7 10.4 2.1! 2.6!

Attend or complete 4-year college 37.0 1.0 41.7 18.0 0.4!

Obtain graduate degree 18.9 0.4! 49.3 30.5 0.2!

Highest educational attainment expected 2 years 

later (1994)

Don’t know 43.3 7.2! 22.7 11.0! #

Attend or complete 2-year college/school 69.1 6.5 9.2 4.8 ‡

Attend or complete 4-year college 42.4 1.5 39.0 13.8 0.4!

Obtain graduate degree 17.2 0.4! 50.6 30.4 0.3!

# Rounds to zero.

! Interpret data with caution (estimates are unstable).

‡ Reporting standards not met (sample size too small or standard error greater than estimate).

1

 Private not-for-profi t 2-year institutions are not shown separately. 

NOTE: Spring 1992 12th-graders who attended postsecondary institutions for which there is no IPEDS information are excluded. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 (NELS:88/92), “Second Follow-up, 1992.”

Table SA-24. Percentage distribution of the spring 1992 12th-grade cohort who enrolled immediately after high school in a postsecondary institution, by 

control and type of institution and educational plans and expectations: 1992
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 59 

Control and type of institution, 

program plans, and attendance status

Total who either 

completed 

a degree or 

certifi cate or are 

still enrolled

Completed a degree or certifi cate 

program No degree or certifi cate earned yet

Still enrolled at 

a postsecondary 

institution

No longer enrolled 

at a postsecondary 

institution

Still enrolled at 

a postsecondary 

institution

No longer enrolled 

at a postsecondary 

institution

 All 66.5 7.0 8.9 50.7 33.5

Control and type of institution in which fi rst 

enrolled in 2003–04

Public 2-year 55.4 10.1 5.5 39.8 44.6

Public 4-year 82.7 2.4 3.2 77.2 17.3

Private not-for-profi t 4-year 83.9 3.1 4.0 76.8 16.1

Private for-profi t 4-year 53.7 9.0 29.0 15.7 46.3

Private not-for-profi t less-than-4-year 61.6 12.4 21.8 27.3 38.4

Among fi rst-time community college students

Program plans

4-year transfer intentions 60.9 12.2 2.5 46.2 39.1

Associate’s degree program 49.6 8.9 6.0 34.7 50.4

Certifi cate intentions 53.1 11.1 21.9 20.1 46.9

No degree intentions 41.6 1.8 4.4 35.4 58.4

Attendance status through 2006

Full-time always 59.3 14.1 8.6 36.5 40.7

Part-time always 29.5 2.8 2.8 23.9 70.5

Mixed full- and part-time 70.1 11.4 4.3 54.3 29.9

NOTE: Estimates in the table include students enrolled in institutions in Puerto Rico. Detail may not sum to totals because of rounding.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics, 2003/04 Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study, First Follow-up (BPS:04/06).

Table SA-25. Percentage of 2003–04 beginning postsecondary students who in 2006 were still enrolled and/or had completed a degree or certifi cate program 

at any postsecondary institution, by control and type of institution, program plans, and attendance status
Community Colleges

Page 60 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 

This special analysis draws upon various NCES 

datasets, which are summarized in exhibit A. 

Many of the fi ndings in this special analysis 

come from previously published NCES reports; however, the fi ndings in part A and part 

B of section 2 come from special analyses of 

ELS:2002, NELS:88, and BPS:04/06. These 

three datasets were obtained from statistical 

samples of the entire population of target 

students. These technical notes describe various issues that are important to keep in mind 

when interpreting sampled data as well as the 

sample populations and the variables created 

for these special analyses. For detailed information about any of the NCES datasets, see http://

nces.ed.gov/surveys/. 

Estimates From Sampled Data

Estimating the size of the total population or 

subpopulations from a data source based on a 

sample of the entire population requires consideration of several factors before the estimates 

become meaningful. However conscientious an 

organization may be in collecting data from a 

sample of a population, there will always be 

some margin of error in estimating the size of 

the actual total population or subpopulation 

because the data are available from only a portion of the total population. Consequently, data 

from samples can provide only an estimate of 

the true or actual value. The margin of error 

or the range of the estimate depends on several 

factors, such as the amount of variation in the 

responses, the size and representativeness of 

the sample, and the size of the subgroup for 

which the estimate is computed. The magnitude of this margin of error is measured by 

what statisticians call the “standard error” of 

an estimate. 

Standard Errors 

The standard error for each estimate in this 

special analysis was calculated in order to determine the “margin of error” for these estimates. 

Technical Notes

The standard errors for all the estimated means 

and percentages reported in the fi gures and 

tables of the special analysis can be found on 

The Condition of Education website at http://

nces.ed.gov/programs/coe.

An estimate with a smaller standard error provides a more reliable estimate of the true value 

than an estimate with a higher standard error. 

Standard errors tend to diminish in size as the 

size of the sample (or subsample) increases. 

Consequently, for the same data, such as the 

percentage of students who enrolled immediately in a community college, standard errors 

will almost always be larger for American 

Indian/Alaska Native students than for White 

students because the latter represent a larger 

proportion of the population. 

Analysis and Interpretation 

Due to standard errors, caution is warranted 

when drawing conclusions about the size of one 

population estimate in comparison to another 

or whether a time series of population estimates 

is increasing, decreasing, or staying about the 

same. Although one estimate of the population 

size may be larger than another, a statistical 

test may reveal that there is no measurable 

difference between the two estimates due to 

their uncertainty. Whether differences in means 

or percentages are statistically signifi cant can 

be determined by using the standard errors of 

the estimates. When differences are statistically 

signifi cant, the probability that the difference 

occurred by chance is usually small; for example, it might be about 5 times out of 100. 

For this special analysis, differences between 

means or percentages (including increases 

or decreases) are stated only when they are 

statistically signifi cant. To determine whether 

differences reported are statistically signifi cant, 

two-tailed t tests, at the .05 level, were used. 

The t test formula for determining statistical 

signifi cance was adjusted when the samples 

being compared were dependent. 
Community Colleges

Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 61

Exhibit A. Overview of the datasets used for the special analysis

Dataset Abbreviation

Time 

period/data 

collection

Data 

source

Population of 

interest Type of data collected

Universe data 

Education Directory, Colleges and Universities — 1949–50 

through 

1965–66

Colleges 

and 

universities

All postsecondary 

institutions

Administrative records, including 

enrollment, degrees conferred, and 

fi nancial information

Higher Education General Information Survey, 

“Institutional Characteristics of Colleges and 

Universities”

HEGIS 1966–67 

through 

1985–86

Colleges 

and 

universities

All postsecondary 

institutions

Administrative records, including 

enrollment, degrees conferred, and 

fi nancial information

Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System, 

“Institutional Characteristics Survey”

IPEDS 1986–87 

through 

2005–06 

Colleges 

and 

universities

All postsecondary 

institutions

Administrative records, including 

enrollment, degrees conferred, and 

fi nancial information

Sample survey data

Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 ELS 2002, with 

follow-ups 

in 2004 

and 2006

Students Spring 2004 high 

school seniors who 

enrolled in college 

in fall 2004

A nationally representative 

longitudinal study of high school 

students to study their educational 

experiences and their life choices 

after school

National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 NELS 1988, with 

follow-ups in 

1992, 1994, 

1996

Students Spring 1992 high 

school seniors who 

enrolled in college 

in fall 1992

A nationally representative longitudinal study of 8th-graders to study 

their educational experiences and 

their life choices after school

Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal 

Study of 2003/06 

BPS 2006 

follow-up to 

NPSAS:04 

Postsecondary 

undergraduates

First-time undergraduates who 

enrolled in college 

in 2003–04

The third national study of 

postsecondary students’ fi nancial 

aid records covering the entire 

undergraduate period to provide 

complete information on progress 

and persistence

National Postsecondary Student Aid Study NPSAS 1986–87, 

1989–90, 

1992–93, 

1995–96, 

1999–2000, 

and 2003–04

Postsecondary 

students

All postsecondary 

students

A nationwide study designed to 

determine how students and their 

families pay for postsecondary 

education

National Study of Postsecondary Faculty NSOPF 1987–88, 

1992–93, 

1998–99, 

and 2003–04

Postsecondary 

faculty

All postsecondary 

faculty

A nationwide study designed to 

gather information on both fulland part-time faculty, including 

their education, responsibilities, 

workloads, and salaries

NOTE: For more details on all of these surveys, see http://nces.ed.gov/surveys/.

SOURCE: U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics.
Community Colleges

Page 62 | Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008

Rounding and Other Considerations 

Although values reported in the supplemental 

tables are rounded to one decimal place (e.g., 

76.5 percent), values reported in this special 

analysis are rounded to whole numbers (with 

any value of 0.5 or above rounded to the next 

highest whole number). Due to rounding, total 

percentages sometimes differ from the sum of 

the reported parts, which may, for example, 

equal 99 or 101 percent, rather than the percentage distribution’s total of 100 percent.

Some values reported in supplemental tables are 

fl agged with an exclamation mark (!) to alert 

readers that those values have relatively large 

standard errors in relation to the estimated 

value, or, in other words, have larger confi -

dence intervals around them than unfl agged 

estimates. Specifi cally, this special analysis has 

fl agged values with standard errors greater than 

30 percent of the estimated value. For example, 

an estimate of 15.3 percent with a standard error of 4.9 is fl agged because 4.9 / 15.3 equals 

0.32. (With this standard error, at a confi dence 

level of .95, the estimate may differ from the 

actual value by ±9.6 or, in other words, lies 

in the confi dence interval 6.6 and 24.9.) In 

contrast, an estimate of 15.3 percent with a 

standard error of 1.8 is not fl agged because 

1.8 / 15.3 equals 0.12. (With this standard 

error, at a confi dence level of .95, the estimate 

may differ from the actual value by ±3.5 or, 

in other words, lies in the confi dence interval 

11.8 and 18.8.) 

Education Longitudinal Study of 2002 

(ELS:2002)

The ELS:2002 base year conducted a baseline 

survey of high school sophomores in spring 

term 2002, surveying almost 15,400 students 

in 752 schools (out of 17,600 students and 

1,268 schools selected for the sample).1 The 

ELS:02/04 fi rst follow-up surveyed 15,000 

of the participants (out of 16,500 eligible for 

the sample) in the spring of 2004, when most 

sample members were seniors (though some 

were dropouts, some early graduates, and some 

retained in an earlier grade).2 The fi rst followup survey collected high school course offerings 

and student transcripts (coursetaking records 

at the student level for grades 9–12) for all 

sample members. Transcript information was 

obtained for about 14,900 participants, or for 

about 91 percent (weighted) of the ELS:2002 

student sample. The ELS:02/06 second followup surveyed 15,000 participants (out of 16,400 

eligible for the sample) between January and 

September 2006, about 2 years after most 

sample members had completed high school.

For the special analysis in section 2, part A, 

only students in the spring-term 2004 senior 

cohort (or “2004 seniors”) were used.3 The 

2004 seniors who enrolled in a postsecondary institution some time between July and 

December 2004 were classifi ed as “immediate 

enrollees.” The 2004 seniors who fi rst enrolled 

in a postsecondary institution after December 

2004 and before the second follow-up in 

2006 were classifi ed as “delayed enrollees.” 

The 2004 seniors who had never enrolled in 

a postsecondary institution before the second 

follow-up in 2006 were considered to have had 

“no postsecondary education through 2006.”

To determine the type of postsecondary institution into which 2004 immediate enrollees 

enrolled, this special analysis used the ELS 

variables F2PS1 and F2IORDER to identify 

the fi rst postsecondary institution a student 

attended.4 The postsecondary institution used 

to classify delayed enrollees by institution type 

was the last institution in which the delayed 

enrollee was enrolled before the second followup in 2006.5

The special analysis used the panel weight 

F2F1WT, which generalizes to the spring 2004 

senior cohort who also participated in the second follow-up survey.

For more information on ELS:2002, including 

sampling design, data collection methodology, 

data processing and procedures, response rates, 

imputation, weighting, and the construction of 

specifi c variables, see Ingels et al. (2007).

National Education Longitudinal Study of 1988 

(NELS:88)

The NELS:88 base year conducted a baseline 

survey of high school 8th-graders in spring 

term 1988, surveying almost 24,600 students 

in 1,052 schools (out of about 26,400 students 

and 1,032 schools selected for the sample).6 

The NELS:88/92 second follow-up surveyed 
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Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 63

about 16,800 of the participants (out of 18,200 

eligible for the sample7) in the spring of 1992, 

when most sample members were in their fi nal 

semester of high school (though some were 

dropouts, some early graduates, and some retained in an earlier grade).8 The second followup survey collected high school course offerings 

and student transcripts (coursetaking records 

at the student level for grades 9–12) for all 

sample members. Transcript information was 

obtained for about 17,300 participants, or for 

about 88 percent (weighted) of the NELS:88 

student sample. The NELS:88/94 third followup surveyed the students during the spring of 

1994, about 2 years after most sample members 

had completed high school. This follow-up 

included 14,900 participants (out of almost 

16,000 eligible for the sample).9

For the special analysis in section 2, part A, 

only students in the spring-term 1992 senior 

cohort (or “1992 seniors”) were used.10 The 

1992 seniors who enrolled in a postsecondary institution some time between May and 

December 1992 were classifi ed as “immediate 

enrollees.”11 The 1992 seniors who enrolled 

in a postsecondary institution after December 

1992 and before the third follow-up in 1994 

were classifi ed as “delayed enrollees.” The 

1992 seniors who had never enrolled in a postsecondary institution before the third followup in 1994 were considered to have had “no 

postsecondary education through 1994.”12 The 

1992 seniors who enrolled in a postsecondary 

institution outside the United States (24 cases, 

incode = -10) and who reported attending a 

“postsecondary” institution for which no identifying IPEDS data existed (500 cases, incode = 

-12) were dropped from the analysis. 

Because NELS does not include information 

identifying all types of postsecondary institutions, data on the level (i.e., 2-year or 4-year) 

and control (e.g., public or private) of all postsecondary institutions in IPEDS 1993/94 were 

merged with the NELS data. To determine the 

type of postsecondary institution into which 

1992 immediate enrollees enrolled, this special 

analysis used the IPEDS variables CONTROL 

and LEVEL associated with the fi rst “real” 

postsecondary institution a student attended. 

The fi rst “real” postsecondary institution that a 

student attended was either (1) the fi rst institution in which the student enrolled after August 

1992 or (2) the institution in which the student 

enrolled before September 1992 and in which 

he or she remained a student through at least 

September 1992. The postsecondary institution 

used to classify delayed enrollees by institution 

type was the last institution in which the delayed enrollee was enrolled before the second 

follow-up in 1994.13

The special analysis used the panel weight 

F3F2PNWT, which generalizes to the spring 

1992 senior cohort who also participated in 

the third follow-up survey.

For more information on NELS:88, including 

sampling design, data collection methodology, 

data processing and procedures, response rates, 

imputation, weighting, and the construction of 

specifi c variables, see Curtin et al. (2002). 

ELS was designed to permit comparisons with 

NELS data; however, some variables used in 

this special analysis are not directly comparable 

between the two datasets. The following bullets describe these variables and how they are 

treated in the special analysis: 

 Data on grade point averages (GPAs) 

were collected for ELS from schools on a 

standardized scale of 0.0 to 4.0; however 

for NELS, schools reported student GPAs 

on a scale of 0 to 104. Given the different 

scales, no comparison is made and the 

NELS GPA data are not reported. For the 

analysis of the GPAs in ELS, a cutpoint of 

2.5 was used to distinguish the top half of 

the grade distribution from the bottom half: 

grades above 2.5 (typically equated to a C+ 

or better) fall into 3 categories (2.51-3.0, 

3.1-3.5, and 3.51-4.0) and grades of 2.5 or 

below fall into 3 categories for which credit 

is earned (2.1-2.5, 1.51-2.0, and 1.0-1.5).

 Data on family income in ELS were from a 

base year 2 years prior to the data collection 

for 2004 seniors; however, the NELS data 

on family income come from a base year 4 

years prior to the data collection for 1992 

seniors. In addition, the cutpoints used to 

collect the information varied slightly: ELS 

used categories that began with “001” and 

ended in “000” (e.g., “$20,001–35,000”) 

while NELS used categories that began 
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with “000” and ended in “999” (e.g., 

$20,000–34,999”). These data are reported 

as they are without any adjustments to 

make them more comparable, given that 

no adjustments for infl ation (which is 

a greater source of incompatibility) are 

possible with such categorical data.

 Data on race/ethnicity in ELS were 

collected using the Offi ce of Management 

and Budget (OMB) standard racial 

and ethnic classifi cations for the 2000 

Census. These superseded the prior OMB 

classifi cations, used in NELS, which did 

not include the category “more than one 

race.” As a result of the new category, 

the race categories in ELS and NELS are 

not directly comparable. These data are 

reported as they are.

 Data on the 2004 seniors’ post-high 

school plans in ELS identify the type of 

postsecondary institution (e.g., at a 2-year 

or 4-year institution) that a senior plans to 

attend, if he or she reported having plans to 

get a postsecondary education. In contrast, 

data on 1992 seniors in NELS only report 

if seniors had plans to get a postsecondary 

education (not the type of postsecondary 

institution they planned to attend). These 

data are reported as they are, with a total 

shown for 2004 seniors who had plans to 

get any type of postsecondary education. 

Transcript data collected as part of ELS and 

NELS were classifi ed into the coursetaking 

categories using the same coding scheme. For 

more information on how these coursetaking 

categories were created and on the courses 

assigned to each category, see the Technical 

Notes and Methodology in Planty, Provasnik, 

and Daniel (2007). 

Beginning Postsecondary Students Longitudinal Study of 2006 (BPS:04/06)

BPS:04/06 surveyed a subsample of the 89,500 

undergraduates who participated in the National Postsecondary Student Aid Study (NPSAS) 

of all postsecondary students in academic year 

2003–04.14 NPSAS:04 selected a sample of 

postsecondary students from some 1,600 postsecondary institutions that were stratifi ed to be 

nationally representative of the entire postsecondary universe of institutions. The students 

were initially interviewed for NPSAS in 2004; 

the BPS:04/06 study is the fi rst follow-up of 

these students 3 years later in 2006. BPS:04/06 

surveyed about 18,600 NPSAS:04 participants 

who began their postsecondary education in the 

academic year 2003–04. 

The BPS:04/06 data for this special analysis 

were analyzed using NCES’ Data Analysis 

System (DAS). BPS data in the DAS pertain to 

the experiences of students over 3 academic 

years and provide information about rates of 

program completion, transfer, and attrition for 

students who fi rst enrolled at various types of 

postsecondary institutions. The DAS may be 

accessed at http://nces.ed.gov/das/.

For more information about BPS:04/06 including sampling design, data collection methodology, imputation, and weighting, see appendix 

B of Berkner et al. (2007). 
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Special Supplement to The Condition of Education 2008 | Page 65

Notes

1

 Schools were the fi rst-stage unit of selection, with sophomores randomly selected within schools.

2

 At this time, the survey was “freshened” to ensure a nationally representative spring-term 2004 senior cohort. This freshening procedure 

is a method for producing a representative sample of students who were enrolled in 12th grade in 2004 but were not enrolled in 10th 

grade in 2002 (e.g., students held back in the 11th or 12th grades or who were not in school in the United States in 2002).

3

 The fi lter used for this population was G12COHRT > 0.

4

 The ELS variable F2PS1 takes into account the fact that some 2004 seniors took college classes over the summer before entering their 

“real” college of intended matriculation in the fall. In most cases, the fi rst “real” institution (what F2PS1 identifi es) is the postsecondary 

institution with the earliest start date (and will therefore appear fi rst on the ELS institution fi le, i.e. F2IORDER=1). This was not the case, 

however, if (1) the fi rst chronological institution (as opposed to the fi rst “real” institution) is a summer school (defi ned as an institution 

with a start date of May, June, or July, and a same year end date of May, June, July, or August); (2) the summer school was attended in the 

same year as high school completion/exit; and (3) a second postsecondary institution (with longer total enrollment) was also started in 

August, September, or October of that same year. If all the above conditions are met, the post-summer school institution is identifi ed in 

F2PS1. If the earliest start date is shared by more than one institution, the one with the longest enrollment period is identifi ed in F2PS1.

5

 For delayed enrollees who were enrolled concurrently in more than one institution, the institution in which the student was enrolled the 

longest amount of time was used to determine the institution type.

6

 More schools ended up participating than were in the original selected sample.

7

 Excludes dropouts.

8

 The sample was also “freshened” to ensure a nationally representative spring-term high school senior class of 1992.

9

 To control costs in the third follow-up, subsampling was instituted to reduce the second follow-up sample of 21,600 participating students 

and dropouts to some 16,000 sample members. See Curtin et al. (2002), p. 38.

10 The fi lter used for this population was G12COHRT > 0.

11 For some 1992 seniors, the month that they enrolled in their fi rst postsecondary institution was missing or unknown. If these seniors 

reported that they enrolled in their fi rst postsecondary institution in 1992, they were classifi ed as “immediate enrollees.” Students initially 

classifi ed as “immediate enrollees” who reported an end date of their postsecondary education before September 1992 were reclassifi ed. 

Those who enrolled in another postsecondary institution before January 1993 were reclassifi ed as “immediate enrollees” at the control and 

level of the institution enrolled at in the fall. Those who did not enroll in another postsecondary institution before January 1993, but enrolled 

sometime before the third follow-up in 1994, were reclassifi ed as “delayed enrollees” at the control and level of that later institution. 

12 The category “no postsecondary education through 1994” also includes a few students who had enrolled in a postsecondary institution 

before graduating high school (e.g., dual-credit course students) but who did not enroll in a postsecondary institution again before the 

third follow-up in 1994.

13 For delayed enrollees who were enrolled concurrently in more than one institution, the institution in which the student was enrolled 

the longest amount of time was used to determine the institution type.

14 BPS also surveyed fi rst-time graduate students, but these data were not used for this special analysis.