California community college baccalaureate degree programs are prompting academic success, fewer student loans and better-paying jobs among Latino graduates, allowing them to overcome historic inequities in educational attainment and financial stability, according to a new UCLA study.
Despite the promising findings, however, the study’s co-author said educators, researchers and policymakers must do more to understand and address barriers affecting Latino enrollment.
“When students get into the program they do really well,” said Davis Vo, a doctorate student in UCLA’s School of Education and Information Studies. “But the issue is getting them into the program.”
The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute study released this week examined the enrollment, academic success, labor market experiences, and loan rate of Latinos in the California Community Colleges Baccalaureate (CCB) Degree program launched in 2015 at 15 schools. The Baccalaureate Degree Program allows a student to earn a bachelor’s degree while entirely attending community college.
In 2021, with the passage of Assembly Bill 927, California made the 15 pilot CCB programs permanent and allowed for up to 30 new CCB programs to be approved per academic year. The CCB initiative has since grown from 15 to 33 academic programs.
The Cal State Academic Senate has expressed concern that additional CCB programs may adversely affect the CSU system through a reduction in enrollment and student fee revenues, and potentially less state funding.
The study found that 64% of Latino CCB students enrolled in the initial 15 pilot programs graduated with a bachelor’s degree within two years of being officially admitted to take upper-division coursework taught on community college campuses.
The CCB program expansion benefits California by awarding more advanced degrees in high-demand workforce industries and putting students on a path toward employment in their field of study, said Pamela Haynes, president of the Board of Governors for the California Community Colleges.
“The Board of Governors remains committed to offering clear pathways to high-quality careers that provide our students with social and economic mobility,” Haynes said in a statement. “Expanding the Baccalaureate Degree Program is directly tied to our system’s goals of increasing degree attainment, helping more career education graduates get employed in their field of study, and reducing equity gaps — all of which are laid out in our strategic plan, the Vision for Success.”
CCB programs range from equine and ranch management at Feather River College in Plumas County to mortuary science at Cypress College and airframe manufacturing technology at Antelope Valley College.
California is among 23 states that have authorized at least one community college to offer bachelor’s degrees.
Some traditional four-year colleges in California and other states have pushed back against CCB programs due to concerns about degree program duplication and potential impacts on their enrollment.
“However, there is limited evidence that CCB programs divert students away from traditional four-year colleges,” the UCLA study found. “If anything, they are diverting students away from for-profit colleges. This is likely because CCB programs attract a much different student population — one that is older and more likely to be invested in their local communities.”
Barriers that have historically impacted Latinos from achieving college degrees include inequities in funding across K-12 schools, fewer geographically accessible colleges and universities, and high tuition costs, researchers said.
However, with low tuition costs and geographic accessibility, community colleges are the most viable higher-education option for Latinos in California, according to the study.
CCB students can earn a four-year degree for $10,560 — less than half the tuition at even the most affordable public universities.
In the fall 2022 semester, about 640,000 Latino students were enrolled in California’s community colleges — more than twice the number enrolled in the California State University and University of California systems combined.
The study also found that CCB programs have economic benefits for Latino students.
Researchers determined that about 35% of CCB Latino graduates received student loans to fund their education. After graduation, they earned about $22,600 more per year than before starting their CCB program.
Susan Mendoza, a 37-year-old Hawthorne resident who received multiple job offers after receiving a bachelor’s degree in dental hygiene in 2023 from West Los Angeles College in Culver City, described the CCB program as life-changing.
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“The impact is immeasurable. This program has offered me financial stability, enhanced overall well-being and a higher quality of life,” she said, adding that the program was affordable and close to her home. “The program gave me a sense of community within it as it fosters growth and support among peers.”
However, amid the glowing findings, the UCLA study also uncovered an area for improvement, noting that about 30% of all students enrolled in CCB programs were Latino, notably smaller than the overall Latino student share of 46% at those colleges.
Researchers recommended that educators and policymakers identify academic offerings that will be appealing to students and employers and invest in improved outreach, recruitment and marketing efforts to attract Latino students into CCB programs.
“Enrollment doesn’t operate in isolation,” Vo said. “Having qualitative data will help in forming policy that makes access easier. Investing in programs at the state and federal level and allocating resources ensures equity in the program.”
