California's Community College Students

Publication Date: January 2006

Publisher: Public Policy Institute of California

Author(s): Ria Sengupta; Christopher Jepsen

Research Area: Education

Type: Report

Coverage: California

Abstract:

California's community college system is the largest postsecondary education system in the country—with more than 2.5 million mostly part-time students enrolled in more than 100 campuses. This issue of California Counts takes an in-depth look at this population. It finds an extremely diverse student body in terms of race/ethnicity, age, educational level, and academic goals in school. However, few students accomplish their goals, such as transferring to a four-year institution or earning an associate's degree. This is a major challenge for the system and the state because community colleges enroll over 70 percent of all public higher education students in California.