2-Year or 4-Year Education? What Students and Parents Need to Know

Parents/guardians primarily shape participants’ knowledge about college and university options. Secondary sources shaping participant knowledge include high school counselors/teachers, friends/classmates, and siblings/cousins/other family.

Black/African American participants are significantly more likely than other groups (38.6% versus 31.22%) to say siblings/cousins/other family shape their knowledge.

Asian or Asian American participants are more likely than other groups to say college/university brochures (41.9%) shape their knowledge.

The lower their education, the more likely parents are to rely primarily on online searches, whereas those with higher education are more likely to name additional sources of information.

Students or former students are the best gauge for knowing what life is like at a particular university.

That is important for our child to know. Those are the intangibles. The tangible things, cost, financial

aid, course curriculum, etc. can be found in brochures or in their admissions department.

Parent, Non-Hispanic, Black/African American

Mixed sources of information include online research, counselors at high school and potential college/university, mentors, and current/former students.

Some parents have no trusted sources of information and make decisions based on limited information/assumptions.

Participants, independent of their demographics, say the benefits of a community college over a local university are cost, proximity to home, and a lower intimidation factor.

I think the benefit is CC gives him a chance to get his feet wet to determine if college is really for him or not, without making a huge investment.

Parent, Non-Hispanic, Black/African American

Take-away

Community college is the assumed right decision for a population making their post-graduation decisions based primarily on family finances, proximity to their residence, and intimidation factor.

Two-thirds of participants said they (or their child) have considered enrolling in a community college to later transfer to a university.

Participants whose parents have bachelor’s or post-bachelor’s degrees were significantly more likely to have (or their child) consider enrolling in a community college to later transfer to a university.

Community college as a transfer pathway is strong and local K–12, community colleges, and universities should consider how to improve this path since it is a strong consideration not just for first-generation students but for all.

Most participants believe community colleges have a better return on their investment of time and money.

Most participants (potential students and parents of potential students) believe community colleges are cheaper than four-year institutions. This is independent of participant demographics including their own/parent education, living wage status, race, or Hispanic ethnicity.

The benefit of choosing a local community college or university would be price and distance.

Parent, Non-Hispanic, Black/African American

Most participants believe low-income students are more successful when they enroll in community college before transferring to a four-year university.

The higher the participants’ education, the more likely they were to say the benefits of a four-year institution are continuity, networking, and finding/following a major/career.

Universities typically offer more variety in their degree programs and have better networking opportunities. 

Potential Student, Age 18-25, Hispanic/Latinx

The lower a participant’s education, the more likely he or she was to say universities are better than colleges though they only have a vague sense of how.

Since I have not attended a university, I can only guess on the benefits. I would guess that the curriculum is probably more advanced.

Parent, Hispanic/Latinx

Take-away

To increase enrollment, four-year institutions need to better communicate the benefits of attending a four-year university and how doing so will benefit potential students both in their present-day family finances and also in the long term.

CSUSB and UCR are top considerations for potential students and their parents, more so than other local universities and universities outside the Inland Empire.

When we take a closer look at 18- to 25-year-old participants, we find that

• They were nearly 50% more likely to name a local community college than they are to name CSUSB and UCR combined.
• They were nearly as likely to name out-of-state schools as CSUSB or UCR.
• Named out-of-state schools included both prestigious schools such as Harvard, Yale, MIT, and NYU as well as state schools U. Tampa, GCSU, and ASU.

When asked which college/university near them would they (or their child) consider attending,

• Most (74.46%) participants only named a single college/university.
• Local community colleges were more likely to be named than local universities.
• Though not local, UCLA was the most common university named.
• CSUSB and UCR were the most common local universities named though participants list these universities by multiple names and partial abbreviations.
• Participants were as likely to name multiple colleges/universities (10.81%) as they were to indicate they do not know or would not consider any schools near them (10.14%).
• One in 21 (4.6%) named out-of-state schools as the only schools they (or their child) would consider including GCSU, Harvard, MIT, and NYU.

Of the participants who indicated they (or their child) have/would consider a university outside the Inland Empire, we see a mix of reasons. The most common is “I think universities are better outside the Inland Empire.”

Nearly half the potential students and parents of potential students believe community colleges are where students should enroll if they eventually want to seek their bachelor’s. Communicating the length of time it takes to complete a bachelor’s degree when starting at a community college could increase enrollment at four-year institutions.

Participants are more likely to say someone should enroll at a UC than a CSU if they eventually want to go into a field that would require post-bachelor education such as doctor, scientist, or lawyer.

California’s Higher Education System

Higher Education and Economic Opportunity in California