What we might not know: Each year, thousands of the students enrolled in the state’s colleges step out of their programs before completion.
In fact, the portion of students entering Mississippi’s 2-year colleges (also called community colleges) that graduate within 4 years is 18%. The data mean that 1 in 5 community college students that start courses ultimately complete a degree 4 years later. The state-specific data comes from Complete College America (CCA), a national non-profit established to significantly increase the number of Americans with college credentials by 2020.
The diagram provided walks through the trajectory of 100 Mississippi students that enroll in community colleges each year. Of the 78 students that enroll in a 2-year colleges, 55 students enroll full-time. The pool of students that stay enrolled in college and reach completion shrinks with each passing year. Of those 55 students enrolling full-time at 2-year colleges, 31 return for a second year and 7 graduate on time. In total, 11 of the original 55 full-time students graduate within 4 years.
The diagram also tracks part-time students and demonstrates that less than 10% (2 out or 23) of the students in community colleges that enroll part-time ultimately complete in 4 years. Mississippi’s CCA scorecard tracks many other measures of student success including: the number of credentials earned, the outcomes of students by gender, age and race, and the graduation rates for students at different institutions.
Whether during the first semester or after the second year, too many Mississippi college students leave higher education before reaching their original goals. Cost, the design of remediation, and a lack of supports are just a few of the hurdles that impede students on their path to success. Efforts like those undertaken by Complete College America raise up the need for Mississippi –and many other states- to take on reforms that increase college completion with greater energy and focus.
Given the current pace at which students are stepping out of college, almost all Mississippians -from parents and students to business-owners and workers- need these strategic changes to reach greater prosperity. MEPC encourages you to look through Mississippi’s scorecard on the CCA website. Later this week the blog will feature content from the organization’s State Remediation Scorecard as well.
