Authors

 Cecilia Rios-Aguilar Ph.D. and Davis Vo, M.Ed.

Executive Summary

Latinos in California have historically experienced inequities in bachelor’s degree access and attainment compared to the state’s non-Latino population. In 2014, California passed a law authorizing community colleges to offer bachelor’s degree programs, opening a new pathway to bachelor’s degree attainment. Using institutional student records and survey data, this issue brief explores the academic and labor market experiences and outcomes of Latino students and graduates of community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs. Although more research is needed to examine the effectiveness, efficiency, and equity of CCB programs, this study’s findings suggest that these programs show promise for the Latino community. 

Key Findings

Educational Access and Opportunity:

• About 30% of all students enrolled in the first five CCB cohorts were Latino, notably smaller than the overall Latino student share at those 15 community colleges (46%) and across all California community colleges (45%) during the same time frame.

Academic Success:

• The year-two graduation rate is high: Among Latino students enrolled in CCB programs, 64% graduated and obtained their bachelor’s degrees within two years after officially being admitted to complete their upper-division coursework.

Labor Market Experiences and Outcomes:

• Latino CCB graduates who were employed reported earning $22,600 more per year than they did prior to starting their CCB program. 
• Latino CCB graduates reported higher rates of employment (94%) and employment in California (92%) relative to non-Latino CCB graduates (93% and 88%, respectively). Rates for employment in the same field as their CCB program were comparable (about 89%) between Latino and non-Latino CCB graduates.

Lower Borrowing Rates:

• 35% of California CCB Latino graduates and 30% of California CCB non-Latino graduates reported borrowing student loans. Both rates were much lower than the overall California loan rate among both Latino and non-Latino college graduates (46%).

Policy Recommendations

California’s CCB programs may be an accessible and affordable public pathway to bachelor’s degree attainment for Latino students. As such, we provide three recommendations to further support the Latino community:

• Ensure equitable access and opportunities for Latino students to enroll into California’s CCB programs.
• Continue to collect and analyze data on Latinos’ academic and labor market experiences and outcomes.
• Invest in California’s CCB programs.

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