Report on Increasing Access for Community College Students to Four-Year Colleges

Breaking Down Walls: Increasing Access to Four-Year Colleges for High-Achieving Community College Students, a new report by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation, finds that many more community college students could succeed at four-year colleges and universities, if they were given the right tools and the opportunity. At present, while the majority of community college students aspire to complete a bachelor's degree, as few as 12% manage to do so. Students who transfer from community colleges to four-year schools face tremendous barriers, including a lack of adequate advising, limited financial aid, and confusing credit transfer policies. The report demonstrates, however, that when given proper support, community college students succeed academically even at the country's elite colleges.