Program for Latino students lauded
UCLA study says community college bachelor's degree offerings deliver academically, financially
California community college baccalaureate degree programs are prompting academic success, fewer student loans and betterpaying jobs among Latino graduates, allowing them to overcome historic inequities in educational attainment and financial stability, according to a new UCLA study.
Despite the promising findings, however, the study's co-author said educators, researchers and policymakers must do more to understand and address barriers affecting Latino enrollment.
“When students get into the program, they do really well,” said Davis Vo, a doctorate student in UCLA's School of Education and Information Studies. “But the issue is getting them into the program.”
The UCLA Latino Policy and Politics Institute study released last week examined the enrollment, academic success, labor market experiences and loan rate of Latinos in the California Community Colleges Baccalaureate Degree Program launched in 2015 at 15 schools. The program allows a student to earn a bachelor's degree while entirely attending community college.
In 2021, with the passage of Assembly Bill 927, California made the 15 pilot community college baccalaureate programs permanent and allowed for up to 30 new programs to be approved per academic year. The initiative has since grown from 15 to 33 academic programs.
The Cal State Academic Senate has expressed concern that additional community college baccalaureate programs may adversely affect the CSU system through a reduction in enrollment and student fee revenues and potentially less state funding.
The study found that 64% of Latino community college baccalaureate students enrolled in the initial 15 pilot programs graduated with a bachelor's degree within two years of being officially admitted to take upper-division coursework taught on community college campuses.
The community college baccalaureate program expansion benefits California by awarding more advanced degrees in highdemand workforce industries and putting students on a path toward employment in their field of study, said Pamela Haynes, president of the Board of Governors for the