New research reveals that students who transfer from community college are 30 percent less likely to obtain a bachelor’s degree than their four-year university counterparts — even when they’re of equal academic caliber.
The recent working paper from the National Bureau of Economic Research, which studied college-bound Georgia students, found that the trend is especially true when students come from a low-income background.
Though the causes are not yet known, one implication of the study is clear, researchers say: Low-income students do not receive the resources they need in high school.
“We have clear evidence that low-income students do not attend the highest quality colleges available to them,” said Michael Hurwitz and Jonathan Smith, policy research scientists with the College Board and co-authors of the report, in an email.
This phenomenon, termed “undermatching,” begins with the college application process, which low-income students find particularly difficult to navigate.
Income disparities and undermatching are two key components of the low bachelor’s degree attainment rate in the U.S. — at least for highly skilled students, according to the report.
“On the other hand, overmatching does not carry any penalties, and in fact, might be beneficial for bachelor’s-aspiring students,” said Hurwitz and Smith.
But Scott Ralls, president of the North Carolina Community College system, said studies show that students experience success in four-year colleges as long as they complete their associate’s degree before transferring.
“And not all of our students come to us with the intention of obtaining four-year degrees,” said Ralls. “They receive two-year degrees or certificates and can go on to make just as much as someone with a B.A.”
