Every year, elite American universities receive massive admiration from the general population and students who attend prestigious institutions are glorified by their parents and friends’ parents. These exclusive establishments attract many wealthy citizens for donations and endowments, while many community colleges remain taken for granted. Community colleges are the gateway many people utilize to get an Associate degree, transition to a four-year institution and improve their socioeconomic status. Donors should consider giving their money to educational institutions that will improve more people’s social mobility, rather than focusing primarily on private and prestigious universities.
There are many reasons why people choose to attend community college, including the expensive costs of a four-year institution or the flexibility of class schedules offered at community colleges. Whatever the case may be, community colleges serve as a lifeline for countless Americans to improve their life circumstances and achieve a better future since the level of education directly correlates to financial stability. The median annual income for an individual with an associate’s degree is thousands of dollars more than the median annual income for a high school graduate.
Attending community college is also a direct pathway to a four-year university. In California, many public universities offer a wide range of opportunities for community college students to transition into. At the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), 93% of transfer admits attended a California community college. Many other University of California (UC) and California State Universities (CSU) also open doors to community college students. At UC Berkeley, more than 90% of transfer students went to a California community college. Since attending community college is a direct line to a four-year institution, social mobility increases drastically. The difference in the median income of an associate’s degree and a Bachelor’s degree is nearly $15,000.
While attending community college is beneficial for many people, students still face many barriers. Community colleges have high dropout rates at 39%. A large swath of the American population still hasn’t completed their education. Within community colleges, there is a massive underinvestment in academic advising. In California, this leads many students to take, on average, 26 more credits than necessary before they go to a four-year institution. There are also many programs that are underfunded. Critical nursing courses have “long waiting lists because of a lack of instructors and capacity.” Other factors, such as “under-preparation, high tuition costs, non-academic barriers, and institutional barriers,” have contributed to high dropout rates. This is why wealthy donors should look more intensely at local colleges. Since higher education is vital for economic mobility, community colleges are crucial to expanding the American middle class, lifting people out of poverty.
Prestigious universities already have the financial support system they need. In 2022, Out of the thousands of universities in America, only 20 received a whopping 26.4% of the total financial donations. Students graduating from those schools already have top-paying jobs at the tips of their fingers. On the other hand, more funding for community colleges allows more investment into student resources that can help numerous students struggling outside of the classroom. With more of these personal obstacles solved, there will be a greater chance that underprivileged students are provided a better leg up to a better future for themselves and their families.
