68+ Community College Statistics (2024 Data and Facts)

Community colleges are a great option to get professional degrees at an affordable price. Besides that, these colleges include many higher educational institutes in the country. Moreover, they have been playing a major role in shaping hundreds of students with the necessary skills required for their future. 

Furthermore, community colleges are publicly owned and generally offer two-year degrees or diplomas. However, some community colleges provide high school-level qualifications, language courses, professional courses, and also 4-year undergraduate degrees. 

After researching in depth from all the trusted sources, we have compiled the latest community college statistics. If you are aiming to join a community college, you have endless options. These stats will help you to get insights into the community college and its offerings. 

Community College Statistics: At A Glance

1. The number of public community colleges in the United States as of the year 2024 is 935. While there are 75 independent types of community colleges and 35 tribal community colleges in the country. 
2. There are approximately 865,504 associate community colleges in the United States. Moreover, the certificate colleges in the United States are reported to be 599,397, and there are 21,348 baccalaureate degree community colleges in the country. 
3. The acceptance rate of students in community colleges is around 77% in the United States. 
4. There were 8.2 million students enrolled in the undergraduate public two-year college during the academic year 2018 – 2019.
5. There are only 40% of male students enrolled in community colleges, and 60% of students are female.
6. The students in community colleges in the United States are reported to be 45% white, 25% Hispanic, 13% black, and 7% Asian. 
7. The average age of the students in community colleges in the United States is reported to be 27 years. 
8. 33% of the students in the community college in the year 2016 received a federal grant.
9. 82% of the students in community colleges attend public schools. Out of them, 60% of students graduate without any debt.

General Community College Statistics

Let us take a few general community college statistics.  

10. 64.2% enrolled in community colleges are part-time students. 
11. Approximately 66% of the graduate students who have enrolled in the undergraduate course have enrolled in community college at least once after completing high school. 
12. 54% of the students returned to the same community college after one year. 
13. Community colleges have an acceptance rate of 77%. 
14. Community college tuition is free in seven states for qualified students through the college promise program.
15. Only 28% of the students in the community college have on-campus accommodation.
16. 43% of the students in the 2-year degree community college tend to drop out due to various reasons. 
17. Less than 40% of the students in the community college graduate or get transferred within 6 years. 
18. 51% of the graduate students in community college leave school with no debt. 

Community College Demographics

Let us take a look at the demographics of the community college. 

19. Around 56% of the students enrolled in community colleges are 21 years old or younger as of 2024. Apart from that, only 8% of the students enrolled are 40 years or older. 

The following table displays the age of the students enrolled in community colleges. 

20. 51% of the students in community colleges are 21 years old or younger as of the academic year 2016-2017. In comparison, more than 40% of the students are in the age group of 22 to 39  years. Besides, only 10% of the students in community colleges are more than 40 years. 
21. 27 years was the average age of the students in the community colleges in the year 2016.
22. 60% of the students enrolled in community colleges are female, while 40% of them are male as of 2024.

The following table displays the gender percentage of the students enrolled in the community colleges. 

23. Only 23% of the students with more than a household income of $106,000 attended college. 
24. 55% of the students in the community college have a household income of less than $30,000. 
25. 44% of the graduate students enrolled in community colleges. 
26. There are 45% of white students enrolled in community colleges. In comparison, 25% of the students that enrolled were Hispanic.

The following table displays the percentage of students with different ethnicity that enrolled in community colleges. 

27. The attendance of Hispanic students in community colleges has increased by 10% in the community colleges since 2008.
28. The percentage of white students dropped by 10%in the community colleges. 
29. In the year 2016, it was reported that 25% of the students in community colleges had dependent children. 
30. About 34% of the students in community colleges are first-generation students. 

The following table displays the percentage of independent and dependent students attending community college, along with their income. 

How Many Degrees Are Awarded By Community Colleges?

31. 864,504  Associate degrees were awarded by community colleges in the United States.  On the other hand, there were only 21,348 baccalaureate degrees awarded to students in the year 2020.  

The following table displays the number of degrees granted by community colleges in the year 2020. 

The Number Of Community Colleges. 

32. There are 935 public community colleges in the United States as of 2024. Besides, there are 35 tribal community colleges. 

In the following table, we have listed the number of community colleges and their types in the United States. 

Community College Enrollment Statistics

33. The number of students enrolled in public two-year post-secondary institutions is reported to be around 4.7 million.

The following table displays the number of undergraduate students enrolled in two-year post-secondary institutions in the United States over the years. 

34. It is expected that more than 5,467K students will enroll in public community colleges in the year 2024. 

The following table displays the number of students enrolled in public colleges over the past years. 

35. More than 5.6 million students are enrolled in public two-year colleges in the year 2018.  3.6 million students of that were enrolled as part-time students, while 2 million students were enrolled as full-time students. 

36. Comparatively, In the year 2020, Only 4.8 million students were enrolled in public two-year colleges. There was a decline of more than 10% in the number of students compared to that enrolled in the fall of 2019. 
37. In the year 2016, approximately 44% of the students in the community college were enrolled full-time, while 56% of the students were enrolled part-time. 
38. 46% of the undergraduate students were enrolled in community colleges in the year 2016. The total number of these students was more than 8.5 million. 
39. 31% of the students enrolled in public four-year universities and colleges. 
40. 8% of the students attend private for-profit institutions, and 15% are enrolled in private nonprofit four-year institutions. 
41. 4.1 million students are enrolled in noncredit community colleges, while 6.2 million students are enrolled in credit-based community colleges in the year 2020. 

The following table displays the number of students enrolled in credit and noncredit community colleges.

Transfer To Four Year Institutions

Many students get transferred to four-year institutions to complete their bachelor’s degree from a community college. In the following section, you will come across statistics related to the transfer of students to four-year institutions.

42. 80% of the students enrolling in community colleges said that they want to obtain a bachelor’s degree or higher. 

43. On 31% of the students that started in the fall semester get transferred to a four-year college. 

44. Only 6% of the students in the community college that got transferred into four-year institutions have attended for-profit institutions.

The following table displays the percentage of students that got transferred to different community college institutions. 

45. 43% of the students in community colleges lose their credits when transferring from one college to another. 

Approximately 13 credits are lost per community college student. However, some colleges accept the credits as elective credits in their curriculum. 

46. 40% of the undergraduate students reported that they had transferred at least one time within the last six years of enrolling. 
47. Only 46% of the students out of 31% that transferred from community college were able to earn a bachelor’s degree within six years of the time frame 
48. Only 14% of the students entering the community college in the year 2013 were able to earn a bachelor’s degree in six years. 
49. 44% of the students that got transferred into four-year public institutions were able to complete their bachelor’s degree. 
50. 9% of the students that transferred to the private for-profit four-year college gained their bachelor’s degree within 6 years.
51. 64% of the students who chose to transfer for full-time higher studies were able to get their bachelor’s degree. 

On the other side, out of the students who switched from part-time to full-time, only 42% of them were able to earn a bachelor’s degree. 

52. Only 5% of the students that were enrolled for the part were able to get their bachelor’s degree. 
53. Only 39% of the students with lower income were able to earn their bachelor’s, while 53% of the students with higher income were able to earn their bachelor’s degrees. 
54. 41% of the students that transferred from the community college earned their bachelor’s degree. 

The Number Of Community College Graduates

55. 402,669 students who graduated from the liberal arts and sciences, general studies, and humanities in the academic year 2019-2020. On the other hand, the number of students that graduated from health professions and related programs was 172,207. 

The following table displays the number of students in community colleges enrolled in different filed of studies in the United States in the academic year 2019-2020. 

Community College Costs

56. On average, the cost of tuition and fees for public community college is around $5,155 per year for a full-time in-state student. While for the out-state student, it is   $8,835. Besides, the fees for a private community college are approximately $15,477 per year. 

Community College Revenue

57. The revenue of the community college from tuition totalled up to 16.63 billion in the academic year 2019-2020. However, community colleges received the most funding from the state. 

The following table displays the total revenue earned by community colleges in the United States. 

Community College Online Education

58. 1.9 million two-year college students took at least one online course in the year 2018. 
59. 14% of community college students study exclusively online. On the contrary, 21% of community college students enrolled in some online courses. 
60. The completion rates for the online courses were found to be 5.5 % less than the offline courses. 

Community Colleges Financial Aids

Students in community colleges may receive financial aid from government programs, private organizations, institutional programs, etc.  Here are a few statistics related to the financial aid received by students in community colleges. 

61. 22% of the community college students said that they received some form of financial aid from the state government. 
62. 59% of the students received financial aid from some source. 
63. 17% of the federal work-study aid is received by the students of community colleges. 
64. 34% of the students reported that they receive federal grants. 
65. 17 states in the United States offer scholarships or programs for tuition-free community college. 
66. Community college students receive 33% of the Pell Grants.
67. Community college students get 12% of the subsidized federal loans. And 15% of the students receive federal loans. 
68. 6% of the unsubsidized federal loans are provided to the students of community colleges. 

Following is the financial aid received by public community college students. (2003-2004)

Related Read:

• Admission Statistics
• Interview Statistics
• College Student Statistics
• Average College Professor Salary

Conclusion: Community College Statistics (2024)

That’s all about community college statistics. 

Community colleges are more convenient for part-time students. Students search for part-time work and can obtain financial stability due to their flexible schedules. Besides, community colleges can be great for students with low-income backgrounds. 

Above all, students can easily transfer to colleges offering 4-year bachelor’s degrees. Hence, it’s not the last destination for students studying. Getting enrolled in a community college will surely be a great option to continue your studies along with managing your finances. 

You can check out our websites for all the latest statistics if you have enjoyed reading the above article. 

Sources:

1. Forbes
2. National Center for Education Statistics. (NCES) 
3. American Association of Community colleges. 
4. NSC Research Center.
5. Statista.
6. Ed Source.

• Author
• Recent Posts

Ryan Harris

Hello, I'm Ryan Harris, an education professional with over a decade post-graduation experience from the University of Colorado. I specialize in evaluating and reviewing online courses for those seeking to enhance their digital learning experience. My mission is to offer precise reviews and guide students in choosing the best courses across various niches.

Latest posts by Ryan Harris (see all)

• Mindvalley Membership Discount → $299 Promo Offer - March 15, 2024
• Top 15 Scholarship Interview Questions of 2024 - March 14, 2024
• How Many Teachers In The US 2024 (Latest Data) - March 9, 2024