Americans are confident in community colleges, according to Gallup
In a time where the cost of a college education is a major challenge for many, Americans find community colleges to be a great value.
That’s according to a survey from Gallup and the Lumina Foundation that found that nearly half of Americans say they have “a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in community colleges.”
By comparison, only one-third of Americans report high levels of confidence in four-year institutions, according to the survey, which was completed June 18, 2024 with a sample of 2,180 U.S. adults.
Why all the love for community colleges? Those surveyed appreciate the lower cost of college and greater value that community colleges offer, among other factors, according to the survey.
“Americans express greater confidence in community colleges than in four-year colleges and universities on each of seven aspects of higher education, including affordability, quality and the student experience,” Gallup wrote. “The broader pattern may be partially explained by cost and value concerns with four-year colleges and universities. While 58% of Americans say they have a great deal or quite a lot of confidence in two-year institutions providing an affordable education, 11% say the same about four-year schools.”
More than half of all survey respondents (55 percent) expressed confidence in the value of a community college education.
The survey also noted that community colleges are seeing a greater enrollment boost than four-year schools in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
“In the fall of 2023, enrollments in higher education increased for the first time since the pandemic, but improvements in four-year enrollments were relatively modest, with greater change made among two-year colleges,” Gallup wrote. “Still, the total number of undergraduate students nationally is at least 1 million fewer than in 2018, confirming that more work must be done to encourage students to pursue a postsecondary pathway of any kind.”
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