Should Iowa Community Colleges Offer a 4-Year Degree?

I am a community college graduate. One of the things that attracted me to this option was that I wasn't sure of my career path out of high school, and community college offered the opportunity to start college classes at a much more affordable price than a four-year school. Now, community colleges want to offer students a chance to finish their bachelor's degree without needing to transfer.

Community Colleges Look at Offering 4-Year Degrees

Iowa's 15 community colleges studied whether there was a need for the schools to offer students the chance to earn their bachelor's degree. The Cedar Rapids Gazette reports that the results of that study pointed to a gap in public four-year universities in many rural communities in Iowa, called 'education deserts.' Community colleges cover a larger area of the state, providing better access for more students.

Many Students Plan to Transfer, But Never Do

The Gazette reports that only one-third of students who start community college and plan to transfer actually go through with it. Experts say that it is leaving two-thirds of potential bachelor's degree earners off the table because they found out that transferring didn't work for them. But if the community college they were at offered a four-year degree?

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Colleges Ask for State Funding

A bill in the Iowa Legislature would allow community colleges in the state to offer a bachelor's degree. The Gazette also reports that the schools have also asked for $20 million over five years as a one-time start-up fund so schools can begin offering 4-year degrees.

A new study found that 42% of jobs in Iowa require a bachelor's degree, but just 22% of Iowans have one. Community colleges are hoping they can help that number go up.