To encourage community college transfers, Illinois will use student aid as a reward. Community college students don’t use much state aid because the tuition is so low. The state will let transfers use the unclaimed aid to help pay for two years at a higher-priced state university.
The idea gets two cheers from Community College Dean.
The first cheer, obviously, is because students who are in tough financial shape will get some money to help them along. And the second is for belated and welcome recognition that community colleges aren’t just in the business of workforce training or remediation. To the extent that the state knits the various elements of higher education into a coherent system, complete with well-specified paths for successful transfer, I see a real (and affordable) gain for the state.
But the dean isn’t sure community colleges can handle increased enrollment without compromising quality. “Community colleges charge students far less than what it costs to educate them,” he writes. The Illinois program will add to the pressure to keep tuition low. That’s good for students only if the colleges can provide the classes they need.
