Community colleges are publicly-funded educational institutions that provide affordable higher education and vocational training opportunities. They generally have open acceptance policies with no entrance exam, which means that anyone with a GED or high school diploma can pursue studies. Most also provide classes that assist those without GEDs to gain them. They also provide part-time, evening and weekend classes, which allow working adults to pursue further education while working. The Center is committed to encouraging excellence within the community college system and works closely with community colleges to provide research-based advice, models and programs.
The Council for the Study of Community Colleges is an affiliate program of the Center. It was founded in 2006 and consists of a group of scholars and academic researchers who provide vital research and information on policies and procedures to the American Association of Community Colleges. The Council is one of the main ways in which the Center fulfills its mission to disseminate information to professionals in the field of community college education.
Students who attain associate degrees from community colleges often transfer to pursue further educational opportunities at state colleges. In order to streamline the process, some states have developed a systematic approach to the transfer process. In 2010, the Center studied some of these states to examine their strategies, identify best practices and provide valuable information that can be used by the states that are yet to implement streamlined transfer strategies and programs.
The Center is responsible for the longest study of community college to baccalaureate transfer. From 1989 to 1997 the project collected data on the transfer rates of community college students who "went on to take at least one class at a public in-state university within four years of leaving the community college." The study found that some 25 percent of community college students did this, and that the number rose each year.