Community College Research Center

In March 2025, CCRC was notified by the U.S. Department of Education that four of its grants from the Institute of Education Sciences had been terminated. This spring, three of the grants were reinstated. In a new blog post, CCRC Director Thomas Brock gives an update on the impacted projects.

Letter From the Director: Some Federal Funding Restored to CCRC In March 2025, CCRC was notified by the U.S. Department of Education that four of its grants from the Institute of Education Sciences had been terminated. This spring, three of the projects were reinstated. In this blog post, Thomas Brock gives an update on the reinstated projects.

In a new blog post, two former dual enrollment students share how colleges and high schools can foster community, a sense of belonging, and a college-going culture through dual enrollment-focused clubs and student advisory panels.

Building Clubs and Advisory Boards to Foster Belonging for Current and Former Dual Enrollment Students Two former dual enrollment students share how colleges and high schools can build community, a sense of belonging, and a college-going culture among dual enrollment students through dual enrollment-focused clubs at high schools and student advisory panels at colleges and universities.

A new report examines why some students still struggle in reformed developmental education contexts, considers strategies for improving their experiences and outcomes, and reports on innovations under development at four community colleges participating in a Community of Practice.

Next-Generation Developmental Education Reform: Developing Practices to Reduce Disparities and Improve Outcomes This report examines why some students still struggle in reformed developmental education contexts, considers strategies for improving their experiences and outcomes, and reports on innovations under development at four community colleges participating in a Community of Practice. This report examine...

"College is objectively a big expense, no matter how you cut it," Judith Scott-Clayton told NPR. "However, it's important to note that that $100,000 price tag that gets so much attention in the news is an extremely rare price for students to actually pay. Most families are paying much less than that, and we don't want that scary number to scare off the vast majority of students for whom college is a much more affordable investment."

Families across the U.S. are getting college acceptance letters — and tuition bills NPR's Ayesha Rascoe speaks with economist Judith Scott-Clayton about the cost of college in the U.S. They discuss the difference between sticker and net price and the opaqueness of tuition costs.

In The EDU Ledger, Judith Scott-Clayton said a new wave of federal policy changes around financial aid will disproportionately impact first-generation students, low-income students, and students of color.

“It’s not just the student loan changes, but the reduction in research funds, which affects doctoral enrollment, the pressures on international student enrollment, definitely the new graduate loan caps and just the general uncertainty and potential confusion and complexity—all that stuff is going to make it harder for the aid that is still there to have the impact on the students we’re trying to reach,” she said.

The Blunt Instrument: How Federal Student Aid Reform is Restructuring Inequality When you peel back the veneer of recent financial aid policy changes, scholars worry we are creating a system that is becoming increasingly “blunt" in its application and racialized in its impact.

Based on a review of relevant literature and interviews with experts and administrators, a new report discusses how federal policy aims are addressed by Adult Education English as a Second Language (ESL) providers and the distinct role that community colleges play in delivering Adult Education ESL programming.

Community Colleges as Providers of Adult Education ESL: The Role of Federal Policy This report discusses how federal policy aims are addressed by AE ESL providers and the distinct role that community colleges play in delivering AE ESL programming.

A new blog post introduces an updated version of the Community College Program Mapper—a practical data tool designed to help colleges see which students are on a path to success and which are not, and to guide colleges to strengthen supports for students to explore and plan a program of study aligned with their education and career aspirations.

Most Community College Students Don’t Have a Plan—Here’s a Tool to Help Change That This blog post introduces an updated version of the Community College Program Mapper—a practical data tool designed to help colleges see which students are on a path to success and which are not, and to guide colleges to strengthen supports for students to explore and plan a program of study align...

Our latest brief introduces an inventory of advanced infrastructure, energy, and agriculture (AIREA) jobs and identifies regions with well-aligned job demand and credential production to help policymakers support community and technical colleges in developing and expanding programs where trained workers are needed most.

Alignment Between Community College Credentials and Middle-Skill Jobs in Advanced Infrastructure and Energy This brief introduces an inventory of advanced infrastructure, energy, and agriculture (AIREA) jobs and identifies regions with well-aligned job demand and credential production.

Based on findings from a study examining the policies and practices impacting multilingual learners (MLs) at City Colleges of Chicago, a new CCRC report provides insights for community college practitioners and policymakers on the goals and backgrounds of MLs, their experiences, and promising approaches to serving this population.

Supporting Multilingual Learners in Community Colleges: Lessons From City Colleges of Chicago This report provides insights from City Colleges of Chicago for community college practitioners and policymakers on the goals and backgrounds of multilingual learners, their experiences, and promising approaches to serving this population.

A January webinar focused on how states fund community college dual enrollment and featured a panel of college leaders who shared strategies for financially sustainable investments in advising and student supports, high-quality instruction and support, and expanded outreach and access.

Webinar Explores Dual Enrollment Business Models for Community Colleges A January webinar explored how states sustainably fund dual enrollment at community colleges and featured a panel of college leaders.