Why do people blame for-profit schools for their own poor decisions?

They do count as a dropout, but the American Association of Community Colleges decided, for whatever reason, to make the cutoff 30 credits. Including the students who earn 27 credits would only help their statistic.

 

To make their statistics support their argument is why they didn't include them. I'm right again on this article and viewpoint. If the numbers worked for them (as you speculate), they would have included them, the 'whatever reason' is not a mystery here my friend.

 

Community Colleges do not offer (with minimal exceptions) 4 year degrees. Lunch is the second most important meal of the day. Your argument is wrong. You, however, are a wonderful person I am sure. I know you want to believe this, it apparently means something personally to you. Thats fine.

 

They have to make the cutoff somewhere. Since 2-year degrees are usually at least 60 credits or their quarter hour equivalents, then the assumption is that 30 credits after one year at a CC is normal. 30 credits also often covers the general education requirements that many CC students are looking to transfer. Do you expect them to look at mid-year transfers?

Duh! That's the whole point. You can't get your whole meal at a CC if you want your meal to be a bachelors degree. If I get my food at my local grocery store and buy the rest of the things I need at Walmart, it's not automatically because my local grocery store is low quality. My local grocery store doesn't carry clothes, bullets, and tires.

CC students have to transfer to earn their bachelors degrees. The National Student Clearinghouse looked at their graduation rates at the baccalaureate level after 6 years because the federal government uses 6 years for other bachelors degree students. I don't know why that's so hard for you to understand.

 

I think what I need to make clear is that transfer students are currently not counted as successes anywhere. Graduation rates are based on freshmen who stay at the college for the whole degree program. 4-year colleges do not get to count transfers from CCs or any college toward their own graduation rates. It doesn't matter if the person comes in with or without an associates degree; that person will not count toward the 4-year college's graduation rate when they complete their bachelors degree.

 

The article at this link illustrates the problem with graduation rates for community colleges. Four of the eleven schools listed are branch campuses of Ohio U and Kent State. While the branch campuses offer their own four-year technical degrees, a substantial proportion of their students enroll with the intent to transfer to the respective main campuses to complete a four-year degree and then do so.

My take is that students grab the AA only when convenient. If obtaining an AA would delay their eventual completion of a four-year degree, they transfer without the degree. When faced with the opportunity to continue full-time studies at a four-year school versus a taking one or two courses at a CC solely to compete an associates, what would you expect most students to do?

The calculated graduation rates simply do not reflect reality for branch campuses like these, nor for community colleges students who are focused on a four-year degree.

In my opinion, (extremely) few students enroll in for-profit institutions with the intent to complete a four-year degree elsewhere.

 

Because of the Dunning-Kruger effect.