Community college leaders tout cost advantages as 4-year schools go online

As families weigh the rapidly evolving landscape at colleges across the state, officials at Pennsylvania’s 14 community colleges say they are ready to accommodate students faced with last-minute decisions about the fall semester.

“We estimate a student could save as much as $20,000 on the cost of an education if they start at a community college,” said Elizabeth Bolden, president and CEO of the Pennsylvania Commission for Community Colleges.

In a Facebook Live conference with state Auditor General Eugene DePasquale, Bolden spoke of the role community colleges, which in Pennsylvania enrolled about 300,000 students last year, have played during economic contraction.

Enrollment typically booms when the economy dives and students are looking to train for new careers or find a lower cost alternative for entry level college courses. But Bolden said that has yet to play out this year.

“We ended the summer about even with last year. And, while enrollment is still a little down for fall, it is trending upward,” Bolden said.

Community colleges in Allegheny and Westmoreland counties staggered start times with the first classes starting next week at both schools. Another section is scheduled to start at CCAC Aug. 31 and a second one at WCCC on Sept. 8.

While many four-year colleges have deadlines for application and enrollment, community colleges often admit students up until the start of classes. That’s a plus in a year when many residential colleges and universities have made last-minute decisions to go largely online, leaving students to possibly weigh other options.

In other cases, dramatic changes in family finances are forcing students to reconsider their plans.

Bolden said that’s where community colleges can step in with options for lower costs. A 2019-20 comparison of cost per credit as reported to the federal government found community college credits coming in at less than half the cost of a credit at the regional branch campuses of the University of Pittsburgh and Penn State and about $100 a credit less than at Pennsylvania’s 14 state-owned universities.

“Students don’t have to give up on their post-secondary goals. They can continue to make progress to toward their goals at community colleges,” Bolden said. She said articulation agreements community colleges have with many four-year colleges mean students can transfer credits effortlessly.

Spokespeople at Allegheny and Westmoreland community colleges said it appears students are weighing that option.

“As of now, we are down 18% over prior year. But our phones have been ringing constantly. We have seen an increase in calls and registrations over the past two weeks. A lot of students are enrolling right now,” said Janet Corrinne-Harvey, a spokeswoman at Westmoreland County Community College.

Although many classes will be offered online only, she said the school has committed to offer in-person instruction for hands-on classes.

“At the heart of it, it’s all about the students and some of them need to get these classes to graduate,” she said.

Like WCCC, Community College of Allegheny County is offering a mix of online and in-person instruction this fall.

CCAC spokeswoman Elizabeth Johnston declined to say how enrollment figures are stacking up compared to this time last year, but said inquiries are trending up.

About three-quarters of those enrolled to date will be attending classes online.

“Financial aid applications received this past week are up 12.77% over the same week last year. We expect this trend to continue for the remainder of the month,” she said.

“What we’ve found is that students have been very thoughtful in their approach to college this semester. They are considering all of their options, with many waiting to hear how their particular college or university is handling classes for the fall term,” Johnston said.

She said CCAC is expecting to pick up a number of students who are opting to forego a return to their home campuses this fall.