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Community-College Dropouts Cost Taxpayers Nearly $1-Billion a Year, Report Says

By  Lacey Johnson
October 20, 2011

Students who drop out of community college before their second year have cost taxpayers nearly $1-billion annually, says a report released today by the American Institutes for Research.

From 2004 to 2009, the study found, federal, state, and local governments spent almost $4-billion in student aid and appropriations to community colleges that benefited full-time, first-year students who never made it to graduation day.

“There’s a lot of institutional failure here,” Mark Schneider, who is vice president of the organization and the author of the report, said at a news conference. “We can’t keep pouring money into these institutions without figuring out how to make them better.”

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Students who drop out of community college before their second year have cost taxpayers nearly $1-billion annually, says a report released today by the American Institutes for Research.

From 2004 to 2009, the study found, federal, state, and local governments spent almost $4-billion in student aid and appropriations to community colleges that benefited full-time, first-year students who never made it to graduation day.

“There’s a lot of institutional failure here,” Mark Schneider, who is vice president of the organization and the author of the report, said at a news conference. “We can’t keep pouring money into these institutions without figuring out how to make them better.”

Less than 20 percent of full-time community-college students receive associate degrees within four years, according to a recent study by Complete College America.

Mr. Schneider said colleges should be held more accountable for getting their students “across the finish line.”

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The new report follows similar findings, which he presented in August, about the cost to taxpayers of students who drop out of four-year institutions.

We welcome your thoughts and questions about this article. Please email the editors or submit a letter for publication.
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