[{"data":1,"prerenderedAt":-1},["ShallowReactive",2],{"detail-sidebar-cat-0-en-105":3,"doc-seo-584225-105":59,"doc-detail-584225-en":130},{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":6},0,"success",[7,13,18,23,28,33,38,43,48,51,55],{"id":8,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":10,"show_sort_weight":11,"slug":12},1,"Document","Story & Novel",90,"story-novel",{"id":14,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":15,"show_sort_weight":16,"slug":17},2,"Literature",80,"literature",{"id":19,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":20,"show_sort_weight":21,"slug":22},4,"Exam",70,"exam",{"id":24,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":25,"show_sort_weight":26,"slug":27},5,"Comic",60,"comic",{"id":29,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":30,"show_sort_weight":31,"slug":32},6,"Technology",50,"technology",{"id":34,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":35,"show_sort_weight":36,"slug":37},7,"Healthcare",40,"healthcare",{"id":39,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":40,"show_sort_weight":41,"slug":42},8,"Research & Report",30,"research-report",{"id":44,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":45,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":47},9,"Religion & Spirituality",20,"religion-spirituality",{"id":46,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":49,"show_sort_weight":46,"slug":50},"World Cup","world-cup",{"id":52,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":53,"show_sort_weight":52,"slug":54},10,"Lifestyle","lifestyle",{"id":56,"doc_module":4,"doc_module_name":9,"category_name":57,"show_sort_weight":24,"slug":58},19,"General","general",{"code":4,"msg":60,"data":61},"ok",{"site_id":62,"language":63,"slug":64,"title":65,"keywords":66,"description":67,"schema_data":68,"social_meta":123,"head_meta":125,"extra_data":127,"updated_unix":129},105,"en","policy-fact-sheet-community-college-bachelors-degrees-january-2026","POLICY FACT SHEET - Community College Bachelor's Degrees - January 2026","","Policy Fact Sheet (January 2026) reviews community college bachelor’s degree (CCB) programs, highlighting growth in state authorization and enrollment trends. It explains how CCBs aim to address workforce needs, expand access for working and adult students, and operate in regions with limited four-year options. Evidence summarizes outcomes on graduation, equity, and earnings, including mixed findings by state and race/ethnicity. Policy considerations cover labor-market gaps, legislative approaches to limit competition, employer partnerships, and cost implications for accreditation and faculty.",{"@graph":69,"@context":122},[70,84,105],{"@type":71,"itemListElement":72},"BreadcrumbList",[73,77,79,82],{"item":74,"name":75,"@type":76,"position":8},"https://docshare.wps.com","Home","ListItem",{"item":78,"name":9,"@type":76,"position":14},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/",{"item":80,"name":40,"@type":76,"position":81},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/research-report/",3,{"item":83,"name":65,"@type":76,"position":19},"https://docshare.wps.com/document/policy-fact-sheet-community-college-bachelors-degrees-january-2026/584225/",{"url":83,"name":65,"@type":85,"image":86,"author":91,"headline":65,"publisher":94,"fileFormat":97,"inLanguage":63,"description":67,"dateModified":98,"datePublished":99,"encodingFormat":97,"isAccessibleForFree":100,"interactionStatistic":101},"DigitalDocument",{"url":87,"@type":88,"width":89,"height":90},"https://docshare.wps.com/thumbnails/policy-fact-sheet-community-college-bachelors-degrees-january-2026/584225.png","ImageObject",300,407,{"name":92,"@type":93},"Kyle","Person",{"url":74,"name":95,"@type":96},"DocShare","Organization","application/pdf","2026-11-05","2026-10-15",true,{"@type":102,"interactionType":103,"userInteractionCount":24},"InteractionCounter",{"@type":104},"ViewAction",{"@type":106,"mainEntity":107},"FAQPage",[108,114,118],{"name":109,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":111},"What is the main purpose of community college bachelor’s degree (CCB) programs?","Question",{"text":112,"@type":113},"CCB programs are designed to fill workforce gaps with more advanced degrees and to provide working and adult students a convenient, lower-cost path to career advancement, especially where four-year institutions are limited.","Answer",{"name":115,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":116},"How do CCB programs affect equity and completion rates?",{"text":117,"@type":113},"Research indicates mixed evidence on equity gaps, with differences by state and race/ethnicity. Overall graduation rates can be similar to transfer students, but completion gaps may persist between groups.",{"name":119,"@type":110,"acceptedAnswer":120},"What do studies say about earnings after completing a CCB program?",{"text":121,"@type":113},"Available evaluations suggest CCB graduates can earn more than associate-degree holders, though returns compared with four-year college graduates may vary over time and by field of study. Some research shows stronger CCB earnings shortly after graduation, while university earnings may surpass later.","https://schema.org",{"og:url":83,"og:type":124,"og:title":65,"og:site_name":95,"og:description":67},"article",{"robots":126,"canonical":83},"index,follow",{"doc_id":128,"site_id":62},584225,1793136505,{"code":4,"msg":5,"data":131},{"doc_id":128,"user_id":132,"nickname":92,"user_avatar":133,"doc_module":4,"category_id":39,"category_name":40,"doc_title":65,"doc_description":67,"doc_content":134,"file_id":135,"file_url":136,"file_type":137,"file_size":138,"view_count":24,"is_deleted":4,"is_public":8,"is_downloadable":8,"audit_status":8,"page_count":19,"language":139,"language_code":63,"site_id":62,"html_lang":63,"table_of_contents":140,"faqs":141,"seo_title":142,"seo_description":67,"update_tm":143,"read_time":52,"preview_page_count":4},3985741905716,"https://ap-avatar.wpscdn.com/davatar_994ba38a5ba835b3df7d355c54d3ed8d","POLICY FACT SHEET  \nJANUARY 202 6  \nCommunity College Bachelor's Degrees  \nCommunity college bachelor’s (CCB) degree programs have grown in popularity in recent years. West Virginia was the first state to allow community colleges to confer bachelor’s degrees in 1989;1 now, almost half of states authorize community colleges to confer bachelor’s degrees, and more are considering the change.23 4 CCB programs are designed both to fill gaps in the supply of workers with more advanced degrees in important workforce fields and to  \nprovide students—often working and adult students—with a more convenient and cheaper way to advance their careers, especially in rural areas that lack four-year institutions. Yet CCB programs are sometimes seen as unwelcome competition by four-year colleges.  \nWhat the Research Tells Us  \nCommunity college bachelor’s programs have grown substantially in the last three decades, but they still produce a relatively small number of degrees.  \n• Twenty-four states allow community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees.5 Approximately 200 community colleges confer bachelor’s degrees nationwide.6  \n• In spring 2025, 76,150 students were enrolled in CCB programs at community colleges, compared to 4.1 million students enrolled in associate degree programs and 5.3 million students enrolled in bachelor’s programs at public four-year institutions.7  \n• Florida began CCB programs in 2001; by 2021 the state accounted for 64% of all CCB graduates nationwide.89 Community college bachelor’s programs are mostly workforce-oriented and focus on sectors where there are labor shortages. Most CCB programs are intended to avoid duplication with four-year colleges.  \n• A national inventory ofCCB programs conducted in 2021 found that close to half ofCCB programs conferred bachelor of applied science (BAS) degrees and one third conferred bachelor of science (BS) degrees. Most of the remaining programs conferred bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) degrees.10  \n• Many community colleges are located in areas that would otherwise be considered “education deserts.”11 Interviews with CCB graduates reveal that living close to a college is an important factor in deciding to pursue a bachelor’s degree.12 Many former CCB students,13 including rural14 and Latino students,15 say that living at home was critical for attaining a bachelor’s degree.  \n• Research published in 2021 found that CCB programs in Florida had no negative effect on student enrollment in or graduation from local public or private nonprofit four-year institutions, but they did have a negative effect on private for-profit four-year college enrollment.16  \nCommunity college bachelor’s programs provide access to students who might not otherwise earn a bachelor’s degree, but equity gaps persist in college and after graduation.  \n• Research in Florida and Washington suggests that, compared to public university graduates in similar programs, CCB graduates are more likely to be Black and Latino.17  \n• Research in Washington State suggests that compared to other community college students, CCB students are older, more likely to receive need-based financial aid, more likely to have some prior college credits, and more likely to be veterans.18  \n• Thereis mixed evidence that CCB programs help address college equity gaps. In Texas, Latino students are overrepresented in CCB programs, but Latino graduates ofCCB programs earned lower wages compared to White graduates ofCCB programs. In Washington, Latino students are underrepresented in CCB programs, but the annualized earnings of Latino CCB program graduates in the state were similar to those of other racial/ethnic groups.19  \n• Research in Washington finds that overall CCB graduation rates are similar to those of transfer students and that American Indian, Black, Latino, and Native Hawaiian students in CCB programs graduate at higher rates than transfer students in those groups. But completion gaps remain between groups.202122  \nCommunit","cbCaifLWgFi5d01t","https://ap.wps.com/l/cbCaifLWgFi5d01t","pdf",580666,"English","# What the Research Tells Us\n## Enrollment, supply, and program focus\n## Equity and completion patterns\n## Earnings and returns\n# Policy Considerations","[{\"question\":\"What is the main purpose of community college bachelor’s degree (CCB) programs?\",\"answer\":\"CCB programs are designed to fill workforce gaps with more advanced degrees and to provide working and adult students a convenient, lower-cost path to career advancement, especially where four-year institutions are limited.\"},{\"question\":\"How do CCB programs affect equity and completion rates?\",\"answer\":\"Research indicates mixed evidence on equity gaps, with differences by state and race/ethnicity. Overall graduation rates can be similar to transfer students, but completion gaps may persist between groups.\"},{\"question\":\"What do studies say about earnings after completing a CCB program?\",\"answer\":\"Available evaluations suggest CCB graduates can earn more than associate-degree holders, though returns compared with four-year college graduates may vary over time and by field of study. Some research shows stronger CCB earnings shortly after graduation, while university earnings may surpass later.\"}]","POLICY FACT SHEET - Community College Bachelor's Degrees - January 2026 | PDF",1792050253]