Postsecondary access without a high school diploma - Lessons from Louisiana’s Five for Six Scholarship

Sep 14, 2026

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This article examines community colleges as a higher-education entry point for individuals who lack a high school diploma. It focuses on how Louisiana’s Louisiana Community and Technical College System (LCTCS) uses the Five for Six Scholarship to improve postsecondary access while also meeting workforce needs. The scholarship offers a pathway to college and a credential leading to high-wage, high-demand careers, showing that educational pathways are not always linear.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages9

Reading Time23 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

The Louisiana Community and Technical College System

Five for Six Scholarship overview

Successes, challenges, and recommendations

DOI: 10.1002/cc.20507 Postsecondary access without a high school diploma: Lessons from Louisiana’s Five for Six Scholarship Emily B. Campbell 1 Ashley B. Clayton2 1 Ofﬁce of Academic Affairs, River Parishes Community College, Gonzales, Louisiana, USA 2 School of Education, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, Louisiana, USA Correspondence EmilyB. Campbell, River Parishes Community College,925West Edenborne Parkway, Gonzales, LA70737 . [Email:](Email: ecampbell@rpcc.edu)[ ecampbell@rpcc.edu](Email: ecampbell@rpcc.edu) Abstract This article provides an overview of community colleges as an access point to higher education, specifically for individuals without a high school diploma. The article highlights how one community college system is addressing both postsecondary access and workforce demands through policy and practice change. The Louisiana Community and Technical College System’s (LCTCS) Five for Six Scholarship provides individuals without a high school diploma a path towards college anda credential that can lead toa highwage, high-demand career. Ultimately, other community college leaders and practitioners can learn from the positive ﬁndings ofthis unique policy and practice in Louisiana, which is proving that educational pathways are not always linear. INTRODUCTION Among 16 to 24-year-old individuals in the United States, nearly 5.5% are classiﬁed as highschool dropouts. These individuals have not earned a high school diploma or equivalent credential and are currently not enrolled in either high school or college (McFarland et al., 2019) . Further, 9% of individuals who are 25 years of age and older do not have a high school diploma or General Education Diploma (GED) (U.S. Census Bureau, 2020) . Individuals without a high school or alternative credential have suboptimal labor market outcomes as the more education an individual accrues, the more likely they will be employed and have higher annual earnings (Ma et al., 2019) . Even though the earnings premium for postsecondary education is most often highlighted, high school graduates earn on average $10,000 more each year than high school dropouts. Speciﬁcally, among full-time workers 25 years of age and older, the median annual earnings of individuals with a high school diploma is $40,500 compared to only $30,800 for individuals with less thana high school diploma (Ma et al., 2019) . Increasing the educational attainment of citizens without a high school diploma, thus moving them into higher income brackets, could have dramatic, positive economic impacts for such individuals, communities, and the country. New Dir for Community Coll. 2022;2022:15–[23.](23. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cc)[ wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cc](23. wileyonlinelibrary.com/journal/cc) © 2022 Wiley Periodicals LLC. 15 While it is well-known that community colleges serve as an access point for many nontraditional and underserved student populations (Clayton & Means, 2018; Mullin, 2012), one less-discussed population that community colleges serve are students without a highschool diploma. With their open admissions policies and relatively low tuition, community colleges provide a vital postsecondary entry point for many Americans (Cohen et al., 2014), especially individuals without a high school diploma. In many states, community colleges offer adult basic education programming. These programs are funded by states and the federal government to provide instruction in reading, literacy, numeracy, and GED preparation (U.S. Department of Education, 2020) . Recognizing that skills and education improve earnings and employment rates, an investment in Adult Basic Education programs is an effort to improve individual and societal outcomes (Kim & Belzer, 2021) . Unfortunately, these types of programs in many community colleges are not always aligned with college-level coursework and are often unsuccessful in helping students advance to college-level coursework (Jenkins et a

FAQs

What problem does the article address about community college access?

It addresses how community colleges can serve individuals who do not have a high school diploma, an underserved group with weaker labor market outcomes.

What is the Five for Six Scholarship?

It is a Louisiana program within the LCTCS that provides a pathway toward college and a credential that can lead to high-wage, high-demand careers for people without a diploma.

How does the article suggest other states can apply the Louisiana model?

It offers recommendations for community college leaders and practitioners to implement a similar Adult Basic Education initiative based on what worked and what challenged the scholarship program.

Sep 14, 2026

Uploaded by Graffin