View the original news release on the ACCT website.

The Association of Community College Trustees (ACCT) is excited to publish a new brief that explores how states fund community colleges based on the enrollment for their students, including those pursuing credit-bearing degrees and certificates, non-credit workforce programs, and those enrolled via dual-enrollment programs. An interactive data dashboard based on the findings of the brief, Funding Models for Community Colleges: How states fund credit-bearing, dual-enrollment, and noncredit activity, describes specific funding policies and funding levels for each state.

Research was conducted with project partners at the Student Success Through Applied Research (SSTAR) Lab at the University of Wisconsin and explored how each of the 50 states, plus Washington, D.C. and select territories, are funded for each of the three program types. The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) and the State Higher Education Executive Officers Association (SHEEO), served as a resource and shared the resulting systems funding brief and map that will serve as a tool for college leaders and policymakers to compare how funding models vary across states. Lumina Foundation provided funding for the project. 

The resulting inventory identifies the prevalence of state funding for credit-bearing, dual-enrollment, and noncredit activities across the U.S., along with identifying the policy mechanisms that states use to fund these activities. The inventory represents the first step in a new research imperative; it is not an exhaustive list, nor an indication whether the funding mechanisms provide adequate resources to support students. The findings reveal the need for a more comprehensive investigation into how community colleges are funded so that they can best support the students and the communities they serve.

“This work highlights an important knowledge gap for community colleges and demonstrates the critical need to understand the funding mechanisms so they can effectively support all three pathways,” points out ACCT President and CEO Jee Hang Lee. “We have to continue to provide these types of resources for community colleges so they can have informed discussions with policy leaders about this topic.”

Walter G. Bumphus, president and CEO of AACC, said, “This comprehensive analysis will inform future campus programs and services, and will influence local, state, and federal funding structures to benefit the 10 million students served each year at the nation’s community colleges.”

“This project provided a valuable information landscape for states undergoing funding model reviews to ensure they align with state higher education goals,” said Robert Anderson, president of SHEEO.

Lumina Foundation Strategy Director for Employment-Aligned Credential Programs Kermit Kaleba said, “Expanding our understanding of current community college funding models through this work reinforced our commitment to expanding access to and completion of high-quality degrees and postsecondary credentials and gave us a better understanding of what’s working to increase opportunities for learners.”