2006 Articles

Balancing Work, Family and School: Enrollment Pathways and Outcomes of Older Community College Students Compared to Traditional Age Students

Crosta, Peter Michael; Calcagno, Juan Carlos; Jenkins, Paul Davis; Bailey, Thomas R.

This paper presents findings from a new study of the experiences and outcomes of older community college students - those who enter college for the first time at age 25 or later. We estimate a discrete-time hazard model using transcript data on a cohort of first-time community college students in Florida to compare the effect of enrollment pathways on educational outcomes of older students with those of traditional age students. Results suggest that reaching milestones such as fall-to-fall retention, obtaining 20 credits or completing 50% of the program is a more important positive factor affecting graduation probabilities for younger students than it is for older students. We also find that although remediation decreases the odds of graduating in any given term, older students who enroll in remediation are less negatively impacted than younger ones who do.