2026 Reports

Community College Bachelor’s Degrees

Community College Research Center

Community 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; now, almost half of states authorize community colleges to confer bachelor’s degrees, and more are considering the change. CCB programs are designed both to fill gaps in the supply of workers with more advanced degrees in important workforce fields and to provide 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.