To regain enrollment numbers after a decade of declines, community colleges are pressed to demonstrate the value of post-secondary education, including how programs provide pathways to living-wage jobs or support successful transfers to four-year universities. A 2025 report published by the Community College Research Center (CCRC) analyzed Integrated Postsecondary Education Data System (IPEDS) data from the 2022-2023 academic year to explore post-completion value of community college awards. It evaluated which certificates and degrees were most likely to help graduates obtain well-paying positions or transfer to a related bachelor’s degree program. As highlighted in CCRC’s analysis of the report, this publication expands on existing efforts to enhance and showcase the value of community college education, such as the development of career ladders and the strengthening of transfer pathways.

CCRC’s report showed that more than half (56%) of credit-bearing community college program awards were directly designed to prepare learners for employment or to build career-technical skills. This comprised over a third of all associate degrees (35%), nearly all bachelor's degrees, over half (59%) of long certificates (30 or more credits), and a strong majority (93%) of short certificates (fewer than 30 credits).

IPEDS data on credentials indicated that approximately 276,000 associate degrees, 16,000 bachelor's degrees, 134,000 long certificates, and 371,000 short certificates were awarded by U.S. community colleges in the 2022-2023 academic year.

Associate Degrees

Over 75% of associate degrees were linked to median salaries at or above a living wage two years post-graduation. However, almost one-fourth (23%) of awards were associated with earnings less than $30,000. Fields consistently showing higher earnings included nursing, engineering, allied health, the trades, construction, and science technology.

Bachelor’s Degrees                                                                          

For bachelor's degrees, over three-quarters were associated with median salaries above a living wage two years after program completion, with nearly all being in career-technical disciplines. Fields such as engineering, computer science, information technology, the trades, and allied health consistently demonstrated high earnings. Even so, the approximately 16,000 bachelor’s degrees awarded by community colleges in 2022-2023 represented only a fraction compared to the over 1.3 million awarded by public four-year institutions.

Long Certificates

Long certificates demonstrated increased earning potential, with 75% linked to living wages two years after graduation. This was particularly evident in disciplines where such education supports professional development and job advancement, such as nursing, public safety, computer science, information technology, construction, corrections, and the trades.

Short Certificates

Mixed evidence surrounds the impact of short certificates on earnings. While CCRC’s analysis found that over three-quarters (78%) were associated with salaries near or above a living wage, other research implies that these workforce programs may be insufficient for securing well-paying employment.

Transfer Associate Degrees

In 2022-2023, two-thirds of associate degrees awarded by community colleges were designed to provide students with a direct pathway for transferring to a related bachelor's degree program. However, only 10% of these credentials were in STEM-related disciplines, and less than one-fourth (24%) were associated with median earnings near a living wage. Higher earnings were seen in engineering, computer science, information technology, business, and agriculture.

Meeting Workforce Needs

According to CCRC, the estimated demand for skilled technical workers in well-paying fields such as computer science, information technology, engineering, construction, and science technology surpasses the number of new community college graduates with these workforce associate degrees. Similar gaps exist between the number of awarded career-technical bachelor’s degrees and the growing needs of industry. Nationwide, community colleges are facing increased pressure to strengthen program offerings and produce more graduates who can secure well-compensated, in-demand positions or seamlessly transfer to four-year bachelor’s programs.

For more information on community college awards and post-completion value, read CCRC’s full report.