College is free for Columbus grads -- but few earn a degree

Photo: Columbus State Community College

Community college is free for graduates of Columbus (Ohio) City Schools, thanks to the Columbus Promise, writes Vladimir Kogan, a Fordham fellow and Ohio State political science professor. The program has improved access to college. But success rates are very low.

Columbus Promise students "barely clear a D+ average" at Columbus State Community College, he writes. Only 5 percent of eligible Columbus high school graduates have gone on to earn an associate degree or certificate in the last four years. "Many of those who did would have almost certainly received a college degree anyway," and might have gone farther if they'd started at a four-year university.

The multi-million-dollar program may have helped a few students, he concludes, but it's hurt others.

For many participants, the Columbus Promise has meant enrollment in courses they ultimately ended up failing and likely delayed their entry into the labor force.

An Upjohn Institute evaluation celebrates the rise in students enrolling in community college. But attendance is not completion, writes Kogan. Among students who'd otherwise have gone straight to the workforce, few earned a credential. They could have been earning money and building work experience, instead of failing courses for which they were unprepared.

Furthermore, higher-achieving students who were prepared to succeed at a four-year institution "were lured to Columbus State by the promise of free tuition" and a $500 a semester stipend, he writes. "Several careful economics studies suggest that they were likely made worse off in the long run."

"The first three years of the Columbus Promise program cost a reported $9.5 million, with half coming from Columbus taxpayers, he writes. Under the most optimistic assumptions, "this comes out to nearly $100,000 for each additional Columbus State certificate and associate degree earned, an astronomical cost."

College "promise" programs in Kalamazoo and Cleveland have been more effective, because they cover tuition at four-year state colleges and universities, not just at the local community college, he writes. "Students who begin their college careers at more selective, four-year universities are far more likely to earn degrees."

Columbus Promise students need only a high school diploma to qualify. There is no minimum grade point average. Kogan also recommends limiting scholarships to students whose grades and test scores show they're prepared for higher education. That would avoid wasting the time of unprepared students, and it would increase incentives for students to work harder in high school.

Improving K-12 education is necessary, he writes. Cost is not the main barrier to higher education for Columbus students. It's "inadequate academic preparation."