TY  - JOUR
AB  - Limited resources hinder completion and exacerbate inequality in community colleges. Existing research identifies strategies that raise outcomes but leaves policymakers and campus leaders asking, “What do these interventions really cost—and can we afford it?” I answer these questions by presenting the first set of comparative cost analyses of community college success initiatives to date. I comprehensively document annual costs associated with six common strategies: basic needs supports, college success and career exploration courses, early alert systems, embedded tutoring, retention- and emergency-based financial aid programs, and first-year experience programming. I identify overall costs, the distribution of costs, and costs per student, as well as how costs are borne by various actors. I show costs can vary widely from roughly $79,900 per year to over $2.9 million—and range from as little as $570 per student to more than $1,320. I also show that more expensive programs do not necessarily serve more students. This work equips decisonmakers with crucial insights for identifying what works—at what cost—and greatly extends the nascent body of cost studies in higher education.
AU  - Odle, Taylor
PY  - 2025
ST  - Comparative Cost Analyses of Community College Student Success Initiatives
TI  - Comparative Cost Analyses of Community College Student Success Initiatives
UR  - http://www.edworkingpapers.com/ai25-1268
ER  -