The ARCC Network brings together research teams from across the United States to explore strategies community colleges can use to bring back students who left during the COVID-19 pandemic, support their learning, and ensure they can succeed in the rapidly evolving post-pandemic economy.
Focused Research States
In addition to national research on enrollment and transfer trends and pandemic recovery spending, the ARCC Network will conduct surveys of community colleges and studies of pandemic recovery strategies in eight states. The ARCC Network includes six research teams and three lead organizations. Learn more about the teams and read their publications.
ARCC Network Projects
Latest Publications
NSC Research Center | March 2023
NSC Research Center | February 2023
Wheelhouse | August 2022
Community Colleges and the Pandemic
Community college enrollments stabilized in fall 2022 after falling about 16% from fall 2019.
There are one million fewer community college students than before the pandemic.
Community college freshman enrollment is up 6.6% from fall 2021.
The percentage of two-year public college students enrolled exclusively in online courses jumped from 15% to 47% in fall 2020 from fall 2019. Another 22% took some online courses.
In fall 2020, 28% of households with a community college student did not have a computer and 33% did not have internet.
About $19.3 billion in Higher Education Emergency Relief Funds were allocated to public two-year colleges to respond to COVID-19.
