Drawing on research, including central findings from More Essential Than Ever: Community College Pathways to Educational and Career Success, this brief examines why a structured educational planning process is essential for student persistence, timely completion, and post-completion success. With over 40% of community college students stopping out before their second year, the brief highlights how a lack of clear guidance leads to off-track coursework and early departure. It also outlines how tailored educational plans can translate abstract options into concrete roadmaps, shifting the focus about students from “full-time vs. part-time” to “on-plan vs. off-plan.”
To help colleges address associated challenges, the brief describes actionable frameworks like the Ask-Connect-Inspire-Plan (ACIP) onboarding approach, and it reintroduces CCRC’s Community College Program Mapper—a tool designed to help institutions visualize program enrollment and track student plan adoption.
Accompanying the brief is a series of case studies from diverse community colleges nationwide. These profiles explore how institutions of varying sizes, regions, and governance structures have successfully redesigned business processes, leveraged technology, and engaged faculty and staff to scale career and educational planning.