Understanding and Meeting the Needs of Part-time Community College Students: A Mixed Methods Analysis of Community College Administrator Perspectives and State-Wide Administrative Data

While most community college students enroll part-time, there is little evidence on how to effectively improve college attainment of part-time students. This mixed methods study, situated in Texas, addresses this research gap by developing a more complete understanding of the part-time student population, their challenges and needs, as well as the types of interventions and programs that might support their persistence and completion. The qualitative component collected and analyzed data from interviews with administrators at a representative sample of Texas community colleges to unearth their beliefs and perceptions about why students enroll part time, the barriers that prevent them from enrolling full-time, and the supports they offer to support part-time student success. The quantitative component leveraged student-level administrative data on the universe of newly enrolled students at Texas community colleges in Fall 2017 to characterize the part-time student population and descriptively examine: (a) the extent that a student’s prior academic background, demographic characteristics, and credit loads related to academic momentum and completion; (b) transitions between full-time, part-time, and stop out status, and (c) which institutional efforts were predictive of academic momentum and timely college completion. Findings from both components suggest that external factors (e.g. the need to work and / or care for dependents) are the primary reason why students enroll part-time and succeed at lower rates relative to full-time students. Consequently, administrators reported investing heavily in programs that connect students with programs and supports such as basic needs supports, emergency aid, and childcare support to help them navigate external challenges. Quality of instruction, academic momentum, and structural factors (e.g. course access) were featured less in these explanations, despite evidence suggesting that they contribute to part-time student success. Colleges could take further steps to identify strategies that mitigate barriers preventing part-time students from staying engaged and continuously enrolled.