College Prep, Transfer Pathways May Address Tepid College Completion Rates

Starting to prepare for college in high school is already too late, experts say.

A student works outside on his laptop in Orange, Calif., on Oct. 14, 2020. John Fredricks/The Epoch Times

Low college achievement rates identified in a new policy study in California’s San Joaquin Valley stem from a lack of college readiness and confusing transfer processes, experts say.

Despite the valley’s high population of 4.3 million people, just 57 percent of high school graduates in the region go on to attend public or nonprofit colleges, according to data from the Public Policy Institute of California. The institute also observed that a mere 26 percent of ninth-grade students in the San Joaquin Valley were “on the path” to achieving a four-year degree.