“Community college is great if it helps you get a bachelor’s degree, but only one in five students attending these institutions goes on to earn the degree within six years according to federal data. In addition, only 21% of first-time, full-time students earn an associate’s degree within three years, and tuition is not the main obstacle to the completion of a degree for low-income students.

Census Bureau data reveal that for most students with some college and no degree, it actually pays—in pure earnings premiums—to pursue a professional certification or educational certificate instead of a stand-alone associate’s degree…

Today, many employers demand more and higher academic credentials because of their dissatisfaction with the quality of degree-holders…

Continued focus on a college degree loses sight of the needs of most first-generation, low-income and minority students…

College is not the only path into the middle class.”