lkrieger@mercurynews.com
As California's universities cut back slots for incoming freshman, they are still touting one route to a bachelor's degree that remains wide open: Start off at a community college and then transfer to UC or CSU.
But a new analysis shows that fewer than half the students who undertake that path ever reach their goal, waylaid by financial, personal and procedural potholes.
Only 40 percent of California's degree-seeking students are ready to transfer to universities after community college, according to the state's latest annual accountability report for community colleges. Silicon Valley schools do somewhat better — with success rates that range from 48 percent at San Jose City College to 68 percent at De Anza and Foothill colleges.
While students overcome daunting obstacles to enroll in community college, many don't move on. Transfer requirements are a confusing target for many students. There's reduced state funding for programs to help them. Parental job loss means students need to work more hours. Even students who successfully transfer describe the process as inefficient or puzzling, citing mismatched standards that mean that course work at one school doesn't always transfer to another.
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