bunker hill community college

As the school year begins, undocumented students at a community college in Boston are still reeling from the Trump administration's decision to rescind the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals, but for now they're trying to maintain a sense of normalcy.

A new report released Tuesday finds only 14 percent of community college students nationwide transfer to four-year schools and earn a bachelors’ degree within six years. The report by the Community College Research Center at Columbia University's Teachers College shows while the vast majority of students intend to earn a BA, few succeed.

There's a lot of focus in this country on making community college more affordable. But living expenses – including transportation, rent and food – are still the biggest barrier between students and graduation.

More than half of all community college students need to take developmental courses in math or English before starting their two-year degrees. So some schools are trying something different to prevent these students from dropping out.

The cost of college continues to outpace median family income, and at the White House Thursday hundreds of college presidents met with President Obama to discuss how they can make getting a college degree easier and more affordable.

Pam Eddinger is president of Bunker Hill Community College, and this was her third visit to the White House. She says the third time is a charm, and Bunker Hill is committed to enrolling and graduating more students by making sure they're prepared for college-level coursework.

When the media talks about colleges and universities during this admissions season, visions of tree-lined quads at four-year liberal arts institutions may come to mind. But the truth is that almost half of undergraduate students in the United States actually go to community college.

Pam Eddinger is the president of Bunker Hill Community College in Boston, where 14,000 students are working towards certificates or degrees.

On Campus recently talked to Eddinger about the unique role community colleges play, and we started out by asking her what first drew her to the community college scene.