Community colleges must develop comprehensive transition programs to give GED students a chance to succeed in higher education.

Community colleges are at the forefront in providing accessible and affordable quality education to a growing population of students, many of whom are ethnic minorities. Depending on the data source, up to 46 percent of all new students entering higher education do so at the community college level, and that percentage breakdown is even more significant when considering race and ethnicity (46 percent Black, 55 percent Hispanic, 46 percent Asian/Pacific Islander, and 55 percent American Indian) as factors in the overall percentages of undergraduate students in community colleges.

Many ethnic minority students are either first-generation or first-time college students and thus face the challenge of not having a reference to navigate the higher education system. This situation becomes even more challenging when these same students left high school early and did not have sufficient opportunities to gain awareness or develop a level of confidence that could have resulted from continued interaction and participation in the educational setting. While community colleges serve a broad segment of the overall college student population, GED students clearly need special assistance in bridging the gap between completing the GED and entering either the work force or college.

It is not unusual for GED completers to view this accomplishment as an end in and of itself — i.e., culminating in entering the work force, rather than opening the doors to a college education. According to Julie Strawn, senior policy analyst for the Center for Law and Social Policy, acquiring the GED increases annual earnings by $1,700 over the earnings of a high school dropout. Annual earnings increase by $2,700 for a person entering the work force with a high school diploma. However, the GED is not sufficient to earn a living wage or to meet today’s economic challenges. We must encourage and assist students in acquiring more education or developing higher-level skills.