Community college honors programs vary widely in scope and approach. At some schools, honors programs are multi-disciplinary or perhaps are targeted to advanced placement students. At others, the qualifications for entry are purely elective on the part of the student. If they choose to do extra work, they can sign up for an honors class. Some schools offer scholarships as an incentive, others don't.
Those honors programs that are highly selective seem to be benefitting from the current economic recession, according to an article in the Washington Post (registration). The idea is that the rigorous curricula are now attracting students who are qualified for highly selective schools, but unable to attend because the tuition is too high. Enrollments at two-year schools are surging already, as reported here frequently, but the information on honors programs adds a new dimension to the narrative.
"Over the past two decades," the article says, "community college honors programs have found a niche among students who were turned down by increasingly selective state universities and didn't want to pay private-college tuition. Enrollment grew steadily until the recession. Then, it exploded."
Here's a key passage:
"The influx of students with good test scores and multiple options for higher education is reshaping community colleges, a class of schools that, although open to all, have been stereotyped as a destination of last resort, sweeping up students with the least money and the weakest academic preparation. Enrollment in honors programs at community colleges seems to be growing faster than overall enrollment at the schools, which surged by about 10 percent this year in the Washington region, as students of various age groups and socioeconomic levels sought affordable higher education."
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