Remedial/Developmental Education and the Cost of Community College Transfer: A Los Angeles County Sample

This study calculates and explores the total costs of a community college education prior to transfer to a four-year college. Included are all courses both at and below the college level by 411 students who attended one of the nine community colleges in the Los Angeles Community College District (LACCD) and who successfully transferred to a four-year institution. The main finding is that students with deep developmental needs averaged five years at the community college before transferring, and transferred only one year's worth of college-level courses. Of concern is the great number of African American and Latino students in remedial courses.