Iowa students could soon enroll in bachelor's degree programs at community colleges under a proposal advanced by a House subcommittee.
House Study Bill 533 would allow colleges to offer bachelor's degrees only in fields where there are workforce shortages, and the programs would have to have some type of in-person component.
Matt Thompson, president of Indian Hills Community College in Ottumwa, supports the bill. He said the college would only focus on programs that could help fill jobs in the area.
“We're not trying to come in and swoop away students from the private, four-year colleges,” Thompson said. “We're looking at specific areas in our state that are under-resourced, that need additional individuals to be prepared for the workforce.”
The proposal would only allow community colleges to charge bachelor's students up to 1.5 times what other community college students pay in tuition.
Gary Steinke, from the Iowa Association of Independent Colleges and Universities, spoke against the bill. He said private colleges won’t be able to compete with community colleges that offer similar degrees at cheaper prices.
“Private enterprise cannot compete with tax-supported institutions, entities, stores, businesses or anything else. It can't happen, and the outcome will be bad,” Steinke said.
Community college students can take classes that could count towards a bachelor’s degree at another institution, but Iowa community colleges can’t award more than associate degrees.
Currently, 24 states allow community colleges to offer bachelor's degrees, according to the Community College Baccalaureate Association.
No funding is tied to the bill, but the head of the House subcommittee said he’ll leave that up to the appropriations committee.
