More Baltimore Graduates Attend Two-Year Colleges, Where They Are Less Likely To Earn Degree

The number of Baltimore City high school graduates enrolling in four-year colleges and universities has dropped in recent years as more head to two-year institutions where they are far less likely to graduate.

The Baltimore Education Research Consortium at Johns Hopkins University found the percentage of city public school graduates heading to two-year-institutions rose 12 percentage points over four years to 52 percent in 2010, while the percentage of students enrolled in four-year-colleges declined 12 percentage points to 49 percent.

The consortium also found that only 5.8 percent of those who started at a two-year college earned a degree in six years compared with 34 percent of those at four-year-colleges. The report — the most comprehensive look to date at college acceptance and completion trends for city school graduates — used data from the class of 2004, tracking degree completion through 2010.

Researchers said the city lacks a "college-going culture," noting that the city's college enrollment rate continues to lag the national average. They also questioned whether guidance counseling is steering students on an easier or cheaper educational path when that might not be the right choice.