Here are 5 reasons why 2026 is an exciting year for community colleges

Students—including young cohorts—are favoring affordable programs that lead directly to career opportunities, and community colleges are answering the call.

“Community colleges and technical colleges are becoming more than educational providers,” Erika Liodice, executive director for the Alliance for Innovation and Transformation, told University Business in an interview. “They’re becoming the heartbeat of these innovation hubs around the country that are creating and scaling new industries.

EAB, a higher education consulting firm, recently outlined five macro trends that help explain record-setting interest in the community colleges:

1. Rising public confidence: Community colleges drove a rebound in the public’s sentiment toward higher education last year, according to Gallup. “[T]the public is not viewing higher education as a single category,” the report reads. “Instead, they are drawing distinctions and placing stronger trust in community colleges.”
2. Affordability: Prospective students have become more wary of accruing debt, and cost continues to be a top barrier for enrollment. Community college tuition has risen at comparatively lower rates than far more expensive public and private schools heading into 2026.
3. Career and technical education gain traction: Workforce credentials awarded predominantly by community colleges “align with a labor market that increasingly values skills and experience over four-year degrees,” the report reads. The rising salaries of associate degree holders reflect this shift
4. Short-term credentials and Workforce Pell: Propelled by rising dual enrollment participation, “short-term credentials are becoming a mainstream on-ramp into higher education for younger learners,” the report reads. Students aged 24 and younger now outnumber older learners in certificate completion, according to the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center. The launch of Workforce Pell in July will expand access into accredited programs lasting 15 weeks or less.
5. Dual enrollment: Community colleges provide 71% of all dual-enrollment programs, which continue to rise in popularity. Nearly three million high school students participated in 2023-24, representing a 12.7% year-over-year increase, according to the Community College Research Center.