Nationwide, the number of children who attain a higher standard of living than their parents has fallen from 90 to 50 percent in the last half century — but Borough of Manhattan Community College (BMCC/CUNY) appears to be countering that trend.
A new study sponsored by The Equality of Opportunity Project tracked 30 million college students born between 1980 and 1991, and found that BMCC ranks third out of 690 two-year colleges, when looking at the overall mobility index or rise in students’ household income.
According to the project’s Mobility Report Cards: The Role of Colleges in Intergenerational Mobility, 41 percent of BMCC students move up two of the five quintiles used to assess household income in the United States.
A rise of two quintiles makes a significant impact on a family’s standard of living. This is particularly true for BMCC students whose median family income is $28,400; only 4.5 percent of BMCC students have household incomes in the top 20 percent, and 34% are in the $20,000 or less a year range.
The new study, reported by The Upshot in The New York Times on January 18, clearly shows that a student’s chances of climbing the income ladder are higher at BMCC than at most other two-year colleges across the country.
“We can take great pride in this key economic indicator of student success for our students, and the evidence it provides of our realizing one of the essential roles of community colleges: advancing equity and social justice through upward mobility,” said Karrin E. Wilks, Provost and Senior Vice President of Academic Affairs at BMCC.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
- A new study sponsored by The Equality of Opportunity Project tracked 30 million college students
- Findings show BMCC ranks third out of 690 two-year colleges, when looking at the overall mobility index, or rise in students’ household income
- The study also found that 41 percent of BMCC students move up two of the five quintiles used to assess U.S. household income
