House GOP Considers Four-Year Degree Option at Iowa Community Colleges

Republican leaders in the Iowa House are weighing a proposal that would allow some community colleges to offer four-year degrees, but House Speaker Pat Grassley says any plan would likely be limited and aimed at helping Iowans who live far from universities.

Grassley told Radio Iowa the idea shouldn’t mean community colleges offer bachelor’s degrees in every field. Instead, he said lawmakers would look at a targeted approach for degrees that are clearly justified and meet specific needs.

House Majority Leader Bobby Kaufmann says the focus could be on areas of the state where students have fewer nearby options for a four-year program — including parts of southeast and southwest Iowa. Kaufmann said the proposal could give community colleges flexibility to tailor programs to local demand.

An analysis released in October by the Community Colleges of Iowa estimates the state’s 15 community colleges would need about $20 million over the next five years to hire faculty, prepare facilities, and develop new courses if four-year degrees are added.

Representative Taylor Collins, chair of the House Higher Education Committee, said the concept is about expanding opportunities for rural students. Collins noted that in some communities, the nearest four-year institution is more than an hour away. He also said similar programs are already operating in other parts of the country.

Collins says other states typically offer four-year community college degrees in high-demand fields such as nursing, business, and education — areas where Iowa needs more trained workers, especially in rural communities.

West Virginia was the first state to allow community colleges to grant four-year degrees, starting in 1989. Missouri is currently the only state neighboring Iowa where some community colleges offer bachelor’s degrees, and Illinois’ governor has proposed allowing certain community colleges there to do the same.