Making the higher education headlines this week is the eye-popping headline that only one in eight adults rate four-year colleges as affordable. But the same polling, from Gallup and funded by Lumina Foundation, demonstrates a much more positive story about community colleges. Americans view community colleges in an overall positive light, even during this time when higher education overall has become a political lightning rod.

Across the seven attributes Gallup asked about, two-year colleges out-rated four-year institutions on six of them, including the ones prospective students and their families care about most:

• Access: 68% of Americans rate two-year colleges excellent or good at providing access to education for people from all backgrounds.
• Quality: 61% rate the quality of education positively — more than 10 points ahead of four-year institutions.
• Affordability: 54% call two-year colleges affordable, compared with just 12% for four-year institutions — a striking 42-point gap.
• Workforce preparation: 52% give positive marks, again outpacing four-year colleges.

Community Colleges Demonstrate Broad Bipartisan Support

Public opinion on higher education, generally, is sharply polarized by party — four-year colleges see gaps as wide as 48 percentage points between Democrats and Republicans on measures like workforce preparation and free speech. Two-year colleges, however, have a partisan gap of 20 points or fewer on every attribute measured. Even when viewing demographics such as age, race, and education level, the opinion differences across parties are smaller for community colleges than their counterparts.

Community college leaders should consider how this polling can support their advocacy at all levels – not just federal, but also for local advocacy, bond measures, and state appropriations conversations.

Parents Know High School Is Not Enough

Three in four parents of children under 18 still desire that their children pursue some higher education or training beyond a high school diploma. While 38% of parents said they wanted their child to first pursue a four-year degree, 36% said the preferred pathway is community college or job/training certification program. Community colleges are a legitimate option in many families’ planning for their children’s future.

Room to Grow on Affordability

While 54% rate two-year colleges positively on cost, one in five Americans still view their cost unfavorably. Given how central affordability is to public confidence in higher ed right now, even small gains here could pay outsized dividends. The current national average for tuition and fees for community colleges is approximately $4,000 a year. However, this number varies greatly by state, which could influence affordability perceptions. Additionally, the full cost of attendance -which accounts for cost of living – for community colleges is just over $20,000 [GS1][GS2]annually. This number can intimidate potential students who may not know financial aid is available or understand the fact that this number does not represent the bill due to the college.

Community college leaders must keep pushing at both the federal and state levels for investments in student aid and institutional support to maintain and ideally improve affordability for learners and their families.

Key Takeaways

Community colleges are demonstrating their value through cost, access, and workforce readiness in the eyes of the public. The level of consensus on this fact is apparent across political parties, age, and education levels. Institutional leaders should use these facts to inform their advocacy at all levels to exhibit why public investment in their colleges is valuable.

Source: Gallup, "Just 12% of Americans Say Four-Year Colleges Are Affordable," July 21, 2026, based on the Lumina Foundation-Gallup Confidence in Higher Education survey.

Carrie Warick-Smith is the Vice President, Public Policy at ACCT