Community College Students and Information Technology

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A survey of more than 50,000 students provides insights into how community college students' view of technology differs from that of their peers at four-year institutions.

Community College Students and Information Technology infographic snippet
Credit: ECAR © 2019

More than 50,000 students completed the 2018 EDUCAUSE Technology Research in the Academic Community (ETRAC) survey. The ECAR Study of Community College Students and Information Technology, which captures data from over 10,000 community college students, is the first EDUCAUSE report on the subject since 2007. ECAR's analysis provides insight into how community college students use and view technology.

This graphic demonstrates some of the key distinctions between community college students in this sample and their peers at four-year institutions. These differences both shape and are shaped by the greater family and work responsibilities that community college students are more likely to have outside of academics.

View the full report, key finding summaries, data almanac, and more on the ECAR Study of Community College Students and Information Technology research hub. To gain insights about students at your institution, learn more about participating in EDUCAUSE research.


Kate Roesch is a data visualization specialist for the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research.

Dana Gierdowski is a researcher for the EDUCAUSE Center for Analysis and Research.

© 2019 Kate Roesch and Dana Gierdowski. The text of this work is licensed under a Creative Commons BY-NC-ND 4.0 International License.