American Association of Community Colleges Statement on "The Hidden Costs of Community Colleges" Report
The study titled "The Hidden Costs of Community Colleges," issued October 20, 2011 by the American Institutes for Research (AIR), attempts to estimate the total fiscal impact of all students who leave community college before or at the end of their first year. The study is flawed because of faulty assumptions, overstatement of cost, and the failure to recognize the tremendous amount of work being done by community colleges to improve student outcomes.