Here are some of the things you need to know if you’re considering a community college for the first time - and especially if you intend to transfer or continue to a four-year university eventually.
According to the College Board’s Trends in College Pricing, for community colleges, the average in-state tuition and fees came to $3,730 compared to $10,440 for a public four-year college. (These figures do not include room and board.)
Most community colleges do not have dorms - and you may be assuming your student will be living at home anyway. So you will save on room and board and many of the fees that you’d have at a four-year college.
If you play your cards right, starting at a community college can be a huge cost savings because you can pay a lot less for many of the credits you need.
Research shows that the majority of students entering community colleges intend to transfer to a bachelor’s program upon completing their AA, but a much smaller number actually do.
If you will be accumulating college credits before re-applying to your four-year university of choice, you may see less financial aid then you would if you were coming in with no prior college experience.
It’s quite common for colleges to consider a student who is coming in with college credits a “transfer student.” This student will have different admissions criteria (for public systems, for instance, there may be GPA minimums or courses you need to have taken), and often the financial aid available is far less than for true ‘first-year’ students.