Why Study in a U.S. Community College?

More and more International and domestic (American) students are choosing to begin their academic education at community colleges as an alternative for the first two years of their Bachelor’s Degrees.

Affordable lower tuition rates, generally smaller classroom spaces, expert instructors are some of the many reasons that make a community college education an excellent starting point for higher (post secondary – after high school) education. Community college offer students a variety of educational and vocational/career programs where a student can gain invaluable practical skills.

In most U.S. community colleges you can study in a “Certificate” or a “Diploma” program, or even go further and work towards earning an “Associate Degree” (two-year degree) in a specific vocational/career or technical field of study or even “transfer” to another U.S. college or university in order to pursue a Bachelor’s Degree (four year college/university degree).

Community colleges tend to have smaller, less crowded classrooms and therefore more personal and focused attention is given to students by their professors.

Less expensive tuition and fee rates allows students to save money during the first two years of their post-secondary education in a community college. Since financial aid and student loans can be very limited to international students, more affordable community colleges can be a great option to receive quality American education. Most community colleges have articulation/transfer/2+2 agreements with tens of 4-year Bachelor’s degree awarding colleges and universities in the United States. So if you plan to continue your education in the United States in order to earn a Bachelor’s degree, then you may choose to study in a two-year Associate’s degree program in a community college that is specifically designed to fulfill the required curriculum of the first two academic years of a university program.

If you intend to transfer to a U.S. college or university, you should always consult with the expert admissions and academic advisors of your community college so that you can take the right courses at the right time which will apply to your next program.

According to the American Association of Community Colleges there are nearly 1200 community colleges in the United States of America where you may earn your certificate or associate’s degree.

Each year more and more international students begin their academic post-secondary education in a community college in the U.S. According to the Open Doors report 2008 published by the IIE – Institute of International Education nearly 90 thousand international students studied in a community college program (Associate’s) in during the academic year 2007-08.

Top 20 U.S. Community Colleges that hosted the most number of International students during 2007-08 Academic year:

1 Houston Community College System
2 Santa Monica College
3 De Anza College
4 Montgomery College
5 North Harris Montgomery Community College
6 CUNY Borough of Manhattan Community College
7 Northern Virginia Community College
8 Miami-Dade College
9 Diablo Valley College
10 Nassau Community College
11 Foothill College
12 City College of San Francisco
13 Pasadena City College
14 Green River Community College
15 Seattle Central Community College
16 Richland College
17 Bellevue Community College
18 Edmonds Community College
19 North Lake College
20 Santa Barbara City College

To summarize we can say that community colleges focuses on the first two years of the academic post-secondary education which may also give you the opportunity to transfer into a 4-year college or university without possibly losing any of the courses you have taken, credits you have earned during the first two years. While the quality of education they provide is not of any less value community colleges affords you the opportunity to study in the USA at affordable tuition rates and certainly can prepare you to adopt to a larger U.S. college or university campus. Admission requirements into community colleges tend to be more flexible, easier to meet. You may even be admitted without a TOEFL scores, or in some cases without a high school diploma. Some community colleges may allow you to take regular college courses while taking ESL (English as a Second Language) classes to improve your English language skills. If TOEFL or IELTS score is a “must” you may be required to have a lower score in TOEFL or IELTS to meet the college’s admission criteria. Community colleges tend to be located in smaller campuses, and therefore you may be studying in smaller classrooms which translates into more personal and focused attention from your experienced professors. Most U.S. community colleges may have articulation/transfer/2+2 agreements with reputable 4-year degree awarding U.S. colleges and universities, as long as you follow the appropriate track of study, and take and complete the right courses at the right time you may be able to easily transfer into a U.S. college or university with which your community college has a transfer agreement and complete your bachelor’s degree in two more years.

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