COMMUNITY COLLEGES —
TAKE ANOTHER LOOK?
TIME TO
THE NATION’S COMMUNITY COLLEGE SYSTEM HAS BECOME THE
LAUNCHING PAD TO PROFESSIONAL CAREERS AND ADVANCED EDUCATION
FOR MORE THAN HALF OF ALL COLLEGE STUDENTS.
BY REBECCA GRAPPO
ommunity colleges constitute the
backbone of higher education opportunities for more than half of all college students ( 11. 7 million) enrolled in
the United States every year. Known
as the great democratizer in education,
community colleges have open enrollment policies promising that anyone with a high school diploma or general education degree can be a student. Opportunities abound for
all kinds of students, from high school graduates hoping to
transfer to a four-year institution to adults in the work force,
displaced workers or those juggling work and family. And
while many people think of community colleges as a place
for part-time, non-traditional students, about 38 percent
attend full-time.
Community colleges are also popular because of cost.
According to the College Board, the average annual tuition cost of a private four-year institution is now $25,143; for
a public four-year institution it is $6,585; but for resident
Rebecca (Becky) Grappo, an educational consultant and FS
spouse, raised three children and sent them all to college while
in the Foreign Service. Founder of RNG International Educational Consultants, LLC, she is a certified educational plan-ner specializing in boarding schools and college planning, and
a member of the Independent Educational Consultants
Association and the National Association of College Admissions Counselors. A former education and youth officer in the
Family Liaison Office at the Department of State, she is posted in Dubai while her husband is on assignment in Iraq.
C
students at a community college it is less than $4,000. As
any parent who has recently paid tuition bills knows, the fees
can be even higher than the averages cited here.
But what else draws students to these institutions? What
kinds of programs, certificates and degrees are offered? Is
community college a viable alternative for a high-achieving
student who wants to pursue a four-year degree? What
other services and opportunities are offered?
Types of Certificates and Degrees
Community colleges offer various certificate programs
that range from entry-level to more advanced, covering a
huge range of skills and fields. The best way to find a listing
of what is offered is to go to the Web site of a specific community college and look for certificates and degrees.
Associate in Applied Science degrees can be vocational,
occupational or technical. Students who choose this path
can graduate in two years with professional skills that garner
a reasonable wage in a high-demand area such as information technology, nursing or allied-health fields, among others.
Associate in Arts and Associate in Science degrees typically take between 60 and 63 credit hours to complete. The
former has a greater emphasis on humanities and social sciences, while the latter focuses on math and science. Many
A.A. and A.S. students complete these degree programs and
then transfer on to a four-year university.
Many community colleges also offer opportunities to
high school students who are looking for additional academic challenge. Most often known as dual enrollment, this pro-
