Choosing a School

Community colleges have been diversifying their student populations in recent years to include students from other states and even other countries. Their appeal also expands as some two-year schools become known for specific programs, transfer agreements with four-year institutions, and even partnerships with local businesses. International students interested in a U.S. community college may enjoy several benefits but face unique challenges in realizing their higher education dreams.

Why International Students Choose Community College

There are several reasons why international students are looking at community colleges today, according to a report at U.S. News, including:

• Lower Tuition Rates – Students from a distance find affordable higher education through America’s community college system. For example, the U.S. News and World Report cites the average cost of 24 credits from Diablo Community College in California at around $6,000, while the same number of credits at San Jose State University, a neighboring four-year school, is around $16,500 for the same number of credits.
• Transfer Options – Many community colleges across the country now have transfer agreements with four-year schools, ensuring students who begin their education in a two-year program can finish their baccalaureate degree at a nearby institution.
• Smoother Transition – Students from other countries often find community college an easier transition to the American way of life. Many community colleges provide English language courses and other services to help international students adapt to a new language and culture.
• Easier Requirements – For international students who don’t have the

The perception of the value of a college degree appears to be evolving. As some students and their parents begin to focus on their return on investment (ROI), they are beginning to realize that graduating from a prestigious four-year school isn’t as glamorous as it seems. In addition, rising concern over increasing student debt has spurred questions about the best path to a profession. As the exploration continues, community colleges are starting to be seen as offering superior ROI for many students today.

The Value of a Four-Year Degree

PolicyMic reports on a recent analysis that looked at 1,248 four-year colleges and universities across the country. The study showed 28 percent of those four-year schools offered a negative ROI, which means students would have been better off financially if they had not gone to school at all! However, if those students had started their higher education at a community college and then transferred to a four-year school for their last two years, the negative ROI would have been reduced to 11.5 percent.

The best ROI from four-year schools often involved engineering programs. Schools like Colorado School of Mines, Georgia Tech, MIT, and Cal Tech reflect that trend. Ivy League schools also made the list for positive ROIs, demonstrating that high admission standards and a tradition of success do contribute to the value of postsecondary education. Other four-year schools did not always fare as well. For example, the last school on the list,

The community college has traditionally been seen as a second-rate postsecondary education – the 13^th grade, according to some high school seniors. However, numerous changes to the system and the economy have dramatically altered the ways these institutions are viewed today. Students are now using community colleges as viable stepping stones for four-year degrees or rewarding careers. Even students that have earned their baccalaureate are returning to community college to pursue practical career training. Statistics appear to be supporting the idea that community college has become an accepted mode of higher education used to help students reach their goals.

This video offers transfer advice for community college students.

Studies Support Community College Start

The Cavalier Daily reports on recent findings from the National Student Clearinghouse involving four-year completion rates for community college students. The results showed the majority of students who transferred from a community college to a four-year school finished their baccalaureate degree. This negates previous concerns that community college students were less apt to succeed in their pursuit of four-year degrees.

According to Inside Higher Ed, the National Student Clearinghouse found that 60 percent of community college students who transferred to four-year schools earned a bachelor's degree within those four years. Students that earned their associate degree prior to transfer performed even better, with 71 percent earning a four-year degree during that same time frame. Additional community

Community colleges are not a new addition to the world of higher education, but they have certainly received more attention in recent years. As the current administration strives to increase college graduation rates across the country, community colleges are primed to play an important role in meeting that goal. For adults looking for an effective way to make a career change, or high school seniors weighing all of their options in the next phase of their academic career, understanding the full picture of community college can be an important component in the planning process. What are community colleges and what is their primary purpose? Read on to learn the basics of these essential institutions of higher education.

What is a Community College?

According to the Department of Homeland Security, community college is a “two-year school that provides affordable postsecondary education as a pathway to a four-year degree.” These schools also offer industry-specific training that helps graduates land jobs in the community directly after graduation. As the economy in the U.S. has changed in recent years, the quest for affordable, practical education has been on the rise. Community colleges tend to fit that bill to a “T” from trade-specific training to higher education that can stand alone or take the student directly into a four-year program.

Degrees offered by community colleges are typically associate degrees, which take two full years of coursework to complete. However, many certification and licensing programs may

For-profit colleges have been a growing sector in higher education in recent decades, but they have also fueled plenty of debate among educators and lawmakers. in 2010, for-profits launched an attack on community colleges, which are their main competitors, and community colleges vehemently fought back against the claims. While these for-profit schools tout their many benefits through expensive marketing campaigns, watchdogs of higher education claim these schools fail to deliver on their promises at a much higher rate than community colleges, public universities, and even some private institutions. A new report from Senator Tom Harkin indicates that these for-profit institutions are missing the mark in educating students and spending student and taxpayer dollars wisely - marking a wide divide between community colleges and these for-profit schools.

About the Harkin Report

The report, dubbed the Harkin Report after its primary author, is a voluminous write-up of nearly 250 pages that details the operations of 30 for-profit institutions around the country, according to Inside Higher Ed. The investigation, which took two years to complete, was headed by Tom Harkin, a Democrat from Iowa. The Democratic Majority and the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions issued the report.

Senator Harkin presented his findings at the end of July. Media, educators, and lawmakers have since scrutinized the Harkin report. While some agree wholeheartedly with the sometimes scathing report, others believe it is just another political ploy to run these institutions out of business.