Community Colleges and their Ecosystem
About Community Colleges
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Community colleges and 4-year colleges and universities often develop special agreements for the transfer of credits and degrees between the institutions. In this “2+2 process,” you can earn a bachelor’s degree with two years of community college, followed by two years of university study.
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Undergraduate students studying at community colleges can earn academic credit towards a bachelor’s degree. Earning academic credit at a community college, which is usually less expensive, can help lower the overall cost of a bachelor’s degree. Community colleges may also have a more flexible admissions process.
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Community colleges offer a variety of support services and cross-cultural programs, including tutoring, advising, career planning, study skills, and counseling—many designed specifically for international students.
U.S. community college students often work while pursuing their studies. Community colleges offer flexible course schedules to accommodate students’ lives outside of school; students can usually take courses during the day or in the evening, part-time or full-time. Programs especially popular among international students include business, computer science, computer graphics, internet technology, multimedia, hotel management, restaurant management, psychology, accounting, early childhood education, and environmental conservation.
Benefits of Community Colleges
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Community colleges offer significantly lower tuition and fees (typically less than half as much)
than 4-year institutions.
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Many community colleges provide academic and English language assistance and other support services to prepare students for the demands of studying at the university level.
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Community colleges work closely with their local communities, connecting international students with academic/cultural programs and other services in the area.
Many community colleges are “open admission” institutions, and are equipped to provide necessary prerequisites to help students become eligible to enroll in college level courses. International students who earn an associatedegree at a community college are eligible for one more year of Optional Practical Training(OPT) than if they started at a 4-year school.
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