Exactly what is a community college?

The concept of  community based education was born in the early 20th century in the United States. The primary function of these institutes was to provide higher education to the local community by means of public funding.  Community Colleges allow people to obtain certificates, diplomas and associate degrees.  Many people also use these colleges as a bridging course  in order to transfer their credits to a University and study towards a Bachelors degree.

Students are able to chose from various fields of study which allows them the freedom to move into public sector careers like law enforcement, nursing and even fire fighting whilst also allowing them to go into more defined careers. Some of which include Information Technology, radiology and medical technicians.

Community college is a great opportunity for a number of reasons. Admission requirements for most community colleges is a high school diploma or the standardized (GED) exam. In the case of remedial education, community college offers courses that prepare students to apply to Universities. Once they have obtained their associate degrees, students are able to transfer credits toward obtaining a Bachelor’s degree.

Community college is also a great option for adults who work on a full or part-time basis. The programs offered at these institutes often do wonders for career advancement helping people move up the corporate ladder. Sometimes all it takes is an extra qualification or two to give you the competitive edge over your peers. Courses may even be taken at night, allowing people to continue at their jobs while learning.

Community college has a very low barrier of entry where as Universities have many barriers of entry excluding a lot of  people.  Apart from the stricter entrance criteria, financial barriers are also a factor. Due to the state of the current U.S. economy even leading financial institutes are finding it difficult to provide financial aid to students. Community college is far more affordable to the average person. One of the reasons for this is that 90 percent of the U.S. population lives within 25 miles of a community college, this along is a massive saving on boarding fees as students may stay at home and travel to college daily.