College Options

Junior colleges (also known as county colleges) are typically two year colleges where students can get their basic corses done and try out some career specific course work. These colleges offer less expensive tuition, smaller class size (teacher to student ratio), and generally less strenuous course work. It is a fantastic place for the student looking for an affordable and manageable experience. These basic course can turn into an associates degree and/or can transfer into a four year university after completion.

Junior colleges have increased their course offerings in the past several years to include career specific four year degrees (such as nursing) and many technical certifications (HVAC, welding, cosmetology, plumbing, etc) where students can quickly obtain credentials for very successful and rewarding careers. Junior colleges do not always have dorm rooms. If they do, they are limited. This allows incoming students to find housing off campus for a different type of college experience from a large, on-campus university experience.

CISD has seen many of its graduates become successful at junior colleges within a few hours from Commerce. These include (but are not limited to) Grayson County College, Paris Junior College, Collin County College, Tyler Junior College, and others. In fact, through an agreement with PJC, seniors who pass their English and Math classes are exempt from taking the entrance exam (at PJC only) and can enter PJC without the TSI test or remedial course work.

Public colleges and universities are usually larger schools that offer four year degrees. There are two ways to get into these schools. You can apply as an incoming freshman straight out of high school OR you can transfer courses from a junior college or other university. Degrees at this type of college are typically more involved with harder course work and more focused instruction directed at a career path after basics are completed. Some degree examples would be education, engineering, medical, legal, animal sciences, technology, humanities, arts, psychology, counseling, and many other degree plans. The expense of these colleges vary depending on size and focus of the college. Larger universities tend to be more expensive than smaller ones. These colleges also usually require all new students to live on campus unless they have established residency the year before. So make sure you check out the university dorms and consider the cost associated with that. Universities are classified by their size and programs offered through extra curricular using the terms D1 (largest such as UT Austin), D2 (TAMUC), and D3 (Austin College a private college). Usually athletic programs are the only students who worry about these titles.

Private universities offer mostly four year degrees with tracks to graduate school. They focus on careers that will require higher than a four year degree by providing degree tracks at a higher level of rigor. These colleges are usually much more expensive than public colleges. Their course and accreditation work slightly differently than the average university because they are driven for terminal degrees rather than transfer students. Admission to these colleges are more difficult and require more than just test grades. They are looking for leaders. They pride themselves on diverse and interesting study that expands the world of each student through travel studies, immersive experiential learning, and broad course offerings within their well designed course paths. These universities typically offer student housing and require their students to live on campus for two or more years.