Community College Option

Community Colleges (CC) in the United States offer two options.  

1. They offer a path for students to take their first two years of their 4 year University degree at a small institution, often at a lower cost, and enable transfer to complete a 4 year degree at Universities all over the US.  This can enable a student who did not receive the scores that they needed to attend the University of their dreams as a freshman to enhance their academic record and then apply to transfer to that dream University-- essentially a second chance or a back door.  Community Colleges would accept a student who has earned a TISA diploma and give that student a shot at attending the University of Washington, Berkeley, Ohio State, Harvard, or any University that a student is able to met the admission requirements for.  US Bachelors degrees typically take 4 years-- this pathway takes the same 4 years just split between two different schools.  

2. They offer a path for student to earn a 2 year Associates Degree directed at a specific job or set of useable skills, like dental hygiene, paramedic, teachers assistant, personal trainer and kinesiology,  Nursing and much more.. 

Things to Know

Some Community Colleges also allow for high school students who have not yet earned their degree to meet the requirements for a High School Diploma at the same time as they are earning credits toward their University degree.  

Although most Community Colleges do not have dorms, some do, and most have systems set up to assist students with finding housing.  Most also have some system of home stay for students to have an opportunity to live with a family while they attend.  

Every State has Community Colleges, and aligning the Community College with the College or University you hope to finish your degree with is a good place to start for choosing a Community College. 

University Transfer Pathway Agreements (UTP). 

A letter from a 4 year University that comes with admission to a Community College.