Is it better to go to community college first?
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Should you go to a community college first and then transfer to a university?
Some students might benefit financially from attending a community college before transferring to a university. Some of the benefits of attending a community college are smaller class sizes and cheaper tuition. And students who are unsure of their major can have time to decide so that they can select a university accordingly.
What is a community college?
A community college is an entity that typically awards associate degrees. Some community colleges may have authority to award bachelor’s degrees, but this is more uncommon.
An associate degree is usually around 60 credit hours and would take someone around two years to complete. After you have completed your associate degree, you could transfer those credits to a four-year university.
Most of the credits you will take at a community college would be your basic courses because those are the courses you would primarily take during your freshman and sophomore year of college.
You will take a handful of classes that are focused on your major at a community college, but not as many as you will at a university.
You can complete your core curriculum at a community college and focus on your major at a university. The core classes are more basic courses that are required, and rather than paying a premium for these courses at a university, it’s better to complete them at a community college instead.
Can you transfer from a community college?
Yes. You can typically transfer from a community college into a four-year university. There are a few factors to consider. And most of the time it’s a seamless transfer if you have planned ahead.
Does the community college have an articulation agreement?
An articulation agreement is an agreement between a two-year college and a four-year university. It outlines the courses you will take at the two-year college and their equivalent transfers to the four-year university. It specifies how those courses will be directly applied to your degree to make sure you don’t take classes that aren’t necessary.
But remember, just because your college does not have an articulation agreement, doesn’t mean you cannot transfer.
I have completed these articulation agreements myself, and I worked with a four-year university who told me that they do not see the need for an articulation agreement because the state has transfer equivalency agreements between all public institutions.
It just wasn’t necessary. So don’t worry if there is not an articulation agreement. It can definitely help you plan, and make you feel more secure when transferring, but if all public institutions in your state have some other agreement, it will work just as well too.
Does your state have requirements for transfer into a public four-year university?
If you are completing your associate degree in the same state that you plan to transfer to a four-year university, it is likely that your state has some requirements for transfer credits.
Check to make sure the courses you take will transfer. Work with an advisor. Consider transferring to a public university rather than a private university, which may not take all your transfer credits. And try to stay in state.
You can see an example of Texas and their automated transfer equivalency system.
If you don’t live in Texas, check to see how your state handles transfers between community colleges and universities and see if there is a universal numbering system. There is likely some transfer agreement between the public community colleges and universities.
But never complete credits that won’t transfer because you’ll be wasting your money. Unless you have some unique circumstances.
For example, if you need a remedial class to continue at the community college, take it. If you need a credit to graduate with an associate degree, but it won’t transfer, you’ll likely want to complete it. There are some exceptions, but make sure you understand what credits transfer, and which ones won’t transfer.
And always make sure the classes transfer for an equivalent. Just because a four-year university will accept a credit, doesn’t mean that it will count towards your degree. For example, you might take SOCI 2314 at a community college, but the receiving university does not have an equivalent, so they accept it, but as an elective and not as a sociology equivalent.
Sometimes that is okay if you need additional electives, but sometimes you end up with too many electives and too many hours.
It's important to plan and work with an advisor, and as you know which four-year university you want to attend, start working with their advisor too. This way you can make sure that the courses you are taking will transfer.
Why take classes at a community college?
They are usually cheaper
You will have a better return on investment. The less dollars you spend at college will typically improve your return on investment.
Looking at educationdata.org, in-district tuition and fees for a full-time student would costs around $3700 annually at a community college compared to approximately $9300 per year at a university.
Now these costs can change dramatically depending on the university you select to attend. If you went to a private out-of-state university, that would be much more expensive compared to a public in-state university.
It is usually cheaper to attend a community college than a university.
Remember that going in-district and in-state will likely get you lower tuition rates.
You can live closer to home
Since community colleges may not offer student housing options, and their locations are usually closer to home, you won’t have to pay room and board. These are huge savings overall.
You may not have a university near your home, but a community college is near. Capitalize on the proximity of a community college for your first two years of college.
At a four-year university, the average housing costs are 11k per year for room and board.
If you can stay at home for two years while attending a community college, you’ll like save big.
You can think about your major
You may not have any idea what you want to major in currently. If this is you, you should take classes at a community college and give yourself some time to think about what career you want for your future.
Most community colleges will allow you to be undecided so you can focus on getting your basic courses out of the way before you waste any money on courses in your specified major. If you jump right into taking courses in a selected major and change your mind, you’ll likely fall behind if you change your major.
Take this time to make sure you know what you want to major in.
This matters because the university you choose to go to may not have that major and it’s better to know exactly what you want to do before you enroll in a four-year university.
It allows you an opportunity to figure out what you want to major in so that you can select a university that is most appropriate for that field.
You can get accustomed to college life
You probably have a community college near you. And many of your friends will likely attend.
You can get yourself acquainted with college life without having to dive in headfirst at a four-year university. If you went to a four-year university first, you’d likely have to live on campus, and it could be overwhelming.
You might not know anyone, have a random roommate, and be intimidated by the massive changes in your life. Going to a community college allows this transition to occur more slowly and usually in the comfort of your own community.
And it’s likely easier to get into than a university. You won’t have to jump through a lot of hoops to get started in your college career.
Classes are smaller
In most community colleges, the class sizes will usually be smaller than a university. This means you’ll get noticed by your professor, which could help with you getting your professor to vouch for you for admission to your top university.
In a university, you may have class sizes of a hundred or more. In a community college, class sizes are typically smaller.
In a community college where I taught, class sizes were around 30 students for each course. In a university that I attended, I had nearly 150 students in a class. We had to bring our student identification cards just to take the exams because our professor had no clue who we were and had to identify us by our student identification cards.
You’ll get more one-on-one attention. In universities, some classes are taught by graduate assistants. Or emails are answered by a teaching assistant.
In a community college, you’ll likely get more opportunity to get help with some difficult material because your professor is available. And your emails will likely go directly to the professor and not a graduate student.
Key takeaways
It can be cheaper to take classes at a community college.
It can allow you some time to get acclimated to college life.
Class sizes may be smaller.
You have time to think about your major and which university you should apply to.
Classes are almost always taught by professors and not graduate assistants.
The information written in this article are the sole opinions of the author and were compiled from personal experiences and research. Please use your own judgement to determine your own educational path.
