Community College 101

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Community College 101

Community College Resume

Featured Programs

1,138: Number of community colleges in U.S.

Of that:
992: are public community colleges
96: are independent community colleges
40: are native American community colleges
750,399: number of Associates Degrees conferred in 2012-2013 school year

Location, Location, Location: Where Are They?

Number of Community Colleges:

Large cities: 186
Fringe of large city: 227
Mid-sized cities: 315
Fringe of mid-sized city: 77
Large Town: 60
Small town: 296
Rural: 110

Student Demographics: Who Goes There?

28: average student age
57: percentage of women students in CCs
43: percentage of male students

Ethnicity:
50: percentage of white students
21: percentage of Hispanic students
14: African-American
6: percent Asian
1: percent of native American students
2: 2 or more races
4: percent unknown
1: percent non-resident alien

Other Student Demographics

First generation to attend college: 36%
Single parent: 17%
Veterans: 4%
Students with disabilities: 12%

Working and Learning at the Same Time

Full time students employed full time: 22%
Full time students employed part time: 40%
Part time students employed full time: 41%
Part time students employed part time: 32%

Who Pays More? Average Annual Tuition (2014-2015)

Community college, public, in district: $3,347
4 year college, public, in state: $9,139

Pros and Cons: Why Attend a Community College?

Pros:
Tuition cheaper
Flexible Schedule (allowing for off campus work)
Can explore more options (after all, it’s cheaper)
Smaller class size
Qualified teachers
Good for transition (to a 4 year school if you want to)

Cons:
Limited curriculum
Lighter workload
Uninvolved students
Lack of campus life

Famous Community Colleges’ Alums
George Lucas, Billionaire Director, Producer Star Wars, Modesto Junior College
Nolan Ryan, Hall of Fame baseball pitcher, Alvin Community College
Clint Eastwood, macho Hollywood star, Oscar winning director, Los Angeles City College
Morgan Freeman, movie star, Los Angeles City College
Eddie Murphy, comedian, movie star, Nassau Community College, New York
Burt Reynolds, actor, Palm Beach State College, Florida

Sources:

http://www.aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Trends/Pages/instcharacteristics.aspx
http://www.communitycollegereview.com/blog/why-more-students-are-choosing-community-colleges-over-traditional-four-year-schools
http://www.aacc.nche.edu/AboutCC/Pages/fastfactsfactsheet.aspx
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/gobankingrates/20-rich-and-famous-commun_b_7546150.html
https://www.scholarships.com/resources/college-prep/choosing-the-right-school/the-pros-and-cons-of-community-colleges/

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