Choosing a School

Whether you are a high school student, an adult student, or someone looking for retraining, we have all the resources you need to make an educated choice about the right community college for you. We’ll compare community colleges to other institutions of higher education, explore college rankings and the accreditation system, and provide useful tips to ensure your community college credits transfer easily.

View the most popular articles in Choosing a School:

What is an Articulation Agreement and Why Should You Care?

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What is an Articulation Agreement and Why Should You Care?
Many students enter community college with the intent of transferring to a four-year college or university. Unfortunately, the path can be fraught with challenges. Articulation agreements between schools help students navigate the pitfalls to ensure an easier, more successful transition.

If you were to ask any admissions counselor or community college administrator what an articulation agreement is, they wouldn’t hesitate to tell you. However, ask any student on a community college campus, and you might not get the same response. Articulation agreements exist between many colleges, yet the majority of community college students have no idea what they are.

An articulation agreement is designed to create a seamless transfer experience for students moving from community college to four-year institutions. Not every community college has them, but most do, and they are an invaluable resource for transfer students. Read on to learn more about an articulation agreement and how it can benefit you as a community college student.

This video explains articulation agreements.

The Trouble with Transferring

According to the Community College Research Center, roughly 40% of undergraduates in the United States start their higher education at community colleges. Of those, 80% intend to earn at least a bachelor’s degree, and about 20% end up transferring to a four-year college or university.

In the eyes of an incoming community college student, the future is bright, and community college is a stepping stone on the path to a four-year school. Unfortunately, that path is not as easy to navigate as one would hope. Between the challenges of completing prerequisites and paying for tuition, many students take longer than anticipated to make the transfer, if

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Why Don’t More Community College Students Transfer to Four-Year Schools?

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Why Don’t More Community College Students Transfer to Four-Year Schools?
Many students enroll in community college with the intent of transferring to a four-year school. Of those who do, many succeed, and yet traditional colleges and universities continue to overlook them. Read on to learn more about why more community college students don’t transfer schools and to receive some tips for making the transfer yourself.

Nearly six million students are enrolled in community college each year, many with the intent of eventually transferring to a traditional four-year university. That transfer is not without challenges, however, as many schools don’t accept all community college credits and transfer acceptance rates remain fairly low. Those who do make the transfer tend to succeed, however, which begs the question why colleges and universities continue to overlook community college students and why more community college students don’t make the transfer.

In this article, we’ll take a look at the statistics for how many community college students move on to four-year colleges and universities. We’ll also explore the data on how well they perform and provide some tips for community college students thinking about making the transfer.

How Many Community College Students Transfer?

As college tuitions costs continue to rise and more families struggle to make ends meet, the number of students who choose to start their college education at community college continues to grow. Community college appeals to many because the tuition is typically more affordable and other costs can be kept low by living at home versus living on campus. Community colleges also offer more flexible scheduling for non-traditional students including single parents and adults returning to school.

According to an article published by the National Student Clearinghouse, about 80% of entering community college students indicate that they want to earn a bachelor’s degree or higher, making them likely to transfer to

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How to Get the Most Out of Your College Visits this Summer

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How to Get the Most Out of Your College Visits this Summer
If you're preparing to apply to college, use your summer wisely and complete a few college visits. Read on to learn how to plan and how to get the most from each visit.

Whether you’re planning to attend an Ivy League school, or you want to start out at community college, it’s important to find the right fit. There are so many colleges and universities out there that there’s no reason you can’t find one that suits your needs and preferences.

But how do you go about choosing the perfect college?

You have to start somewhere, so talk to your high school counselor, do some research online, or ask around with your friends and family to start making a list of colleges you may be interested in. As you go deeper with your research, you’ll start to get a feel for each school, and you’ll start to get an idea whether you would fit in there.

Once you have narrowed down your list to a few top picks, it’s time to take the next step – college visits. In this article, we’ll talk about the importance of college visits and how to do them right.

Why Is It Important to Do College Visits?

The college application process is very time-consuming, and it can be stressful knowing that every detail of your application could be scrutinized. When you work that hard to put together the perfect application, you want to know that it’s being sent in the right direction. If you don’t take the time to visit and learn about the schools you’re applying to, it could be wasted effort.

On the other side of things, completing a college visit can

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Is Community College the Best Option for Homeschoolers?

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Is Community College the Best Option for Homeschoolers?
Though homeschoolers often get a bad rap, they are some of the highest performing students in the country - especially in college. Keep reading to learn more about community college for homeschoolers including tips for applying and preparing for college.

Community college has gained a reputation for being the ideal option for nontraditional students. Single parents, retirees, and individuals hoping to switch careers are some of the biggest beneficiaries of community college but there is another group of students to think about – homeschoolers.

According to the National Household Education Survey Program (NHES), there were over 1.7 million K-12 students being homeschooled in the United States. This number represents an 18% increase since the previous survey taken in 2007. As both of these studies demonstrate, homeschooling has become increasingly more popular since it became a legal option in all 50 states in 1993.

There are many reasons why parents choose to homeschool their children. For some, it is a matter of wanting greater control over their child’s curriculum and schedule or a desire to create a program adapted to their child’s needs. Homeschooling can help parents create a stronger bond with their children and it gives children the freedom to learn at their own pace. Homeschooling does come with its challenges, however, particularly when it comes to college applications.

College applications for homeschoolers are not as complex as they used to be, but it still takes time to complete them. More homeschoolers are turning to community college over traditional four-year colleges and universities. Keep reading to learn why and how to prepare your homeschooler for college.

Surprising Facts About Homeschoolers in College

Though more than 3% of the K-12 student population in the United States is

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Online Community College? What Are the Pros and Cons?

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Online Community College? What Are the Pros and Cons?
Online courses are an affordable and convenient alternative to attending a traditional university. With the advent of the first all-online community college in California, the world of community college is changing and changing quickly. Keep reading to learn more.

For many students, the primary benefit of community college is that it is local to their community. In recent years, however, community colleges have begun to offer more classes online and plans for an all-online community college in California are underway.

So, what are the benefits of attending community college online, and are there any drawbacks? Keep reading to find out.

The Evolution of Online Education

The first American community college was born in 1901 and, over the past eleven decades, they have served the educational needs of nontraditional and financially constrained students. One of the biggest draws of community college, as compared to traditional colleges and universities, is that they were local, and they provided a more convenient, reduced-cost alternative.

From modest beginnings, the National Center for Education Statistics says that the community college student population has grown to over 6.4 million students. Of those students, nearly 2 million are enrolled in at least one online course.

Online education is nothing new, at least not in the realm of modern education. Technically speaking, however, the technology needed to facilitate online education (namely, computers) is over 170 years old. The precursor to online education was correspondence courses which were first offered in Great Britain. Instructors developed lessons and sent them to students by mail who then completed the assignment and mailed it back.

The advent of the Internet has made a great many things possible that were once unfathomable, and it has been an instrumental tool in the

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Choosing a School

COMMUNITY VS. OTHER COLLEGES
With so many higher education options, we compare community colleges against other institutions to help you find the best option for your needs. We’ll look at how community colleges are outperforming 4-year schools, study the latest data on the ROI of community colleges and explore why more students are turning to them.
8 Reasons Why Community College Might be the Best Choice After High School
8 Reasons Why Community College Might be the Best Choice After High School
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Community Colleges vs. State Schools: Which One Results in Higher Salaries?
Why More Students are Choosing Community Colleges over Traditional Four-Year Schools
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COLLEGE RANKINGS & ACCREDITATION
Are you attending one of the best community colleges? Do rankings matter? From the best schools in the US to those losing accreditation, we’ll provide you with the latest resources on community college rankings.
City College Of San Francisco Faces Accreditation Loss, Shut-Down
City College Of San Francisco Faces Accreditation Loss, Shut-Down
When Community Colleges are at Risk of Losing Accreditation
When Community Colleges are at Risk of Losing Accreditation
Top Five Community Colleges Announced
Top Five Community Colleges Announced