Community vs. Other Colleges

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

The perception of the value of a college degree appears to be evolving. As some students and their parents begin to focus on their return on investment (ROI), they are beginning to realize that graduating from a prestigious four-year school isn’t as glamorous as it seems. In addition, rising concern over increasing student debt has spurred questions about the best path to a profession. As the exploration continues, community colleges are starting to be seen as offering superior ROI for many students today.

The Value of a Four-Year Degree

PolicyMic reports on a recent analysis that looked at 1,248 four-year colleges and universities across the country. The study showed 28 percent of those four-year schools offered a negative ROI, which means students would have been better off financially if they had not gone to school at all! However, if those students had started their higher education at a community college and then transferred to a four-year school for their last two years, the negative ROI would have been reduced to 11.5 percent.

The best ROI from four-year schools often involved engineering programs. Schools like Colorado School of Mines, Georgia Tech, MIT, and Cal Tech reflect that trend. Ivy League schools also made the list for positive ROIs, demonstrating that high admission standards and a tradition of success do contribute to the value of postsecondary education. Other four-year schools did not always fare as well. For example, the last school on the list, Savannah College

For-profit colleges have been a growing sector in higher education in recent decades, but they have also fueled plenty of debate among educators and lawmakers. In 2010, for-profits launched an attack on community colleges, which are their main competitors, and community colleges vehemently fought back against the claims. While these for-profit schools tout their many benefits through expensive marketing campaigns, watchdogs of higher education claim these schools fail to deliver on their promises at a much higher rate than community colleges, public universities, and even some private institutions. A new report from Senator Tom Harkin indicates that these for-profit institutions are missing the mark in educating students and spending student and taxpayer dollars wisely - marking a wide divide between community colleges and these for-profit schools.

About the Harkin Report

The report, dubbed the Harkin Report after its primary author, is a voluminous write-up of nearly 250 pages that details the operations of 30 for-profit institutions around the country, according to Inside Higher Ed. The investigation, which took two years to complete, was headed by Tom Harkin, a Democrat from Iowa. The Democratic Majority and the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions issued the report.

Senator Harkin presented his findings at the end of July. Media, educators, and lawmakers have since scrutinized the Harkin report. While some agree wholeheartedly with the sometimes scathing report, others believe it is just another political ploy to run these institutions out of business.

Community colleges have experienced a mixed reputation over their 100-year history. On the one hand, these institutions have been traditionally viewed as the lesser choice in higher education. Other opinions have elevated these schools as the most direct way to train for the job market. Which view is more accurate? Today, the latter appears to be more prevalent, particularly because many four-year schools are now trying to capitalize on the same features community colleges have boasted since the beginning.

Career Training Begins at Community College

Since their inception, community colleges have been focused on vocational training. According to a report in the Times Herald-Record, these schools were originally created in the early part of the 20th century to get people into the workforce as quickly as possible. Fraternizing with academics and dabbling in philosophical thought processes were seen as counterproductive in this model of higher education.

This video from the Urban Institute discusses advancement along a career pathway at a community college.

While community colleges might have met their goals from a vocational standpoint, their singular focus also may have gained them a reputation as less academic schools than four-year colleges and universities. Those who wanted the true higher education experience would venture into the hallowed halls of those institutions perceived as factories for intellectuals and philosophers. However, when jobs become scarce, and industries begin to fizzle, the practical application of higher

This article has been updated to reflect 2026 data and recent developments.

As tuition costs continue to increase at higher education institutions across the country, many students are considering transitioning to community college once they earn their high school diploma. Although these schools were once considered below par in postsecondary education, the quality provided by many community colleges has been on track with many four-year schools today. The focus on community colleges by the Obama Administration historically resulted in additional funding and industry-focused training that increases employment opportunities once the degree is earned. We have eight reasons why community college might be the best choice for some high school graduates.

Affordability

Although tuition is getting more expensive, community colleges are still significantly more affordable than most four-year institutions. According to College Board, average annual tuition and fees at a private nonprofit four-year university are $45,000 for 2025–26, while annual tuition and fees at a public community college average $4,150 for in-district students. Public four-year universities average $11,950 for in-state students. In addition, many community college students continue to live at home while taking classes, saving money on room and board.

Based on our prior calculations comparing a community college with a private four-year university, you could save $80,000 by attending community college for two years!

This earlier comparison is illustrative rather than a guaranteed saving. Actual savings depend on the institutions, financial