There's a quicker, cheaper way to go to college, but fewer students are trying it

[davewill]

Kinda sad that less community college students are making the transition. I wonder if this is simply because students who had to finish high school under lockdown just aren't ready for college.

There's a quicker, cheaper way to go to college, but fewer students are trying it

Starting in community college and then transferring to a four-year school is a proven pathway to getting a degree for significantly less money.

Yet fewer students are going this route. Transfer enrollment from two-year colleges to four-year schools dropped again in fall 2022 compared with the previous year, this time sinking nearly 8%. This continues the downward slide that started with the pandemic, according to a new report by the National Student Clearinghouse Research Center.

"This suggests that baccalaureate degree attainment is beginning to appear increasingly out of reach for community college students," said Doug Shapiro, the research center's executive director. For a group the pandemic hit especially hard, this is a trend Shapiro calls "very concerning."

However, there's another way to take up to two years off a four-year degree that's even faster and less expensive.

How 'early college' programs work
In some cases, students can complete an associate's degree by the time they finish high school, a type of dual enrollment known as "early college."

Unlike Advanced Placement, another program in which high school students take courses and exams that could earn them college credit, dual enrollment is a state-run program that allows students to take college-level classes, often through a local community college, while they are still in high school.

These programs are not restricted to high school students on a specific — and often accelerated — academic track, as many AP classes are.

At least 35 states have policies that guarantee that students with an associate's degree can transfer to a four-year state school as a junior.

[acamp]

Unfortunately, so many of the high school and college aged students are stuck on the stigma of “attending a community college”, which is probably one of the smartest and cost-effective decisions they could make if they did the community college to college transfer route.


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[CatsDomino]

Attending community college first then transferring has paid off tremendously for my children.  My oldest son's CC had agreements with several state schools to do a 2+2 program where students earn their AAS and then finish the last two years at the partner university.  He did his AAS, got hired at the company he interned with during his AAS program, and the company picked up the tab for his BS in electrical engineering.  He came out of school with no debt and a lucrative career.  Our youngest went the AS transfer route and saved a ton of money.  He's a senior at a state school right now majoring in computer science with dual minors in physics and math and will have maybe $3k in loans when he graduates this December.  If parents were smart, they would at least have their kids take a look at what a community college could offer them.

[mohelena02]

Attending community college first then transferring has paid off tremendously for my children.  My oldest son's CC had agreements with several state schools to do a 2+2 program where students earn their AAS and then finish the last two years at the partner university.  He did his AAS, got hired at the company he interned with during his AAS program, and the company picked up the tab for his BS in electrical engineering.  He came out of school with no debt and a lucrative career.  Our youngest went the AS transfer route and saved a ton of money.  He's a senior at a state school right now majoring in computer science with dual minors in physics and math and will have maybe $3k in loans when he graduates this December.  If parents were smart, they would at least have their kids take a look at what a community college could offer them.

This is excellent! Congrats to your children on their amazing accomplishments and congrats to you for your great guidance!

[ss20ts]

Transferring from a community college doesn't work for everyone. Been there. Done that. I would have transferred as a second semester freshman after completing my AAS instead of a first semester junior which is what I was at the private school I transferred to made me. They actually accepted my 60+ credits. The 4 year state school in the same system as the community college would not accept most of my courses even though they used the exact same textbook for many of my classes. It was an absolute nightmare trying to transfer to a state school.

[dfrecore]

It really depends on the state - some systems are better than others at the transfer. CA is excellent; they even have a great way to get into VERY competitive schools like Berkeley and Davis, by using the TAG system; you are guaranteed a spot in a UC through TAG.

Other states have been making it easier for students to make the transition over the last few years, and they're doing a great job.

But some states are terrible, and make it impossible for students to complete degrees in 4 years with the 2+2 system.

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Transferring from a community college doesn't work for everyone. Been there. Done that. I would have transferred as a second semester freshman after completing my AAS instead of a first semester junior which is what I was at the private school I transferred to made me. They actually accepted my 60+ credits. The 4 year state school in the same system as the community college would not accept most of my courses even though they used the exact same textbook for many of my classes. It was an absolute nightmare trying to transfer to a state school.

An AAS will be far less transferable, because it's not meant to be a transfer degree, but a terminal degree.  There are generally far fewer GenEd credits, and many state schools that take AA/AS degrees in full don't have a ton of space for Free Electives, which is what most AAS major coursework would be.

[ss20ts]

It really depends on the state - some systems are better than others at the transfer.  CA is excellent; they even have a great way to get into VERY competitive schools like Berkeley and Davis, by using the TAG system; you are guaranteed a spot in a UC through TAG.

Other states have been making it easier for students to make the transition over the last few years, and they're doing a great job.

But some states are terrible, and make it impossible for students to complete degrees in 4 years with the 2+2 system.

---

Transferring from a community college doesn't work for everyone. Been there. Done that. I would have transferred as a second semester freshman after completing my AAS instead of a first semester junior which is what I was at the private school I transferred to made me. They actually accepted my 60+ credits. The 4 year state school in the same system as the community college would not accept most of my courses even though they used the exact same textbook for many of my classes. It was an absolute nightmare trying to transfer to a state school.

An AAS will be far less transferable, because it's not meant to be a transfer degree, but a terminal degree.  There are generally far fewer GenEd credits, and many state schools that take AA/AS degrees in full don't have a ton of space for Free Electives, which is what most AAS major coursework would be.

In my case, I have an AAS and an AS. I was still only going ot be made a second semester freshman because the 4 year school didn't accept most credits from the surrounding community colleges. It is a bit better today, but it's still not easy to transfer in this state system and get all of the credit you've earned to be included. Private schools are still typically much easier to transfer to which was the case for me. The private school had no problem making me a first semester junior with my AAS degree and they gave me credit for all of the courses I completed. AAS is many subjects such as business and accounting are quite common in community colleges. Few here offer anything aside from an AAS. Same goes for many of the IT majors.

[TwinMom]

Also, some community colleges are also awarding Bachelor's degrees. The closest one to us will award 3 degrees beginning in the Fall. Much cheaper than a 4 yr. University