Is a Two Year or a Four Year College a Better Choice?

The benefits of a two-year college education may outweigh the negatives surrounding a four-year institution. Consider the following topics in your decision of deciding which is the better.

The most important distinction between community colleges, also known as two-year colleges and four-year institutions is the cost. CollegeBoard states that the average tuition for 2009-10 is as follows:

• private (4 year)- $26,273;
• public - (4 year) $7,020 (out-of-state - $11,528); and,
• community college (2 year) - $2,544.
• This means that the choice of a community college (2 year) could net a savings of $23,500 over a private (4 year) institution and $4500 over an in-state (4 year) institution.

Room and board is also a consideration as well. If you are living on your own you may pay more than a university for your housing and living expenses. This is highly dependent on personal situation, however.

Many two-year colleges have open enrollment, meaning that you do not normally need to go through an application process, in the sense that you may be accepted or denied. Even in lieu of low test grades, community colleges normally offer a specialized program to get students on track in their education.

Whether or not this seems like an advantage, it can be for nearly any student. Those with mediocre or average grades are given the opportunity to excel in this environment, thus enabling them to possibly gain entrance to a school out of their academic reach out of high school.

Based on your situation, there are likely at least as many two-year colleges in your area as there are four-year institutions. However, this is not the most important sense in the discussion of ‘distance’ in this context: community colleges are very flexible with their classes. They cater to adult students and those with job and other commitments. Often you will find a greater selection of night and online classes than in some college and university settings.

The biggest drawback to a 2 year college compared to a 4 year college is inherent in the distinction: two-year colleges do not award bachelor’s degrees. That means, unless you only need an associate degree or some specialized degree obtainable at a community college, you will need to transfer to continue your education to a four-year college.

However, this is not a huge concern. In order to make this process easier should you choose a community college, check to see if the college has an agreement with other four-year institutions. For instance, the Illinois Articulation Initiative (IAI) is a statewide agreement which streamlines the transfer of general core classes between participating institutions. Such setups and research can go a long way to the confusion surrounding which classes will transfer and which will not.

Listing of US Community Colleges

College Costs