So for the past two years I have been taking classes at my nearby community college. As of now, my total number of credits is 80. Will that help me in any way when I apply to colleges? I’m looking at UVA and UMich
No. Your GPA is much more important. Also, many four-year schools require that at least 60+ credits be taken at the four-year school (called a “residency requirement”) so having a lot of credits from a community college will not really help.
The rest of my application is pretty good. I just wanted to use this to diversify myself
Absolutely. Some students show ability to do college level work through APs, some use CC credits. Either way, if you took challenging courses and earned good grades, it will help you.
My daughter came in with two years of CC credits from dual enrolling in high school. We found out at orientation that she had the most of any incoming freshman (when they mentioned the “highest number anyone has this year”, it was her exact number, haha.) I can’t say how much it helped her admission, as she also had a 35 on her ACT and over a 4.0, but we were always been told by colleges we visited for her and her older sister that it helped.
Michigan was extremely generous in granting transfer credit, too.
OP - are you a transfer student or applying as a freshman? That makes a difference.
Most universities require you to take at least 50% of your classes (typically 60/120 credit hours) to get a degree.