Is community college a good idea?

College Search & Selection Community Colleges
1

<p>Is community college for 2 years and then transferring to a university a good idea for an international student who is looking to save money? (Engineering Major)</p>

2

<p>I know several international students at the CC I dual enroll in who will then be transferring to universities. Applying as an international student is really tricky and I believe (haven’t verified) that if you attend a CC first you’ll be in the “transfer” category not the “international” category. I recommend California CCs since you’ll then be able to transfer to UCs and CSUs easily, and admission rates for transfer students are much higher in both than regular applicants. </p>

<p>It’s definitely cheaper unless you can get aid as a freshman, which I think is really hard for internationals. I would say it makes sense, but there may be downsides that I don’t know of.</p>

3

<p>Thank You so much! Really Helpful :slight_smile: </p>

4

<p>If you are interested in the UC system, try here: <a href=“UC Transfers - College Confidential Forums”>http://talk.collegeconfidential.com/uc-transfers/&lt;/a&gt;&lt;/p&gt;

5

<p>I’ll speak from my experience as a domestic transfer student from Illinois who transferred to UIUC. </p>

<p>First, undoubtedly, if your goal is to save money, community college will save you boatloads. On a per-year basis, you save maybe $25,000 a year and I’m sure it’s even more extreme for international students as I know many of my friends here pay double for tuition. Unless you have incredible stats, it is highly unlikely that the aid you’ll receive will surmount the costs you save by attending community college. </p>

<p>However, looking at a more long-term perspective, I’m not sure it’s the best way to save money in the long-run. That’s because community college just doesn’t give you the same experience a four-year university does, which puts you at an extreme disadvantage your first couple semesters (half of your four-year university experience) so you have to learn a new culture, make new friends, get used to a more rigorous academic curriculum, and aggressively job hunt. I know at least 7 domestic transfer students that were not able to land junior-year internships. That means you’re either doing an extra 1-2 semesters to give yourself additional time to find the right job or you’re taking a job that’s less competitive, thus either way there’s a long-term financial impact that you have to consider.</p>