<p>Would it save money? Community Colleges (CCs) generally have very low-cost in-state tuition. Cost of attendance includes Tuition and Fees (low cost) + Books (equal) + travel & incidental (equal) + room and board (may be lower, at least it is often subsidized by parents). Financial aid for community college often factors in only tuition and fees (and maybe books). Financial aid for 4-year colleges factor in all of these costs. Thus, if you are eligible for substantial financial aid, the CC may be more expensive, otherwise, it could save you lots of money. The professors can be surprisingly excellent, and the class sizes small.</p>
<p>Merit scholarships tend to be for Freshman, though there are many for transfer students. Transfer scholarships, however, frequently have a “need” component in addition to the merit component, or are for special populations (re-entry, vets, etc.). You will want to check this with your target 4-year schools.</p>
<p>It would probably help your chances of getting into a selective college, since the application would be based on your CC track record, not your high school track record. However, you will want to be sure to burnish the CC track record as much as possible by being very involved in the CC!</p>