The two schools I went to, University of Alaska and USC, give merit aid for community college transfers. Those can’t be the only two schools that offer merit aid, grants and scholarships for transfers.
Community colleges have long been a starting point for people who needed a more affordable way to enter college. It could be that the savings from the lower tuition at a CC match any merit aid that a student may have otherwise gotten.
But if 4141greg wants to sit out a year, that’s OK, too.