Young adults don’t know what they want to do with the rest of their lives right out of high school. The first couple of years of college are spent taking prerequisite classes. Most of these are the same, no matter what college you attend. Everyone must take English 101 and History. Whether you are going to be a doctor or an artist, those first couple years consist of the same courses.
Cheaper Classes
College Board reported that community colleges require less than half of what you will pay at a University. Don’t waste money on more expensive schools until they know what direction they are headed. Some students need to test out some classes and find where their interests are. Community college can be a cheaper way of testing out different areas. Once they have made up their mind, then transfer to a larger University if needed. If you’re lucky, they may find a career path that they can accomplish with a degree from a community college.
Live at Home
Having your child live at home can be an excellent way for you to save money. As long as you have a community college close to you. On average room and board will cost you around $11, 000 a year at a four-year institution. Think of everything that you could do with that money. This would cover over almost two years of tuition at a community college. Another expense that living at home could cut down is the food bill. Universities will offer meal plans, but many students will still choose to eat out. Which can make the food bill go through the roof. If you’re the cooking type of parent, you will be able to cut down this expense.
Admission
A community college is lenient on its requirements. For example, most universities will require a High School diploma or a certain GPA in core classes. They will also want to see ACT or SAT scores; some will want both. The application fee that they require will also be higher. Most community colleges will accept anyone with a high school diploma regardless of GPA. Depending on the type of grades your student got in high school, this may be the gateway to get into the university they want. Once they have some classes under their belt, it will be easier to transfer to a larger school.
Faster
Community colleges offer associate degree programs and certificates, while universities provide bachelors masters and PhDs. Most of the programs at a community college will take two years or less to complete. At a University four years will be the minimum of time they will spend there. If they go above a bachelor’s degree, it will be longer. The faster you can get them into the workforce, the less money you will have to spend!
Before you start the money applications to larger colleges, check out the local options. Maybe you can luck out a find a great program at a community college.