Many students that graduate from a four-year college started their college career at a community college.

There are plenty of good reasons to start at a community college and transfer to a four-year college, including:

• You are not required to take the ACT or SAT to get into a community college even if you later transfer to a four-year college.
• All programs at a four-year college require you to take a series of general classes such as English 101 that are not part of your major program. Taking these general requirements at a community college will be less expensive than taking them at a four-year college.
• You can usually find a good community college in your area. If you still live with your parents this will help you avoid paying on-campus living expenses. The cost of living in a dorm room is actually more than the cost of tuition at many large universities.
• Community colleges usually have smaller classes than large colleges so the professors and instructors are able to give more one-on-one attention to each student.
• If you weren’t the most focused or hard working student in high school, or you didn’t have the best grades, community college can teach you to become a better student in a less demanding atmosphere than a large university.
• If you haven’t made up your mind about what you want to study, you can take classes from different programs until you find one that fits you.

Plan ahead to transfer to a four-year college

• If you have a specific four-year college in mind, make sure that the credits you earn at your community college are transferable to that college.
• Look into transfer programs. Many community colleges have programs that prepare you to transfer to the same program at a local four-year college. As long as you successfully complete the two-year program you will be accepted into the corresponding four-year college as a junior.
• Ask about articulation agreements. Your community college may have agreements with other colleges across the country so that certain courses count as the equivalent of a class at the larger school. For example, you can get credit for the English 101 class you took at the community college when you transfer to a four-year college. Some state and city college systems have detailed brochures or websites that list what classes are equivalent to each other at each school.
• Keep your grades up. It is always easier to transfer with good grades.
• Attend transfer fairs. Community colleges frequently have representatives come in from larger colleges to speak with students about transfer requirements and programs.
• Find out if your financial aid is transferable or if you need to reapply or take any other steps.
• Meet with your academic advisor regularly to go over all the details and plan your transfer to a four-year college from your community college.