Are you concerned with finding the money to pay for college? While it's true that student loans, grants, and scholarships may help you pay for your education, there are also choices you can make to control the cost of your education. Community colleges, for example, offer an affordable option for individuals seeking higher education with a minimal expense. Even if your plan involves earning a Bachelor's degree or higher, you can begin your coursework at a community college and transfer to a senior university once you have completed your core classes.

Graduating from high school and then going off to college is a large step for many students, especially in regard to academics and maturity level. A student (and parents) should really assess if the student is ready to attend a four-year university with all the academic and social demands. If not, community college is a great option. Or perhaps the student is ready to attend a four-year college, but simply cannot afford the cost. In this case, community college is also a great choice.

Community college used to have a stigma attached. But the stigma is quickly going away because students and parents are realizing what a financial steal community college is. For example, the average annual cost of tuition, room and board and fees at a public university as of 2009 is $14,333 (College Board). The average cost of a private college is $34,132 (College Board). The average annual cost of tuition and fees for 2008 for a community college is $4,552 (U.S. News & World Report). The savings are astronomical.

When one starts to weigh college options, from community college to an Ivy League school, it is common to want to look at average college tuition. According to the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), the average college tuition has been rising for quite some time. However, don't let this disenchant you as you look for the best college for your future goals.

The most important distinction between community colleges, also known as two-year colleges and four-year institutions is the cost. CollegeBoard states that the average tuition for 2009-10 is as follows:
private (4 year)- $26,273;
public - (4 year) $7,020 (out-of-state - $11,528); and,
community college (2 year) - $2,544.
This means that the choice of a community college (2 year) could net a savings of $23,500 over a private (4 year) institution and $4500 over an in-state (4 year) institution.


Room and board is also a consideration as well. If you are living on your own you may pay more than a university for your housing and living expenses. This is highly dependent on personal situation, however.

Social, economic, and global factors are discussed in relation to the significance of earning a two-year degree or career certification.

More and more students are choosing community colleges for their postsecondary education option—and who can blame them? Community colleges offer opportunities to earn professional certificates, skills, and degrees at reasonable cost. They can also be a great bargain for students who ultimately want to transfer their credits to earn a four-year degree.

One thing that has come out of the recession is that many people are coming to agree that there’s a connection between the economy and a college or university education. That’s according to the Lumina Foundation for Education, an Indianapolis-based foundation that works to improve access to higher education and success with it. Having more college and university graduates could actually help the economy, the Lumina Foundation suggests.

With growing numbers of college applicants and the explosion of test preparation services, GPA and test scores at selective colleges have been increasing every year, along with the number of applications. To be sure you are using current data, buy the most recent edition of the big book or check individual college statistics on their Web sites. Even the newest editions of the big books may be slightly out of date, since it takes at least a year to collect the data for publication. Web sites such as www.collegeboard.com also have this built-in lag. Schools can take off in just one year, dropping from a 35 percent to a 25 percent admission rate without warning (even to themselves) because the number of applications spikes unexpectedly. At the super-selective end of the spectrum, the admission rate is already so low that increases in the applicant pool do not affect the admissions statistics very much. They are scary enough as they are anyway.

So are you considering a career in aviation? You probably know that core courses of any aviation degree program are loaded with math and science curricula. The sheer thought of hours upon hours of mastering subjects like trigonometry, calculus, and physics can make even the brightest student shiver; however, if you are serious about pursuing an aviation degree, you can take classes now, which will help prepare you for advanced classes in conventional or online college.

Want to reduce your educational debt? Consider attending a community college for two years and transferring to a four-year college or university to complete a bachelor's degree. This strategy is often referred to as a 2 + 2 plan.