| Today every young student in the United States is | | | | than four year colleges and universities. Their students |
| looking for the right kind of jobs that can offer them | | | | are more likely to be first generation, minority, part-time |
| professional growth potential. As a result, it won't be | | | | students or those who are currently employed. The |
| wrong to say that an education is one of the prime | | | | percentage of minority students in the total enrollment |
| core areas that have always played a vital role in | | | | of community colleges is also significantly higher than in |
| choosing and accessing right employment. Keenly | | | | public four-year institutions. |
| aware of this situation these days many institutions in | | | | Geographic, financial and educational access for all is |
| United States are implementing innovative educational | | | | primarily at the heart of most community college |
| policy reforms - Community College to meet the | | | | missions, and this can be easily seen in their fairly |
| demands of growing student populations and the labor | | | | diverse course offerings that mostly deal with the |
| market needs. | | | | diverse needs of community residents, including |
| Over the past few years this conception of | | | | transfer education, continuing education, career |
| community college has taken root in many parts of the | | | | education and small business/entrepreneurship |
| United States. Today a community college which is | | | | development training. The size of these functions can |
| also known as a junior college, technical colleges, or | | | | differ largely based on institutional missions or the size |
| city colleges can be defined as a higher education | | | | and maturity of the particular institution. |
| institution that offers a two year curriculum. The major | | | | These days, these colleges have cemented the way |
| difference between community colleges and four year | | | | for online courses, and many students are opting |
| college is their admission policies and on campus living. | | | | different programs. Indeed as the recent research |
| The key feature of community colleges is that they | | | | conducted by the Sloan Consortium, in past few years |
| never promote a competitive application process. Any | | | | two-year community colleges have experienced the |
| student who wants to enroll can generally have an | | | | highest growth rate in online education, accounting for |
| admission. Though the open access policy may be | | | | more than 50% of all online course enrollments. The |
| true for some state run community colleges, but | | | | major positive sign is that the enrollment in online |
| privately owned community colleges generally follow | | | | courses at community colleges has even surpassed |
| their own admission policies and have other criteria for | | | | the numbers of all other higher education programs. |
| admissions. | | | | Ultimately, both community colleges and four year |
| In community colleges, students are expected to live at | | | | colleges offer students choices to pursue education in |
| home or live in their own apartments. There is no | | | | whatever format that makes sense for them. |
| on-campus housing available on community college | | | | Knowing what is available and the cost of education |
| campuses. This is yet another important difference | | | | that generally differ between community colleges and |
| from most four year colleges where at least lower | | | | four year colleges can help potential students make |
| level students, live on campus. In addition to this, these | | | | smart decisions regarding their education. |
| colleges also serve rather a different demographic | | | | |