Maybe you’re the kind of student who isn’t impressed by mascots or picturesque campus quads.

Maybe you aren’t sure what you want to do with your life and really don’t like the idea of paying off student loans. 

Maybe you know exactly what you want to do and are turned off by the idea of another round of English/math/science/history classes. 

Maybe you were a late bloomer in high school and just need a clean slate so you can land admission to your dream school in a couple years.

Maybe you just want to live your life and get a college degree in the process.

If any of the above statements apply to you, this could be your section.

There are three types of two-year colleges: public community colleges, trade schools, and private junior colleges. Let’s start with the most popular one.

Community College/Public Junior College

Good Fit For...

Public two-year colleges (often called community or junior colleges) are especially great options for students who want to transfer to a public university in their state and...

• aren’t sure of their major

• need a do-over on their GPA

• need/want to save money for when they finish their degree(s)

• All of the above

Pro Tip: If you plan to transfer, make sure you become part of Phi Beta Kappa (an academic honor society), as many colleges have scholarships for transfer students who have achieved this honor.

Not a Good Fit If...

• Your family situation makes it a struggle to stay focused on schoolwork

• You need many support services and aren’t comfortable advocating for yourself (for example, by reaching out to professors and college staff when you have questions)

• You aren’t terribly self-disciplined about handling college paperwork/staying on top of requirements

Affordability

Seriously, this college type is so, so affordable. For example, in North Carolina, community colleges tuition is $76 per credit hour. (That’s roughly $1,200 per semester!) Granted, NC has one of the least expensive community college systems. See how your state’s community college tuition stacks up here.

The fact is, in all but a couple states (**cough**New Hampshire**cough cough***Vermont) you could have your entire college tuition paid for by...

• working full-time in the summer and part-time through the school year, and/or

• taking less than an hour to fill out a FAFSA which, in the worst case scenario, would let you take out a loan to cover everything … or in the best case scenario would give you over $6,000 for free just because you need it. (More on this in section 3!)

Options

Not all community college pathways are the same. You have many possibilities:

• Attend for 1-2 semesters, then apply to transfer to a public institution 

  • Many states have what’s called an “Articulation Agreement” that allows community college classes to transfer with zero problems from two-year to four-year colleges within the same state. It’s still a really good idea to look at the “transfer equivalencies” at the university you plan to transfer to, to make sure the classes you take will transfer the way you want them to.

• Attend for 2ish years to earn an associates and then transfer in as a guaranteed junior

• Take advantage of Community College Public University Partnerships or Bridge Programs intended to increase graduation rates (while lowering costs to students). For example, check out programs like

  • NC’s RIBN Program

  • This partnership between some 4-year California schools and the state’s community colleges; or this partnership with the CSU system

  • Florida’s “2+2” model

  • Syracuse’s partnership program

• Get an associates, diploma, certificate and be done, which is what we’ll talk about next!

  • Cosmetology, HVAC, Automotive, Machining, Surgical Tech, CNA, Medical Billing, etc.

Trade Schools

Good Fit For…

…students who are ready to get to work after a year or so.

Not a Good Fit If…

You’re not prepared to work in a specific trade or think you may want to change your mind in the next 10 years or so. Trade-specific classes typically don’t transfer towards a bachelor's degree, so if you change your mind later and want to pursue a different line of work, you may have to start back at the beginning of the four-year degree program. Also, with many trades the opportunities to increase your income over time can be limited. So you may start with higher pay, but it may not increase much over time.

Affordability

Greatly depends on the type of trade school you enroll in: for-profit or not-for-profit.

Options

For-profit colleges typically fall in this category, although they are generally not a good idea as we mentioned at the beginning of Step 2. If you are a student in Quadrant 4, this could be a good fit if you absolutely do not want to take any more general education (English, math, science) classes and can afford the tuition out of pocket. Just remember, your credits almost certainly won’t transfer to other institutions, so make sure you plan to finish what you start.

Public/not-for-profit colleges (a.k.a. community colleges) are typically much, much cheaper and more reliable options for trade skills. The programs offered vary depending on the college.

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Action Item: If you believe a specific trade could be a good fit for you, you can either

1) talk to a couple professionals in that trade and see where they earned their certifications and/or 

2) research colleges that offer the program you’re interested in using a college search engine like BigFuture.CollegeBoard.org or this one!

Private Junior College 

Good Fit For...

…students who aren’t sure where they want to land but definitely want to live in a dorm and transfer to a four-year university. They can also be great options for students who want to play a sport in college but weren’t recruited as a freshman.

Not a Good Fit If… 

You don’t have a definite vision to transfer to a 4-year college after two years.

Affordability

Just like with other types of private colleges, it really depends. Louisburg College in North Carolina is comparable in cost to a 4-year private college, whereas Deep Springs is free to all admitted … all 12-15 of them. (It’s definitely a quirky option!)

Which college type would you like to explore next?

• Public In-state Universities

• Public Out-of-State Universities

• Private Colleges/Universities

• International Universities

Or perhaps now you’ve got a solid list of 6-8 colleges you’re confident can be affordable and are ready to move on to the next of our four steps: the FAFSA.

Or maybe you need a break. Take it. Leave this tab open. It’ll be waiting for you when you’re ready.