Half of a 4 year college degree is nothing but general education classes. Roughly 60 credits, or two full years, of college is offered at deeply discounted prices at your local community college. For private colleges and universities, students should check with the Registrar and Course Catalog for acceptance of specific courses.
State funded colleges, also known as public universities, are required by law in some areas to have acceptance policies with state funded community colleges. Even without the requirement, most public colleges work closely with community colleges to match general education requirements with their course offerings. The more basic and universal a course requirement is, the more likely you can find it at a community college much cheaper.
Don't fret about the quality of the community college class. At even top institutions, lower level course offerings (Gen Eds) are handled by adjunct faculty. An adjunct faculty member is like a moonlighting professor-- he or she also teaches at other institutions. Guess what other institutions adjunct faculty teach at? Community colleges! Not wanting to waste effort, classes at both the community college and four year university frequently use the exact same textbook and syllabus.
Defraying the cost of a four year degree isn't without a little tradeoff. Student activities are often lackluster at community colleges in comparison to traditional four year universities. But, community colleges specifically cater to students with other demands on their time, such as a job.
Community colleges offer a wider variety of class times than four year colleges because their student population is not in residence. This can also lead to accelerated college degree completion, as many community colleges offer alternative semester divisions, enabling students to complete more courses in less time. Just make sure you watch for any policy from the four year college or university requiring the last thirty to forty credit hours prior to graduation completed at that institution and no other.
Besides, if your chief concern about going to college is the activities, you are probably going for the wrong reason. Although if you are really concerned about living the college lifestyle, consider dual enrollment. Take one or two courses at the more expensive and fancy four year institution, and a few gen eds at the community college.
And what about the students who worked and saved money by going to community college for the first two years? Well, when you both graduate with the exact same degree in a graduation ceremony from the exact same school, their resume won't need filler like “Organized the Intramural Frisbee Golf Tournament.”
