About U.S. Community Colleges

U.S. Community Colleges

• 1,000+ community colleges in the U.S.
• Community colleges are (mostly) two-year public institutions of higher education
• Community colleges offer both academic degrees and vocational/technical programs
• 45% of U.S. undergraduates attend community colleges
• U.S. community colleges enroll 86,000+ international students

Advantages of Community Colleges

• Less strict admission requirements than most U.S. 4-year institutions
• No SAT/ACT required
• Lower TOEFL and IELTS requirements than most U.S. 4-year institutions
• Lower tuition costs than most U.S. 4-year institutions
• Classes are taught by professors, not graduate students
• General education classes are smaller than those in the first two years at most U.S. 4-year institutions
• Admission rates to U.S. 4-year institutions are higher for U.S. community college transfer students than for first-year applicants from abroad

California Community Colleges

• 115 California community colleges (1 is online)
• California community college students get priority admission to University of California (UC) and California State University (CSU) institutions
• Approximately 90% of transfers to the UC system come from California community colleges
• 52% of CSU graduates began their studies at a California community college
• 48% of UC bachelor’s degrees in STEM were awarded to students who transferred from a California community college

Where California community college students transfer

• 17% to UC institutions
• 58% to CSU institutions
• 9% to in-state private institutions