Community college and university

American higher education has two price tiers that look similar from outside and differ by a factor of five. Community colleges are public, local and open to almost anyone; universities are neither cheap nor open. The route most families should consider first — two years at a community college, then transferring into a university for the final two — produces the same degree certificate as four years at the university.

Community college

Roughly $2,000–$5,000 a year in-state

Public university

Often 3–5× that, and far more out-of-state

Entry

Community colleges are open admission — no entrance exam

Federal aid

Needs an eligible immigration status; state aid may not

What a community college is for

Three quite different things, at the same low price:

• Two-year associate degrees, designed to transfer into the third year of a university degree
• Vocational certificates in months rather than years — nursing assistant, welding, coding, HVAC, commercial driving — leading directly to licensed, paid work
• Non-degree courses, including English classes and basic computing, often free or nearly so

Admission is open. There is no entrance examination, no prior U.S. schooling requirement, and application is usually free. A placement test in maths and English determines which level you start at, not whether you are admitted.

In-state tuition

Public colleges charge residents of their own state far less than everyone else. Residency for tuition is decided by the institution and typically requires living in the state for twelve months for reasons other than study, plus evidence such as a state ID, a lease, a driving licence and tax filings.

Immigration status interacts with this in ways that vary considerably between states. Several states grant in-state rates to long-term residents who graduated from a local high school regardless of status; others do not. Ask the college's admissions office about your own situation rather than assuming, and ask before you enrol, because the classification is difficult to change afterwards.

Paying for it

Federal financial aid — Pell grants, federal loans, work-study — requires an eligible non-citizen status, which broadly means permanent residents, refugees, asylees and certain other categories. Apply through the FAFSA. It is free, and the word "loan" in the name does not commit you to borrowing: the same form determines grant eligibility, which is money that is not repaid.

State aid sometimes reaches students federal aid does not. Several states run their own grant programmes with different eligibility rules, so check your state's even if the federal answer was no.

Institutional scholarships are decided by the college itself and frequently have no status requirement at all. Ask the financial aid office directly what is available to someone in your position — this is a routine question and they will answer it.

Employer tuition assistance is common in the U.S. and widely forgotten. Retailers and hospitals in particular often pay for staff to study part-time.

If you studied before

Qualifications from another country may reduce how much you have to repeat, but they need translating into U.S. terms first — see getting a foreign degree recognised. Colleges normally require a course-by-course evaluation for this, and it is worth ordering before you enrol rather than after.