One of 14 paths
A two-year school for a degree, a certificate, or transfer credits.
You start at a two-year school and work toward an associate degree, a certificate, or credits to transfer.
It fits if you're unsure of a major, want options open, or plan to transfer later.
Watch for: the transfer step, where many students drop off.
Each scale shows its level and the reason, and "our read" marks a judgment call.
Level: You pay some, 2 of 5 on the paying side
It usually costs far less than a four-year school, though you still pay something.
Dollar signs to the left of the middle mean you're paid while you do it, and dollar signs to the right mean you pay. More of them means more money either way. The mark in the middle means free.
Level: About two years, 2 of 5
An associate degree is about two years of school, with a schedule that can bend around a job.
Level: Middle to Above the middle, 3 to 4 of 5
With a certificate or two-year degree, you can reach jobs that pay near or above the middle.
This varies a lot with the specific job, the place, and experience.
Middle means the middle pay across all jobs.
Level: Open to most, 1 of 5
A diploma or GED is usually the way in, and you can take dual-enrollment classes while in school.
Level: Some of it carries over, 3 of 5
Your credits can carry to a four-year school if you plan the transfer early.
Level: Some new, 2 of 5
You'll meet new people and routines, but you can stay close to home.
You can stay close to home, and the schedule can flex around a job. By federal rules, each credit stands for at least three hours a week: one in class and two outside. So a full-time load of 12 credits is built for at least 36 hours a week.
You usually need a diploma or GED to get in. If you're 16 or older with no diploma, and you're not in high school or required to be, adult education can help you earn a diploma or its equivalent. An American Job Center is one place to ask about adult education. An associate degree normally takes at least two years of full-time college work. About 3 in 10 first-time, full-time students who started at a public two-year school in fall 2017 finished their program there within one and a half times the normal length. Tuition is only part of the cost: books, supplies, food, and housing count too. A 504 plan or IEP (Individualized Education Program) doesn't carry over to college, so ask the college for accommodations early.
Jobs like dental hygienist and paralegal typically ask for an associate degree, the Bureau of Labor Statistics says. Or you can transfer some of your credits to a four-year school. A year in, you're usually no more than about halfway to an associate degree. Six years in, fewer than a third of first-time college students who started at a community college in fall 2018 had transferred to a four-year school. Of those who did, just under half (48.7%) finished a bachelor's in that time.
A transfer agreement spells out which credits carry to a specific four-year school. A 2017 federal study of 2004 to 2009 transfers found students who moved between public schools lost an estimated 37 percent of their credits on average. If you borrowed, federal loans go into repayment once you leave school, finished or not, usually after a grace period.
Pick one to try this month. Trying a thing isn't choosing it.
Put these to a transfer adviser, or to a student already there.
Adam Steltzner did just enough in high school to graduate, then played bass in rock bands while friends went to college. He later took an astronomy class at College of Marin, a community college, and transferred to UC Davis after three semesters.
A story like this can't tell you what's likely for you.
Costs, aid, and transfer rules vary by school, so check them at the source.
These three paths are worth weighing next to this one, and their pages use the same scales.
It fits if you can handle years of coursework, whether you know your field or not.
It fits if you want one in-demand skill fast and can stay disciplined without a campus.
It fits if you want steady work in health, wellness, or public safety, like EMT or firefighter.