On the best cheapest community colleges in USA for international students we will cover:
What are community Colleges ?
Over the years, Community colleges were known as Junior Colleges and they are institutions known for preparing students for the workforce.
With over a thousand of them in the United States, they offer different varieties of associate degree or certificates programs to prepare students either for an entry-level job or for traditional universities.
With an associate degree obtained from a Community college, it is much easier to transfer to a university to get a Bachelor’s degree.
Interestingly community colleges in USA are not just meant for Americans, there are equally international students.
According to statistics, there are over 100,000 international students in community colleges in the United States. read carefully as we explore the reasons why you should choose the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students.
Reasons to choose these cheapest community colleges in USA for international students
You might be wondering why an international student might be interested in studying in any of the community colleges.
Community colleges offer associate degrees, job training and very valuable certificates.
Here are a few of the good reasons to choose a Community college.
Affordability
While most students are avoiding higher education because of the community college USA for international students cost, others are considering saving some significant amount of money.
Paying for a college in universities is something to put into consideration while choosing an institution to attend.
The average cost of attending a four-year institution is placed at $21,629 between 2018 and 2019 according to statistics.
The National student’s debt is on the rise and consequently will lead to significant student loans in colleges.
Community colleges however take away high tuition.
Flexibility
The cheapest community colleges in USA for international students is known for its flexible academic calendar. Students are therefore able to learn at their own pace.
Access to Financial aids
There are financial aids meant for Community colleges as well. through the federal student’s loan which allows students to enrol half time for two courses or six credit hours.
The only criterion is not dropping out of class while taking the courses.
Ability to attend part time
cheapest community colleges in USA for international students helps students balance academics with their daily life.
You can decide to take one or two classes at a time, making it easy for nontraditional students to balance their jobs or family with school.
Availability of STEM subjects
Subjects such as science, technology and Mathematics are taught in Community Colleges and are called STEM subjects. They are known to be in high demand in the country.
Transfer agreements with Universities
Often times cheapest community colleges in usa for international students have agreements with most public colleges.
These agreements allow college students to easily transfer to these public institutions in order to earn a bachelor’s degree.
Small Class sizes
In community colleges, classes are relatively small, thereby giving students the opportunity to have personalized attention from their instructors.
Of course, this is an added advantage for students who prefer to learn in smaller classes at their own pace.
Online Class Options and professional certificates
Community colleges are known for offering online class options to students.
Therefore as it is in the four-year courses, Community colleges have expanded their online offering.
Credits from online classes are also transferable towards obtaining a bachelor’s degree.
cheapest community colleges in USA for international students equally offer short-term and professional certificates in information technology, electronics and many other fields.
Difference between Community Colleges and Universities
Community colleges are known to offer traditional academic classes to it’s surrounding community.
Their impact on the educational system has grown so well that they have gone beyond their communities and are now on the world stage.
Program Length
One of the major differences between a University and a community college is that most degrees in a community college take just about two years to complete.
While four-year Universities take four years to complete.
You must have known that community colleges do not offer bachelor’s degree programs.
Rather they award certificates and associate degrees.
Why the difference in the number of years?
The difference is due to the fact that in a four-year college, the first two years is dedicated to the general requirements in education.
Then in subsequent years like the 3rd and 4th year, they have the opportunity to focus on upper-level requirements which are considered specific to the degree program you have chosen.
So now instead of choosing to do these two years in the university which will definitely be more expensive, students can decide to do it in a community college and save costs.
Size of Campus
Universities are known to be very much larger in size compared to community colleges.
And since community colleges do not have as many students as universities there will be fewer groups and activities on campus.
Community colleges having smaller campuses makes it easier to navigate.
For instance when it comes to parking, for those planning to own a car, finding a place to park on Campus in a University can be a problem because of the large number of students who own a car.
Unlike community colleges where there are fewer students.
dorms
In four-year universities, students live in their various residence halls.
These dorms apart from housing students give them the opportunity to interact with each other daily.
In community colleges, however, dorms are not always available. Most community college students who do not have housing options will have to find housing off-campus.
International students either live close to school or with a host family.
Financing your Education
To finance your University education might require you to use savings, scholarships, grants and loans.
Sometimes you might not get these loans, financing your education becomes a problem. However there might not be free community college in USA for international students.
But in community colleges, though your education needs financing, but it wont be as much as that of a four-year university. Below is a list of cheapest community colleges in USA for international students.
List of cheapest community colleges in USA for international students
- Oxnard Community College
- Central Wyoming College
- Houston Community College
- East Mississippi Community College
- South Texas Community College
- Panola College
- Coffeyville Community College
- Lehman College
- Dine College
- Roxbury Community College
- Clovis Community College (CCC)
- Bristol Community College
- Greenfield Community College
- Trinity Valley Community College
- Roxbury Community College
- West Valley College
- Antelope Valley College
- Mount Wachusett Community College
- Merritt Community College
- San Juan College
- Feather River College
Among the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students listed above, Here are details on a few of them.
Oxnard Community College
Tuition for international students at Oxnard College is $7,398 yearly. However this fees does not apply to other expenses in the University.
For students from California, tuition is completely subsidized. It is one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students with tuition of $1,340 for domestic students.
Central Wyoming College
This is one of the top cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that offers 2 years associate degree programs and certificates to students.
There are over 30 programs to explore from and the tuition is $10,980 per year for international students.
East Mississippi Community College
This is one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that trains students for associate degree and certificates to students.
There are equally career technical programs to give students in-demand skills in the United states.
Tuition for international students is $6,540 per year.
Coffeyville Community College
Coffeyville Community College is one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that was established in the year 1923.
Tuition at Coffeyville community college is paid based on credit hours. The amount is $222 per credit hour.
Feather River College
Being one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students, tuition for international students is $280 per credit hour.
They offer associate degrees in arts degrees, associate degrees in science and offer a wide range of certificates as well.
Bristol Community College
This is one of the public cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that has over 150 programs.
Tuition is $9,962 per academic year for international students.
Houston Community College
Houston Community College is one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students with over 21 programs for students.
You either graduate with an associate degree, a certificate or a diploma. You can equally choose to transfer to a four-year university. Tuition in this college is $3,756 per year.
Lehman College
This is one of the top cheapest community colleges in USA for international students in the city of New York.
They offer both associate degree and certificate programs to students.
Faculties in this citadel of learning includes arts and humanities, school of education, school of Natural and social sciences etc
Tuition fee for international students is $14,880
South Texas Community College
Tuition fees for international students is $7,830 per year.
It is one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that offers associate degrees and certificate programs to students.
This college has 5 campuses spread around Texas.
Mount Wachusett Community College
Tuition for international students in this University is $427 per credit hour.
It is one of the public cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that has over 70 academic programs that allows students get an associate degree upon graduation or some form of the professional certificate.
Roxbury Community College
This is one of the public two-year community colleges that enable students to successfully transfer to four-year Universities upon completion. Credits are easily transferred because of agreements between this community college and other universities in Massachusetts. This makes it one of the acknowledged cheapest community colleges in USA for international students.
Tuition for international students is $8,639 per year.
Greenfield Community College
Tuition for international students is $11,690 per year.
Greenfield Community College is equally one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that gives students the opportunity to pursue associate degrees and certificate programs.
Trinity Valley Community College
The tuition fee for international students in this community college is $5,970.
Trinity Valley Community College is one of the renowned cheapest community colleges in USA for international students that have service programs that meet the educational needs of students.
Its wide range of academic programs provides students with quality academic and in-demand workforce skills.
West Valley College
Tuition at West Valley College is $7,369 per year.
It is part of the California Community College System and also one of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students with entry requirements very easy for international students to go for courses of their choice.
List of cheapest community colleges in USA for international students with dorms(housing)
Below is a table comprising the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students with dorms as well as the city in which they are found.
| Snead State Community College–Alabama | ||
| Lawson State Community College–Alabama | ||
| Kenai Peninsula College——–Alaska | ||
| Prince William Sound College–Alaska | ||
| Cochise College————-Arizona | ||
| Yavapai College——–Arizona | ||
| Eastern Arizona College–Arizona | ||
| Arizona Western College—Arizona | ||
| Central Arizona College—Arizona | ||
| Arkansas State University-Beebe–Arkansas | ||
| College of the Redwoods–California | ||
| West Hills College Coalinga–California | ||
| Reedley College–California | ||
| Cerro Coso College – Mammoth Campus—California | ||
| Feather River College–California | ||
| Shasta College——-California | ||
| Orange Coast College—California | ||
| Sierra College—-California | ||
| Columbia College—California | ||
| Lassen College—-California | ||
| Taft College—California | ||
| College of the Siskiyous—-California | ||
| Colorado Mountain College–Colorado | ||
| Colorado Northwestern Community College–Colorado | ||
| Northeastern Junior College—-Colorado | ||
| Trinidad State College—Colorado | ||
| University of the District of Columbia-District of Columbia | ||
| Florida SouthWestern State College-Florida | ||
| Indian River State College–Florida | ||
| Florida Keys Community College—Florida | ||
| College of Central Florida—Florida | ||
| Hillsborough Community College–Florida | ||
| Gordon College–Georgia | ||
| Andrew College–Georgia | ||
| Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College–Georgia | ||
| College of Southern Idaho–Idaho | ||
| North Idaho College–Idaho | ||
| Lincoln College—Illinois | ||
| Shawnee Community College–Illinois | ||
| Ancilla College–Indiana | ||
| Iowa Western Community College-Iowa | ||
| Southwestern Community College–Iowa | ||
| Iowa Central Community College–Iowa | ||
| Ellsworth Community College–Iowa | ||
| Iowa Lakes Community College–Iowa | ||
| North Iowa Area Community College–Iowa | ||
| Indian Hills Community College—Iowa | ||
| Northwest Iowa Community College–Iowa | ||
| Western Iowa Tech—-Iowa | ||
| Neosho County Community College-Kansas | ||
| Dodge City Community College–Kansas | ||
| Garden City Community College–Kansas | ||
| Barton Community College–Kansas | ||
| Hutchinson Community College–Kansas | ||
| Coffeyville Community College–Kansas | ||
| Central Maine Community College–Maine | ||
| Northern Maine Community College–Maine | ||
| Washington County Community College–Maine | ||
| Southern Maine Community College–Maine | ||
| Allegany College of Maryland–Maryland | ||
| Garrett College–Maryland | ||
| Gogebic Community College–Michigan | ||
| Glen Oaks Community College–Michigan | ||
| Lake Michigan College—Michigan | ||
| Southwestern Michigan College–Michigan | ||
| Jackson College—Michigan | ||
| North Central Michigan College–Michigan | ||
| Northwestern Michigan College—Michigan | ||
| Itasca Community College–Minnesota | ||
| Minnesota West Community and Technical College –Minnesota | ||
| Hinds Community College—Mississippi | ||
| Southwest Mississippi Community College–Mississippi | ||
| Mississippi Gulf Coast Community College–Mississippi | ||
| Pearl River Community College—–Mississippi | ||
| Jefferson College—-Missouri | ||
| Moberly Area Community College–Missouri | ||
| State Fair Community College–Missouri | ||
| Three Rivers Community College—–Missouri | ||
| Dawson Community College—Montana | ||
| Flathead Valley Community College—Montana | ||
| Metropolitan Community College–Nebraska | ||
| Northeast Community College—Nebraska | ||
| NHTI, Concord’s Community College–New Hampshire | ||
| NMJC, New Mexico Junior College—New Mexico | ||
| NMMI, New Mexico Military Institute–New Mexico | ||
| Great Basin College—Nevada | ||
| Genesee Community College–New York | ||
| Herkimer County Community College–New York | ||
| Jamestown Community College—New York | ||
| Fulton–Montgomery Community College–New York | ||
| Monroe Community College——-New York | ||
| Dutchess Community College—–New York | ||
| SUNY Adirondack——New York | ||
| SUNY Broome Community College—–New York | ||
| Sullivan County Community College—–New York | ||
| Onondaga Community College——New York | ||
| Tompkins Cortland Community College—-New York | ||
| Mohawk Valley Community College—–New York | ||
| Louisburg College—-North Carolina | ||
| Lake Region State College–North Dakota | ||
| North Dakota State College of Science-North Dakota | ||
| Dakota College at Bottineau—-North Dakota | ||
| Hocking College–Ohio | ||
| Rose State College—-Oklahoma | ||
| Central Oregon Community College—Oregon | ||
| Southwestern Oregon Community College–Oregon | ||
| Treasure Valley Community College—Oregon | ||
| Northampton Community College—Pennsylvania | ||
| Navarro College—–Texas | ||
| Blinn College—-Texas | ||
| Grayson County College—-Texas | ||
| North Central Texas College——Texas | ||
| Kilgore College——Texas | ||
| Laredo Community College——Texas | ||
| Weatherford College—–Texas | ||
| Odessa College—-Texas | ||
| Temple College—–Texas | ||
| Tyler Junior College—–Texas | ||
| Lamar Port Arthur Community College——Texas | ||
| Western Texas College——-Texas | ||
| Snow College—-Utah | ||
| Bellevue College—-Washington | ||
| Yakima Valley Community College—-Washington | ||
| Edmonds College—-Washington | ||
| Skagit Valley College—-Washington | ||
| Green River Community College—–Washington | ||
| Potomac State College of West Virginia University–West Virginia | ||
| Western Wyoming Community College–Wyoming | ||
| Laramie County Community College—Wyoming | ||
| Northwest College—Wyoming | ||
| Casper College—-Wyoming | ||
cheapest community colleges in USA for international students with dorms FAQ’s
Once you complete your undergraduate studies in the USA, deciding what to do from there might sometimes be confusing.
This will have several questions popping up in your head. You might be wondering, what are the options available for you now that you have graduated?
what are the options for you after graduation?
Having completed your program at any of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students, there are many options that you can possibly go down with.
These options you are likely to choose has its advantages and disadvantages. But before making that choice, it is important to do your research very well.
Here are some of the options for you.
Attend a graduate school
Upon completion of your undergraduate studies, there are so many graduate schools in USA where you can obtain your PhD or masters.
USA is known not just for the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students but also for its wide range of educational opportunities.
Compared to your undergraduate studies, graduate school is quite different with much more difficult coursework. You will have to consider the following:
Finances
Graduate schools are known to be really expensive. If you know that you have incurred more debt during your undergraduate studies, then you should think twice. But if not graduate schools are there to help.
Scholarships
There are usually graduate scholarships for those who apply for them. Often times it is just awarded for one year and has to cover just tuition and rarely covers living expenses.
Loans
Loans are available for those pursuing graduate studies but most times you need a cosigner who oftentimes is from the United States.
Application process
The first thing you are required to do is to conduct your research on the schools you are considering. There might be interviews, depending on the university. Ensure to take note of the deadlines.
Job search option
Apart from attending graduate school, another option to consider is looking for jobs. International students find it a bit hard to get hired. Why? This is because companies hate misunderstandings in terms of visas.
Sometimes they think students might have very poor English skills, but if you get these things right, you are sure of being hired.
Few tips to adopt while job hunting
Start early.
Research employers thoroughly.
Take advantage of your school’s resources as most institutions are always happy helping their students out.
Ensure your network.
Stay positive and be persistent.
Understand your personal qualities.
Wherever possible, mail your resume.
Always follow up with companies to know when they are hiring.
Always practice before going for job interviews.
Finally, ensure to wear a business suit at job interviews.
Return Home
The third option you might consider is returning home. But this might not be the best option for you as you are likely to find it disheartening.
After spending so much time in the USA, adjusting to a new environment might not be so easy.
Getting home and finding out that things are just the way they were before leaving might be a little disconcerting.
There might be jet lags, you will have to deal with changes, you might feel misunderstood by people you left at home. But all the same, this feeling will pass as long as you are patient with yourself and you will easily get a job having graduated from any of the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students.
What are some scholarships for international students to consider?
Apart from the cheapest community colleges in USA for international students, If you have chosen other schools to consider, costs are extremely important. Taking care of tuition, living expenses, school materials might be a little too hard for international students.
At that point, considering any of the scholarships below is best for you.
American University scholarships
These are the limited number of scholarship opportunities that the American University offers to incoming students.
The scholarships are need-based. However, there are other financial aid programs for students. The merit-based scholarship can range from $6,000 to $25,000 each academic year.
Amherst College scholarships
This scholarship is need-based and the financial aid programs provide assistance to not-too economically sound students.
They consider your need and award an amount suitable to your need.
Clark University Scholarships
Through the Clark global scholars program which is mostly open to five-year applicants who has attended school outside of the united states.
The scholarships are not available to transfer students. Scholarships in this category range between $15,000 to $25,000 each year.
Columbia Scholarships
This scholarship ensures a 15% to 100% reduction in tuition fees.
Concordia College Scholarships
The Concordia college offers various kinds of financial aids to students. Scholarships are need-based as well as merit-based. The scholarship amounts to $28,000 per year. Mostly they are offered to international first-year students at the University.
Other scholarships to consider
East Tennessee State University Scholarships
Dartmouth College Scholarships
Colby-sawyer College Scholarships
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