Cutting Costs at Community Colleges

You can get an effective and economical start toward earning a college degree by attending a two year community college. Just over half of all freshmen and sophomores now attend such schools. Community colleges cost $1000 a year on average; that is about half of what tuition and fees alone average at a state university. And you can economize on room and board by living at home and commuting.

Check the catalogue to make sure that your college has a transfer program to a four year school. The college should be able to meet liberal arts requirements for transfer and offer courses in English, math, history and science that look like the core curriculums at a state university. You can judge academic merits by consulting Peterson's Guide to Two Year Colleges to see how many students go on to four year programs. Anything over 60% is encouraging. It is another sign of quality if the college has a chapter of Phi Theta Kappa, the honor society often considered the two year counterpart of Phi Beta Kappa.

You also can earn a four year bachelor's degree entirely by mail or phone. Most correspondence programs require some classroom attendance, but the Center for Distance Learning at Empire State College does not. The college is part of the State University of New York, and its correspondence program is accredited. Through the Center you can get a degree in business, human services or interdisciplinary studies. Each credit will cost you $67, and you need 128 credits to graduate. If you have had previous college experience, you can probably count some of it toward your degree.