In the United States,
community colleges are primarily two-year
public institutions of
tertiary education. Community colleges also offer
remedial education, GEDs, high school diplomas, technical degrees and certificates, and a limited number of 4-year degrees. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year college or
university to continue their studies. Community college is tuition free for selected students in 47 states, often under the name
College Promise. Most community college instructors have advanced degrees, but serve as
part-time low wage employees.
Community college enrollment has declined every year since 2010. According to the
National Student Clearinghouse The National Student Clearinghouse is an educational nonprofit that provides educational reporting, verification, and research services to North American colleges and universities. NSC has a nationwide network of ~3,600 colleges, representing 97 per ...
, the total decline in enrollment from 2010 to 2020 was more than 2.2 million students. The largest enrollment drop occurred in 2020, the latest year surveyed.
Terminology and control
Before the 1970s, community colleges were often referred to as
junior college
A junior college (sometimes referred to colloquially as a juco, JuCo or JC) is a post-secondary educational institution offering vocational training designed to prepare students for either skilled trades and technical occupations and workers in su ...
s, and that term is still used at some institutions and for athletics, specifically the
NJCAA. However, the term "junior college" is now usually used to characterize private two-year institutions. The term "community college" has evolved to describe publicly funded two-year institutions. The main national advocacy organization for community colleges, which was founded in 1920 as the "American Association of Junior Colleges", changed its name in 1992 to the "
American Association of Community Colleges".