Access to a college education is getting easier for the underserved. There are two initiatives in particular which are designed to open opportunities for more people to pursue a college education. Some states, including Tennessee, Oregon, and Minnesota have passed laws to provide free community college. Moreover, some twenty-plus states are allowing community colleges to offer bachelor’s degrees. Although seen by many as an encouraging step in educating the citizens of the country, these initiatives are stirring up controversy among conservatives and liberals as well as universities. The idea of free college is not new. California residents could attend college basically free of charge for many years. The concept is now being revived
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This idea was born out of the “needs of modern workforce” (Chen, 2015). There are many advantages for students and society. Average community college tuition in 2013 and 2014 was about $8,000 less annually than at a university. A four-year degree at a community college could save a student around $30,000 in tuition alone. Community colleges tend to be more flexible in schedules, often offering weekend, night, and distance learning to fit the schedules of non-traditional students who have other responsibilities. This flexibility also works well for younger, traditional students. Community colleges usually have smaller class sizes, offering more personal interactions with instructors as well as other students. Community college degrees are geared more toward jobs. “The community college has become an institution that seeks to provide training that not only will produce better citizens but that also will meet the needs of our economy for a greater number of trained workers and the needs of young people for jobs” (Hunt, 2014). Some people who already have degrees are going back to community college for training that will be useful in the current job market. There are disadvantages to getting a bachelor’s degree at a community college. First, the types of degrees are limited. The community colleges had to agree to only offer limited degrees in order to avoid competing with universities for students. Secondly, warranted or not, there is a stigma attached to community college degrees. There will likely always be some in the world of academia who will view the community college degree as inferior to a university
This idea was born out of the “needs of modern workforce” (Chen, 2015). There are many advantages for students and society. Average community college tuition in 2013 and 2014 was about $8,000 less annually than at a university. A four-year degree at a community college could save a student around $30,000 in tuition alone. Community colleges tend to be more flexible in schedules, often offering weekend, night, and distance learning to fit the schedules of non-traditional students who have other responsibilities. This flexibility also works well for younger, traditional students. Community colleges usually have smaller class sizes, offering more personal interactions with instructors as well as other students. Community college degrees are geared more toward jobs. “The community college has become an institution that seeks to provide training that not only will produce better citizens but that also will meet the needs of our economy for a greater number of trained workers and the needs of young people for jobs” (Hunt, 2014). Some people who already have degrees are going back to community college for training that will be useful in the current job market. There are disadvantages to getting a bachelor’s degree at a community college. First, the types of degrees are limited. The community colleges had to agree to only offer limited degrees in order to avoid competing with universities for students. Secondly, warranted or not, there is a stigma attached to community college degrees. There will likely always be some in the world of academia who will view the community college degree as inferior to a university