A community college is a type of undergraduate higher education institution, generally leading to an associate degree, certificate, or diploma. The term can have different meanings in different countries: many community colleges have an open enrollment policy for students who have graduated from high school, also known as senior secondary school or upper secondary school. The term usually refers to a higher educational institution that provides workforce education and college transfer academic programs. Some institutions maintain athletic teams and dormitories similar to their university counterparts.
University of Phoenix (UoPX) is a private for-profit university headquartered in Phoenix, Arizona. Founded in 1976, the university confers certificates and degrees at the certificate, associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degree levels. It is institutionally accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and has an open enrollment admissions policy for many undergraduate programs. The school is owned by Apollo Global Management and Vistria Group.
DePaul University is a private Catholic research university in Chicago, Illinois. Founded by the Vincentians in 1898, the university takes its name from the 17th-century French priest Saint Vincent de Paul. In 1998, it became the largest Catholic university in terms of enrollment in North America. Following in the footsteps of its founders, DePaul places special emphasis on recruiting first-generation students and others from disadvantaged backgrounds.
North Country Community College is a public community college in Saranac Lake, New York. It is part of the State University of New York system. Founded in 1967, the college's main campus is located in Saranac Lake, New York, and it has additional locations in Malone and Ticonderoga. The college is sponsored by Franklin and Essex counties.
John Brown University (JBU) is a private interdenominational Christian university in Siloam Springs, Arkansas. Founded in 1919, JBU enrolls 2,343 students from 33 states and 45 countries in its traditional undergraduate, graduate, online, and concurrent education programs. JBU is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission and competes athletically in the Sooner Athletic Conference.
The University of Arkansas–Fort Smith (UAFS) is a public university in Fort Smith, Arkansas, United States. Part of the University of Arkansas System, UAFS is the sixth-largest university in Arkansas with a fall 2020 enrollment of approximately 6,500 students.
Crowley's Ridge College is a private Christian college in Paragould, Arkansas, United States. While the college is affiliated with the Churches of Christ, students of all religious backgrounds are welcome. The fall 2023 student population of 225 comprises both non-traditional and traditional residential and commuter students.
Cossatot Community College of the University of Arkansas (CCCUA) is a public community college serving southwest Arkansas. Its main campus is located in the foothills of the Ouachita Mountains in De Queen, Arkansas.
St. Charles Community College (SCC) is a public community college in St. Charles, Missouri. Established in 1986, SCC's first fall semester in 1987 had an enrollment of 1,547 students. It offers associate degrees and certificate programs in the arts, business, sciences, and career-technical fields as well as workforce training and community-based personal and professional development. St. Charles Community College is accredited by The Higher Learning Commission of the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools.
Oregon Coast Community College (OCCC) is a public community college in Newport, Oregon. OCCC serves students in Lincoln County and has approximately 2,000 students and a faculty of 45 people. Of the 17 community colleges in Oregon, only Klamath Community College is younger, and only Tillamook Bay Community College has fewer students.
Hannibal–LaGrange University (HLGU), formerly Hannibal–LaGrange College, is a private Christian university in Hannibal, Missouri. It is affiliated with the Missouri Baptist Convention, which is part of the Southern Baptist Convention. As of 2022, 494 students are enrolled, and 29 majors are offered. Although the university is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, it is currently on probation for issues related to its finances, lack of control over its governing board, and insufficiency of faculty.
Rasmussen University is a private for-profit university with multiple locations throughout the United States. It offers associate, bachelor's, master's, and doctoral degrees as well as certificates and diplomas in career-focused areas at 20 campuses in Minnesota, Illinois, North Dakota, Florida, Wisconsin, and Kansas with many programs offered online.
Hodges University is a private university in Fort Myers, Florida, United States. Founded in 1990 in Naples as International College, it was renamed Hodges University in 2007 in recognition of a $12 million donation from local residents Earl and Thelma Hodges. In August 2023, citing declining enrollment and ensuing financial challenges, Hodges University announced plans to close permanently by the end of August 2024.
Lakeland Community College is a public community college in Lake County, Ohio. Established in 1967, Lakeland was the first college in Ohio founded by a vote of the people. Today, Lakeland serves more than 8,000 full-time and part-time students each year at the main campus in Kirtland, an off-site location in Madison, and via distance learning.
NorthWest Arkansas Community College (NWACC) is a public community college with its main campus in Bentonville, Arkansas. Total enrollment for the fall semester of 2018 was 8,308.
In the United States, community colleges are primarily two-year public institutions of tertiary education. Community colleges offer undergraduate education in the form of an associate degree. In addition community colleges also offer remedial education, GEDs, high school diplomas, technical diplomas and tech certificates, and occasionally at some colleges, a limited number of 4-year bachelor's degrees. After graduating from a community college, some students transfer to a four-year college or university to continue their studies leading to a bachelor's degree. 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.
Front Range Community College (FRCC) is a public community college with three campuses in Colorado, located in Westminster, Longmont, and Fort Collins. It is the largest community college in Colorado and the most popular transfer institution for the University of Colorado Boulder, Colorado State University, Metropolitan State University of Denver, and CSU Global. The average class size at FRCC is around 15 students.
Mineral Area College is a public junior college in Park Hills, Missouri. Students can participate in the 2+2 programs offered on campus by Central Methodist University or University of Missouri-St. Louis. The college enrolled 2,640 students in 2019.
Eastern Gateway Community College is a public community college with its main campus in Steubenville, Ohio, and a second campus in Youngstown. Although the college is accredited by the Higher Learning Commission, its accreditor placed the college on probation in 2021 for concerns about "assessment, HR record keeping and data collection and analysis." The college began experiencing severe financial distress in 2023 and plans to close on October 31, 2024.
The history of the Harvard Extension School dates back to its founding in 1910 by Abbott Lawrence Lowell. From the beginning, the Harvard Extension School was designed to serve the educational interests and needs of the greater Boston community, but has since extended its academic resources to the public, locally, nationally, and internationally.
