Community college

In the United States, a community college, sometimes called a junior college, is an educational institution providing post-secondary education and lower-level tertiary education, granting certificates, diplomas[?], and associate's degrees. The name derives from the fact that community colleges primarily accept, and attract, students from the local community.

Community colleges have "open admission"; that is, anyone may be admitted. They are supported with public funds, and their tuition costs substantially less than that of a traditional four-year public or private college or university. For these reasons, low-income students and students not yet academically prepared for a university curriculum are attracted to community colleges. Community college students can range in age from teenagers who just graduated high school to working adults taking classes at night to complete a degree.

A typical program at a community college involves two years' study leading to an Associate's degree or diploma[?]. Upon successful completion, students may transfer to a four-year college or university to obtain a bachelor's degree. Certificates commonly cover a wide variety of vocational training in technical or otherwise specialized fields. A certificate generally takes less than two years to complete, and students who earn a certificate usually enter straight into the workforce.

Community colleges also offer a number of services to other members of the community, such as job placement, adult continuing-education classes, and developmental classes for children.