What Percentage of High school Graduates go to Community College?

What Percentage of High school Graduates go to Community College?

To know what percentage of High school graduates go to Community college….Read on this article…!

Introduction 

When you’re out of college, the big question arises. What next? There are ample options out there with the dynamic progress of today. But the decisions never end. You’re constantly in a fix right from whether to do college or not, which college to pick, what subjects to take, and so on. The decisions more or less affect various aspects of your life in the near future.

After high school, most students opt to go to college. Some students already have their dream college picked out and know all the right things to do to get enrolled. Some, however, are confused to the core. Furthermore, you’re given the option to go free and live and study at a college far away or go hop and skip to the college nearest to you. Almost 50% of high school graduates opt for community colleges. Read on to find out why this number is higher than what you thought! 

Percentage of high school graduates who opt for community college 

While there are several options out there, most high school students graduate and immediately choose to study at a college. Out of these 49% percent go to community colleges. The reasons are many. However, there have been fluctuations in these numbers over years. Many factors like no of students opting for college, financial backgrounds and more decide the percentage of students going to community colleges. 

There’s no specific reason why the percentage should increase or decrease. The overall average could go up or down every year. For instance, as of 2021, the percentage of high school graduates opting for community colleges was between 50% and 55% . of late, it has come slightly lower to almost 50%. Again, this is an overall count. Each region may differ in terms of numbers and ranks. 

Reasons why 

High school graduates decide what colleges to opt for based on certain reasons. Their decisions frame the percentage that you see and also affect the same every year. Here are some of these reasons: 

  • College or not?

Students will think about getting into a community or international college only if they’re interested in further studies. Few students drop out after high school for various reasons and choose a different path altogether. This completely gets them off the list while considering the percentage of students opting for community college  

  • Traveling 

Many students don’t prefer traveling far away to other colleges although they may be renowned. This is one of the reasons why several students opt for community colleges. Being closer to home and their locality is probably a preferable option for them. They may not be ready to face the diverse world yet and that makes them opt for community colleges instead. 

  • Expenses 

If you’re going to an international college, it costs a lot. Renting a place is the most expensive trouble and even if you’re living on -campus there’s a lot more that you need to spend. These expenses can be highly avoided if you’re at a community college nearer to home. Therefore, most high school students opt for community colleges. 

  • Financial aid and fees 

No one can deny the hefty fees and finances required to get into an international university. The fees and all other expenditures are a lot more than a community college. Students can’t always afford the same or choose to go to community colleges that have more budget-friendly costs. 

  • GPAs and scores 

Most international and fancy universities have too many requirements to get in. Not to mention the procedure is also troublesome and unless you got a 9 GPA or so, there is no certainty that you’ll get a seat. High school students who want to avoid all of this opt for community colleges. Even if they have lower GPAs and other scores, community colleges are their best bet. 

  • Multi-tasking 

Many students simultaneously work along with college. Some have other priorities like family, social life, or other factors to take care of. They can’t always leave them and move to another country to study. Therefore, students multi-task and manage these aspects together with community college. It’s all a matter of their priorities which they choose to continue to work with. They could also be associated with parts of their community or local areas and groups due to which they may opt for community colleges. 

  • Plans

If you already have a stable job or you know for certain that you don’t need a degree for what you want to do, it doesn’t matter which college you go to. Many high school students already have their plans chalked out and usually take degrees only as a backup. So while their focus is more on some other things, they do college in their local areas to have a degree at hand. Since it is not in their main plan, they don’t need a fancy or popular college and need not go through that much trouble and expense. 

  • Other reasons

There are a few other reasons that affect high-schoolers and make them opt for community college. This could be nostalgia, psychological reasons, and more. Often, when students aren’t mentally ready to cope with the form of education abroad, they decide to get their degree from community colleges themselves.

Conclusion

There you have it. Quite a few valid reasons why high school graduates choose community colleges. These reasons play significant roles in their decisions and this affects the percentage and rates that you see. And that’s not all, community colleges are also pretty efficient and worth studying in! 

FAQs
  • What percentage of male and female high school graduates go to community college? 

While the numbers keep fluctuating, from the 49%, around 20% of males and 29% of females opt for community college. This again differs from area to area. 

  • Is community college good? 

Depending on the area you’re in and the college you choose, there are many good community colleges. They too have quality education and facilities as well as an enhanced student life to look forward to.