Studying at Community Colleges is an option for many international students in the United States because of the advantages of tuition and study schedules. Through this article, Hotcourses Vietnam will help you synthesize important evaluation criteria for school choice. But first, let's talk to Mr. Nguyen Minh Loc (Representative of Auburn University (top 50 leading public universities in the US), Minh Nguyen - Former student ofSouth Seattle College Community College ) and Ms. Vo Hong Nhung, representative of Envision Recruit company, invited them to answer common questions about attending American community colleges.

Why is studying at CDC cheaper and easier to enter than University?

According to Ms. Vo Hong Nhung, CDC is one of the safest options for families who want their children to study in the US, because the entrance conditions are consistent with the capacity of most Vietnamese high school students - no SAT requirement is required. and TOEFL / IETLS conditions are also quite moderate. If studying from the 11th grade, students can shorten their study time to the United States. Moreover, it is also a fact that Ms. Hong Nhung pointed out that the process of applying for an I-20 invitation for Community College is also faster than most 4-year universities.


According to the CDC, the learners are also able to study in an advanced educational environment with an acceptable fee. Minh Nguyen himself attended Community College in Seattle, for a fee of only US $ 15,000 / year - an expense that could be considered quite small compared to the common ground. Besides, the educational environment at Community College is very diverse, with participants from different ages, cultures and backgrounds. Many students are also older students - going back to school to improve their knowledge or gain more degrees to serve their jobs such as engineers, tailors, nurses ... This will help the living experience. Your richness, with extensive relationships.

According to Communitycollegereview , the average tuition of community colleges in the US is not identical. In the 2018-2019 school year, if each student will spend about 15,483 USD for private colleges, for public colleges, the cost of international students (or other permanent students in the state ) will fall to about 8,593 USD.

How is the CDC different from the University?

In response to the differences between the two learning environments, Minh Nguyen stated that the two learning environments have a fundamental difference in the training program. The first 2 years at Community College are usually quite easy compared to the following 2 years, when students begin to enroll in specialized subjects. The characteristics of the Community College are also smaller classes than the University (only 10-15 people), so students will receive closer attention from the teachers.

However, teachers at Community College usually do not have the same degree and degree as the University, but the common ground, they still have to have a master's degree to be able to stand.

Mr. Loc briefly envisioned, Community College is a motel (popular hotel) while Group 1 University is a 5-star hotel in terms of service scale, facilities, quality, prestige and brand. sign.

How to transfer from College to University?

In theory, after completing the Community College courses, students can transfer to any 4-year university in the US to complete the remaining years, earning a Bachelor's degree. That university. The results will depend on your academic achievement at Community College and your English level.

Minh Nguyen added that many people are often afraid of the quality of teaching at community colleges, but actually when they complete 4 years of university, the international students still have a good degree. Equivalent to students who attend the 4-year program at University.

Meanwhile, Mr. Nguyen Minh Loc gave a different opinion. According to Mr. Loc, students at Community Colleges can transfer 2 + 2 quite conveniently to universities located in the same state, but if you want to register for a better university in another state It is not easy to convert credits, which can cause delays and fail to meet the original plan.

In any case, you should go to the Student Advisory Department to ask counselors to plan for a transition later. They will help you analyze which schools are suitable, which year will be appropriate, which courses should be registered, and how much English should be ...

At some Community Colleges, students can be sure to transfer to universities that are affiliated with the school if they complete a course at Community College with results that are not too low. In this list there are many famous and high quality universities. However, you should note that the transfer option from Community College to University is only true for students who have studied the university and have loved this university before. If not before, students need to watch out for advertising traps that definitely have 2 + 2 because it is very unlikely.

Some criteria to choose Community Colleges should be noted

As with 4-year universities, when choosing community colleges, you need to consider the criteria in your own order of priority. Some "items" of evaluation (other than tuition fees) you should care about are:

Training quality of the course: Note that you should be interested in the rankings of the majors in the overall ranking of the school, because every school has its own, bad for each industry can.

Number of students and the percentage of international students: This will help you visualize some of the scale and educational environment of the school (there are many Vietnamese / Asian students, is the school where everyone all know each other or "who knows what people do ...")

Cooperation and exchange agreements: Most CDC students have the desire to transfer to 4-year universities to study at higher levels, so the College has an agreement on enrollment / exchange with those prestigious universities inside and outside the state will help your transition go smoothly.

School location and facilities: This is not simply the surrounding landscape and the view you will be exposed to during every lesson, because it will determine whether you feel comfortable in the lips. is that school For example, if you are a student from urban, familiar with bustling lifestyle, then studying at a school in the country will not be simple to integrate (unless you are looking for an experience new life).Places are sometimes related to health and learning inspiration (such as those who are allergic or not able to tolerate cold).

And to be able to fully evaluate a school, you should visit the website of the course / community college you are targeting, follow Instagram, watch introductory videos, use tools Virtual visit (virtual visit) to "shoulder" students to explore the campus, read the reviews of previous students, and especially, contact the IDP counselor to be updated. Latest scholarship opportunities of the school you are aiming for!