By proposing that the government foot the bill for two years of community-college tuition, President Obama hasn’t just made a bid to improve access to higher education. He has also cast a spotlight on a crucial group of institutions that often draw less attention than their four-year counterparts.
Related article: What Students Pay at Community Colleges Now—and How Obama’s Proposal Might Change That
Related article: Obama Proposes Free Community College for Millions of Students
So what do we know about the reach and role of community colleges? Here’s a quick primer for the uninitiated.
How many students go to community colleges?
Nearly half of the nation’s 24 million college students are enrolled at a community college. There are more than 1,100 such institutions—counting independent and tribal colleges—spread across the nation.
Even if you boil the student body down to first-time freshmen, community colleges still account for 42 percent.
Who are these students?
A healthy number of them—36 percent—are first-generation college students. Here are some other demographic breakdowns:
The average community-college student is older than the average student at a four-year institution—a reflection of community colleges’ greater focus on adult learners.
What do students pay?
A lot less than students at four-year institutions do. Here’s a quick comparison:
Source: American Association of Community Colleges fact sheet with most-current data available
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