College Options

With over 4,500 Colleges and Universities in the country, students have SO MANY OPTIONS to choose from! But, how do you find the best school for you?

Below are a few comparison charts to help you narrow down your options.

2-Year vs. 4-Year

2-Year	vs	4-year
Obtain an Associates of Arts (A.A.) Degree, Associates of Arts (A.A.) to transfer, or Certificate program		Obtain a Bachelors of Arts (B.A) Degree, Bachelors of Science (B.S.) Degree, or graduate degrees (i.e. Masters and/or Doctorates)
Take general education courses		Take general education courses
Take major/minor introductory courses (lower division)		Take major/minor introductory courses (lower division)
Low course fees (approx. $45 per unit)		Take upper division major/minor courses
Courses are mostly transferable to 4-year schools (students can start as 3rd year students, instead of 1st year students)		High tuition fees (can range from $5,750 for CSUs to $50,000 for private schools)
		Connect with the school, professors, and programs as early as 1st year
		Typically provide more resources and student programs

Colleges vs. Universities

Colleges	vs	Universities
Smaller campuses & staff		Larger campuses & staff
Offer specific Bachelors degrees (limited majors)		Offer Bachelors degrees and graduate degrees (Masters & Doctorates)
More personalized to needs of students		Have multiple colleges/departments
Option to move into universities for further growth and training		Offer professional degree programs (i.e. engineering, medicine, law, etc.)
		Classes are often taught by graduate student instructors or teaching assistants

See charts "Types of Colleges" and "Types of Universities"

Private vs Public

Private Institutions	vs	Public Institutions
Smaller enrollment		Larger enrollment
Typically smaller classes		Typically large classes
Funded by tuition and endowment funds (a.k.a. money donated by alumni or other private individuals)		Funded by the government and tuition fees
Tend to offer less degrees & major options than public schools		Typically have in-state tuition fees and out-of-state tuition fees
More access to professors and support staff		Less direct access to professors and support staff

Types of Colleges

Career Colleges:

Types of Universities

Classes are large
Undergraduates are often taught by TAs or Graduate students instead of professors
Professors split their time between lectures and research

To attend any 4-year, students should aim:

To follow the A-G requirements when selecting high school courses
To get great grades all four years (D's are not accepted by most four year colleges, see your counselor for more info)
To take the SAT or ACT at least once (more if appropriate, we recommend to take both Spring of Junior year and the one they do better on do once more at the start of senior year)
Be involved and find something you love to do! (clubs, community service, art courses, athletics etc.)