The new fountains at the North Avenue Campus in Battle Creek
A view over the reflecting pools on Kellogg Community College's North Avenue campus in Battle Creek. Photo courtesy of KCC.

It is no surprise that there is a difference between attending a university and a community college. Those who attend a university might pay to live on campus, or someone in community college still lives at home, but they commute to class every day. Among the vast differences between the two, there is one thing in common: It’s the same education. More particularly, the first two years of university is the same as two years of community college.

Many people have attended community college before transferring to a university to further their education. Some of those people have also earned their associate degree before even stepping foot into a university to earn their bachelor’s degree.

Not only does community college education cost much less than what a university offers for the same courses, it helps students save much more money than what they would at a university. Many people would agree that spending less while earning the same education is a great deal. Many community college students would agree that they have saved much more money attending community college than those who jump right into a public university.

Kellogg Community College Admissions Director Jennifer Kotowski, when asked about the costs of community college compared to a public university, said, “A KCC student can expect to pay $9,000 less per year based on 30 credit hours versus attending a university.”

That’s a lot of money saved just in one year.

While attending community college is not everyone’s cup of tea, there is a benefit for attending for everyone.

Rylee Andrews, who dual-enrolled at KCC his sophomore through senior year of high school and now attends Ferris State University, said KCC “allowed me to experience what community college was like, along with earning the same credits that are transferable to a different university.”

Although Andrews was a student at KCC for a short period of time, he still had some classes paid for through dual-enrollment, which saved him money even if he attended a university.

Everyone’s paths are different than others, but community college can make a huge impact on your life financially, mentally and socially. Those who transfer from community college to a university can say that they have saved much more money attending the first two years of community college than those who did at a university. The only big difference is the college lifestyle if you were looking to transfer to a university.

Many people go to a university despite the costs of living while being away from home, but those looking to save their money usually look to save their money and live at home.