The
average tuition at Arizona State University is $22,940, including the costs of classes, books, rent for living on campus, and food. One could easily compare that rate to the $81 per-credit-hour tuition cost at Glendale Community College and instantly see why so many pressed-for-cash college students elect to take the community college route.
In a Skype interview with Arizona State University student Kacie McSorley, McSorley said "Honestly, I am so envious of students who began their educational careers at a community college. At my university, I'm literally taking the exact same classes I could have taken at a community college for probably three times the cost, and everything costs an arm and a leg. I feel like I'm being sucked dry financially. If I had started at a community college, I would be so much happier right now."
In a Skype interview with Arizona State University student Kacie McSorley, McSorley said "Honestly, I am so envious of students who began their educational careers at a community college. At my university, I'm literally taking the exact same classes I could have taken at a community college for probably three times the cost, and everything costs an arm and a leg. I feel like I'm being sucked dry financially. If I had started at a community college, I would be so much happier right now."
Paying
for community college is a much easier way to pay your way through school. In a
recent interview with Glendale Community College student Chelsea Schwark, she said, “The lower tuition rate at GCC as opposed to the major Arizona
universities has had a very positive impact on my progress as a student because
it has allowed me to add on more classes that I need to my schedule every
semester, without worrying how much more they are going to cost me. Now I can
get my degree much faster than if I had started college at a major university
because I can actually afford to get ahead. And besides, by attending community college, I can still live at home for a bit longer, saving me money on food and rent.”
Students
get more "bang for their buck" when attending a community college because
unlike universities, they offer students a smaller, more one-on-one environment.
Additionally, financial aid offices at community colleges are far more willing to cater to students' financial needs than at the university level. Even miscellaneous and annoying education costs such as parking permits, student IDs, and additional costs for taking specific classes are often substantially lower or non-existent at community colleges, allowing more money to stay in students' wallets.
Also,
according to Glendale Community College North student Meghan Dwyer, “Lowered
tuition costs at community college has helped me save up money for when I
transfer to a university, and has also made it so that my parents can help me
pay for my studies. If I had gone into a university right out of high school, I
would be backed up with student loans after about a year, but as of now I am
living debt free, all thanks to the amazing community college system.”
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