The cost of college has been rising steadily for years. In Kentucky, the average cost of a public university is 13 thousand, and private universities are even more. There are lots of ways to try to drop those costs. The obvious paths are that of scholarships and grants. Some less obvious ones are looking at local programs to help with food and housing. Yet one of the most effective is to transfer.
Not just to transfer from one college to another, but specifically from a community college. Community college costs half the price of public universities, meaning one can study two years before transferring over. This allows students to get their associates degrees before ever stepping foot in a public university. Interestingly, those who have both an associates and bachelor’s degree make more money than those with just a bachelors.
This isn’t to say that transferring is always a seamless process. Not all transfers are accepted, and not all people who transfer end up getting a degree. Yet there are efforts being made to streamline the process. Kentucky, for example, has initiatives that are starting to make the transfer process easy. This means credits will properly transfer, advising will exist, and the path will be made much more explicit.
Transferring ultimately is not for everyone. Yet for those that want to pursue an education, there are few better options for saving money. Currently mostly white students transfer in their college careers. This is yet another issue that is working at being resolved. The students who can best utilize the process of transferring often don’t know about it. It’s more important now than ever that people are informed on their options in college. Transferring just happens to be one of the most important.
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