Close to 100,000 international students attend community colleges — about 39 percent of all international undergraduate students in the United States. These colleges allow students to train for associate-degree or non-degree careers, and they offer continuing education and personal development classes for the broad spectrum of adult learners.

Community colleges are the gateway to postsecondary education for many minority, low-income and first-generation students. In fact, 46 percent of all black college students and 55 percent of all Hispanic college students are enrolled at community colleges.

Community colleges also provide access to education for many nontraditional students who are adults and working while enrolled. In fact, 77 percent of full-time students are employed at least part time. About 17 percent of students are single-parents and 16 percent are 40 years or older.

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At community colleges, tuition costs are significantly lower than at four-year colleges and universities (about $5,000 per year versus $12,000 to $20,000 or more for a four-year institution).

Community colleges provide students with an opportunity to earn credits for the first two years of a four-year bachelor's degree at high-quality, accredited institutions. With their lower tuition costs, community colleges give students a way to save money while learning in a supportive environment.

The average expected lifetime earnings for a graduate with an associate degree are $1.6 million, about $400,000 more than a high school graduate earns.

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Alumni of U.S. community colleges include:

• California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger.
• NASA space shuttle commander Eileen Collins.
• Star Wars movie series producer/director George Lucas.
• Film actors Tom Hanks and Clint Eastwood.
• Fashion designer Calvin Klein.
• Human genome scientist Craig Venter.

Community colleges educate 59 percent of new nurses and the majority of other new health-care workers.

Close to 80 percent of firefighters, law enforcement officers and emergency medical technicians (EMTs) are credentialed at community colleges.

Students at 41 percent of public community colleges can earn a degree entirely online, and 92 percent of all institutions offer at least one Internet-based course.

(Sources: The American Association of Community Colleges and the U.S. Census)

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