NEWS

April is Community College Month

Students choose to celebrate savings

By Chanel Stitt
Staff Writer,

As the end of the semester is approaching, it’s time to raise campus awareness during April’s Community College Month.

Utilizing the opportunity to go to a community college helps to save money in the long run. According to the annual student profile of WCC, the average tuition cost is $2,256 whereas four-year colleges and universities in Michigan average at $10,081.

“It was a good opportunity to save my money so that I can spend it on bigger classes at the school I transfer to later on,” said Jenna Cook, a freshman at WCC.

Out of the 12,231 students that attended WCC in the Fall 2016 semester, the annual report states that 8,587 students plan to transfer their credits to another school. Many students utilize WCC t to save money while finishing half of their four-year degree. Classes at WCC have equivalents at EMU for both majors and minors.

“It’s a cheaper option for the same classes and they can be transferred over,” said Olivia Smith, a student at EMU.

The average age of students may be 26, but according to the annual student report, there are 1,325 students 40 & over. Students attend WCC to earn another degree, start fresh in school, or to take classes for fun.

The annual student report also states that in Fall 2016, 907 high school students attended WCC, some from the early college program, Washtenaw Technical Middle College and others from local high schools in the area.

Utilizing WTMC helps high school students earn their diploma as well as either a certificate or degree.

“It forced me to become even more mature than I thought I was when I started college classes,” said Keely Grace, a WTMC student earning her diploma and associate’s in Occupational Studies. “It saved me money in the future since it is through the WTMC program, but I also think it’s a great value for what you’re paying for.”

Washtenaw Community College is the starter school for many local students with 47.9 percent of the college’s revenue coming from the tuition of local students, according to the annual report.

WCC receives a lot of positive feedback from many students and continues to grow with a large diversity in the student demographics.