I read about Scandinavians that go to Community College all the time. The thing is that they only stay for 1-2 years and they mostly go to California. I can’t understand why they do this. Associate degrees are completely useless internationally. Ofcourse they pay OOS tuition which is pretty expensive. SBCC seems like a popular destination and it costs about $23k a year with everything included. But why would they do this? I imagine you wont get the “classic college experience” at a cc but maybe that’s what they think? The cc:s in California must profit immensely from this.
Many Scandinavian countries subsidize their students, so the OOS tuition becomes more affordable. I would imagine many of these students end up transferring to the UCs. And while an associate degrees may be “useless” internationally, it does show an excellent command of English and an international experience that may be welcomed by many employers.
And yes, of course California CCs – and state colleges/universities – love international students. As to most American campuses.
Associate degrees may not be useful internationally, but they are extremely useful if the student is planning to transfer into another college or university and finish their undergraduate degree. The California CCs have formal transition plans for moving into the UC and CSU systems in California. Other states have similar programs for their CCs and public universities. Many private colleges and universities also have these agreements.
Even international students will normally find it more cost-effective to complete an associates degree and transfer, than to spend all four years at a college/university here.
- Money
- Becoming acclimated to the style of a US education.
- They tend to believe the hype about California being perfect.
SBCC also has a particularly lovely location for both views and weather. Lots of sun, ocean views from several campus locations, great beaches and easy transfers to UCSB (and other CSUs / UCs) for students who meet the requirements.
If you’re going to do two years of CC (or any college, really), you might as well do it in paradise, no?
While California is certainly not perfect, its community-college-to-four-year-university pathway is well developed, unlike in some other states, where community colleges seem to be viewed as unworthy places to start for students eventually aiming to earn bachelor’s degrees.