Community colleges are wonderful institutions where you can take classes without many obstacles. They offer affordable education or job training and make it easy to qualify and start. They generally have good-quality teaching and flexible schedules and are a very popular alternative to starting out in a four-year college. In fact, they are so popular that four out of 10 college graduates have started out at a community college.

There are many reasons why you would want to attend a community college. For example, you may want to train for a job or career or prepare for a four-year college degree. Or you just may want to take continued adult education classes to learn a new skill.

If you are one of those students who is not completely ready for college, starting at a community college may let you catch up with some of the requirements of a four-year college. It may also help you explore what major may be right for you. Switching to a four-year college down the road is a popular path.

Community colleges offer training certificates and associate degrees, and the majors offered match the great variety of students and their goals. There are dozens and dozens of subjects, from business administration, computer information technology, criminal justice, early childhood education, human services, nurse education, and hospitality.

Community colleges are very affordable. But that goes beyond the actual tuition, as many students live at home, saving a lot of money in the process.

Overview of Boston Community Colleges - Tuition, Size and Location

Below is a comparison of all Boston area community colleges comparing tuition, size, location and the type of degrees they offer.  The schools are listed in the order of size (number of students).

School	Tuition	Selectivity	Size	Location	Degrees
Bunker Hill Community College
North Shore Community College
Northern Essex Community College
Massachusetts Bay Community College
Roxbury Community College