I would say predatory is the right word, unless you have money.
Although I would not put most community colleges in that boat.
Shame that a lot of universities are starting to ban credits earned at community colleges. Can’t get any more predatory than that.
Don’t know how long it’s been but there’s a lot of articles popping up within the last couple years on it, saying that various universities rejected credits for what was essentially the same exactly class using the same book and the same curriculum.
Meanwhile I was seeing posts on reddit and other socials talking about how crowded university classrooms were getting, with someone showing a picture that showed how the room was too full to meet standards for fire evacuations if necessary. It’s just absolutely nothing but greed at this point.
I agree, community colleges generally are going to be at least half the price of a private school, unfortunately in most States community colleges only offer associate’s degree, either by choice or state regulation.
so anyone hoping to do a bachelor’s or a postgraduate degree are forced into larger University Systems where are the price is much higher per year.
True, although many of them also have attached vocational schools. For example, Ivy Tech, Indiana’s community college system (the one I’m most familiar with but it’s not alone in this) offers both vocational and degree programs, so you can get an HVAC certification or you can go through the nursing school and become a CNA. They even offer an associate’s degree in fine arts.
Associate’s degrees aren’t always as good as higher educational degrees, but they will still likely get your into a better career than you would get with just a high school education.