When international students think of higher education, most tend to think of large 4-year universities such as Harvard or UCLA.  However, there are a surprising number of foreign nationals that are unaware of a perfectly viable alternative – the 2-year community college system.

Although you can’t earn a four year degree at most community colleges, you can earn an Associate’s degree or transfer to a 4-year university after completing your first 2 years at the college.  So what are the benefits of attending a community college BEFORE enrolling into a 4-year university?

1. Lower TOEFL Score & Chance to Improve your English

Community college admissions requirements are much less severe by comparison to most universities.   The average TOEFL iBT score requirement for 4-year universities tends to be around 60-80 points for undergraduate international students.  In contrast, the average score requirement is 45 points at community colleges.  Additionally, international students can use their time in college to improve their confidence in English while earning transferrable college credits at a significantly lower cost.

2. Graduate faster from a University

In addition to having lower admissions requirements, international students can complete their general education requirements (all university students need to complete general education and major core classes to graduate), minimizing the number of classes they need to take after they transfer to a 4-year university.  The more they’re able to complete at a community college, the fewer classes they’ll need to take at the university.

3. Get the same degree at a MUCH lower cost

Perhaps the biggest benefit of transferring from a community college to a 4-year university is the financial savings to both domestic and international students.  Below is a cost comparison on estimated costs between 2-year community colleges and 4-year universities.

We can easily see that the total cost per year for international students at a community college ($17,125) is significantly lower to that of a university ($60,729) in California.  Now if we compared the total tuition-only cost over a period of 4 years…

We can see that international students can save up to $40,000 in tuition costs alone if they attend 2 years at a community college and 2 years at a university!  If money is a concern, then there really isn’t much choice in terms of which route is the more economical one.

For international students pursuing higher education options in English-speaking countries, the above-mentioned question has undoubtedly crossed your mind.  TOEFL and IELTS (the academic version) are two of the most popular English proficiency exams accepted by most universities and colleges around the world.  Because both tests are so widely accepted and differ in so many ways, people often tend to get confused as to which is the better option for them.

To better understand which of these two is the better individual choice, let’s take a look at some of their quick facts in the chart below:

Now that we have some of the basic details for both TOEFL and IELTS, we need to ask ourselves the following questions when choosing between both:

Which test scores are accepted by most of my preferred schools?

Be sure to check which test scores are accepted by your preferred school(s).  Although both TOEFL and IELTS are commonly accepted by most schools, there are some that prefer one over the other.

Do I prefer multiple choice or free short answer questions?

A key difference between both tests is that TOEFL is mainly a multiple choice answer test.  This can be an advantage as most people consider the TOEFL as a “guess-friendly” exam.  Since there is no penalty for choosing an incorrect answer, there is always the possibility for guessing the correct choice.  In contrast, the IELTS has a much larger variety of tasks, many of which require free written answers to questions.  Some people prefer this as it is less restrictive and allows them to produce their own answers.

Do I prefer Academic or General English topics?

Although both exams highlight academic topics, the vast majority of TOEFL tasks revolve around academia.  In essence, TOEFL passages tend to be more technical in nature versus some of the more general and contemporary topics found in the IELTS.  In some ways, TOEFL can be more predictable due to its more technical nature.  By comparison, IELTS has a more real-world feel as passages are less restricted to academic topics.  This can be both an advantage and a disadvantage as real-world topics also open the door to the testing of implied meaning along with recognizing hidden nuances in the language.

Which Speaking Section do I prefer?

Perhaps the most definitive difference between both exams is in their Speaking Sections.  TOEFL speaking requires test-takers to record brief one minute answers into a headset.  Because all six TOEFL speaking tasks are fairly similar to one another, studying and practicing for this section is relatively easy and predictable.

On the other hand, the IELTS speaking section is administered in the format of a live person-to-person interview.  Because of its real-world aspect, conversations and tasks can be very dynamic and in some ways subjective.

As in all things, the choice between taking the TOEFL and taking the IELTS is simply a matter of personal preference.   First and foremost, consider which test plays more to your own natural strengths and personal inclinations.  If you are more of an analytical person, the predictable nature of TOEFL may be more for you.  If you tend to be more social and prefer conversations, then you may be more suited for IELTS.  In the end, the choice is yours.