There are pros and cons to attending a community college. This article exposes both sides of attending community college before a four year college/university. Footing the bill for your college education is certainly one of the most expensive joys of being a parent and it one of the most heavy responsibilities for the student who see their parents’ financial sacrifice.

However, attending a community college for the first two years helps families cut those expenses in half. After the first two years, switch to a four-year college to complete their Bachelor’s degree.

Let’s explore the pros and cons of community college!

1. Lower Tuition. According to this article published by US News, the average annual cost of tuition for a community college is merely $2,500, while the costs of its four-year counterparts average $7,000 for a public university and $26,000 for a private college. Calculate $26,000 times 4 and make the comparison yourself.

• When choosing to start in a community college, you can save between $4,500 and $23,500 per year on tuition. Over the course of two years, your savings amount to a whopping $9,000 to $47,000 or more!

• These savings don’t include the extra expenses associated with attending college – just the tuition. Therefore, your savings are bound to increase when considering other college related costs.

2. Financial Assistance/ GRANTS. If your child is eligible to receive grants from the government, your out-of-pocket costs may very well drop to $0. You can use these years of “free” college to ramp up your savings for the upcoming years your child will spend in a four-year college.

• Many students even receive a check for the overage of their grant ranging from $200 to $600 or more per semester. However, do not spend that “refund” check on clothes, travel and trinkets. Save it and reinvest in your future education.

• It’s a misconception that only children from low income families are able to receive grants. However, the government offers both need-based and non-need-based grants. This is in addition to the aid received through the FAFSA and other sources like scholarships.

3. Room-and-Board costs lowered or eliminated. Next to tuition, room-and-board will be the most costly expense of sending your child to college. Instead of living in the dorm, live at home. Keep in mind though, that the majority of community colleges refrain from offering housing to their students.

• According to collegeboard.com, annual room-and-board at a public college averages $7,400, while the average is over $8,500 at a private college. Even though you forego the room and board expense, you may need a car to get back and forth to classes. You may even incur significant costs for meals; so, plan carefully to save money.

• Even if you live in the dorm, the room-and-board rates of a community college are significantly less expensive than those charged by 4-year colleges.

4. Fewer amenities / distractions. Community colleges are designed to keep costs low for the students. Therefore a no-frills campus is the norm. It’s common for community colleges to forgo dorm rooms, elaborate sports teams and stadiums, fraternities/sororities, and other distractions.

• Eliminating some of these amenities / “frills” will help you focus on schoolwork rather than indulging in dorm life, a bowling league, or other social distractions.

• Another reason community colleges are able to keep costs so low is that they often forgo teacher’s assistants, which are generally paid an average of $15,000 per year. The professors must take on a heavier workload, but the student gets the benefit of being taught by the professor rather than an assistant.

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Parents, you must know your children. Are they ready for a 4 year college experience? If not, consider the junior college. You may have to buy them a car and cook more but they will be within arms reach if they need you for academic or social support.

Juniors, consider a junior college in your area to prepare for the rigours of the university.

Seniors, junior college application deadlines are often rolling, so admissions is pretty accessible.

In short: community colleges are awesome. Yes, there will be less frills and you will have to become comfortable with the fact that you’ll live with mom and dad for two more years. But this also avoids rowdy roommates and the distractions that ensue.

You may be giving up a few parts of “the ultimate college experience” for the first two years, but you can make up for it in the final years of your college career. Also, you may be able to graduate from college with very little to no debt which is a worthy tradeoff.