College students said the California Community Colleges system has allowed them to pursue higher education at an affordable cost.

As the largest system of higher education in the country, CCC collectively serves 2.1 million students. Students have the option of pursuing associate degrees, certificates and pathways to transfer to four-year universities, according to the CCC website.

Paco Martorell, a professor in the UC Davis School of Education, said CCC’s financial aid programs and relatively low costs of tuition make pursuing higher education more accessible.

According to the Community College Research Center, 35% of full-time CCC students did not pay fees in the 2019-2020 school year. About 14% of students pay less than $1,000, and another 21% pay between $1,000 and $2,500.

“Compared to other states, California’s community colleges are really affordable,” Martorell said.

Many students attending a community college continue their education at a four-year institution. Over 50% of California State University graduates and 29% of UC graduates began at a CCC school as of 2024, according to the CCC website.

CCC’s California College Promise Grant, formerly known as the Board of Governors fee waiver, waives enrollment fees for all eligible California residents who qualify based on certain need-based financial requirements and academic standards. Alternatively, colleges that implement the California Promise program can waive enrollment fees for first-time, full-time students who do not qualify for the California College Promise Grant.

Chantelle Tiu, a third-year business economics student who transferred from Folsom Lake College, said she used the California Promise program to cover her educational costs from community college.

“As someone whose family never really qualifies for any financial aid, that’s one of the only ones that does,” Tiu said. “It really takes care of a big range of California residents.”

Evan Henry, a fourth-year political science student, said he attended the University of Washington before enrolling in Saddleback College, which is a part of CCC. He added that he decided to attend community college after the COVID-19 pandemic transitioned his classes to an online format.

“There was a stigma behind the idea of going to community college, and I think that that’s a big reason why I saw it as something that I didn’t want to do – and why I ended up going to the University of Washington in the first place,” Henry said. “There’s this idea that if you go to a community college, then you’re less than or you weren’t ‘smart enough’ to get into a real college.”

Henry said he left the University of Washington and attended a CCC to minimize debt, adding that he also benefited from the support of his community college counselor.

Tiu said she believes the CCC system increases the likelihood of nontraditional students pursuing higher education.

“Returning students or nontraditional students … wanting to pursue a whole new subject or major can go back to CC (community college) – without worrying that it’s going to pay – just because they’re curious,” Tiu said.

Tiu added that she believes her time at CCC prepared her well to transfer.

“That was beneficial – or else the slap in the face of your first quarter here as a UCLA transfer would probably be even harder than it already is,” Tiu said.