Kaskaskia College Highlights Advantages of Community Colleges During Community College Month

According to student loan debt statistics, people in the United States owe $ 1.727 trillion in student loans.

During Community College Month in April, Kaskaskia College wants to educate students and parents on the benefits of attending a community college. One of KC's biggest benefits is that most students do not take student loans at all and that KC does not partake in federal student loans.

Kaskaskia College Director of Financial Aid Sarah Ratermann said community colleges are going to be more and more important as the country moves through the student debt crisis. With a modest $160 per credit hour for an in-district, two-year public college compared to an average of $475 for students at four-year in-state public colleges, Ratermann said it's easy to see why community college is a great deal.

"Core general education requirements are at a much lower cost here, and English 101 is English 101 no matter where you take it," Ratermann said. "Some students from four-year universities even take summer classes at KC because it's more affordable to take them while they're at home."

Another advantage to community colleges is their diverse student populations in every age bracket, from dual enrollment high schoolers to seasoned veteran workers. On top of the affordable sticker price of Kaskaskia College, students can apply for financial aid in terms of grants and scholarships.

Federal Pell Grants max out at $7,395 for the school year and $3,698 for one semester. After tuition and book costs, students could receive an estimated refund of $1,875 from the Pell Grant alone. This number could be even higher depending on other scholarships and grants.

Ratermann suggests students use this refund to their advantage and use it for other educational expenses or save it just for a nice little nest egg.

"On top of federal aid, our students also have over 150 different scholarship opportunities," Ratermann said. With a smaller student body, your chance of getting those scholarships increases. If you're going to a university with 20,000 students, there are fewer dollars to go around. With smaller class sizes at Kaskaskia College, your dollars are going to go further, and your scholarship dollars, too. It's great to tell parents and students that they don't owe any money."

Last year, Kaskaskia College awarded roughly $360,000 in just foundation scholarships to 230 students. In total, KC awards over $3 million annually in scholarships. By submitting one application form, all 150 scholarship options will be filtered with just the choice ones a student may be eligible for remaining. Not all schools filter their financial aid options, so this is another benefit to considering Kaskaskia College.