The United States Department of Education provides location and contact information for the country's tribal colleges and universities.

The Department of Education's Office of Post Secondary Education helps you search nearly 7,000 colleges and universities that the Department of Education recognizes as accredited. Accreditation means a private educational agency or association has evaluated a school and found it meets minimum requirements that agency has set.

Looking for Community Colleges specifically? The American Association of Community Colleges website can help you find a Community College in your area.

Choose a School

Prospective students should ask many questions when considering education or training at any type of school, whether it is a community college, technical or vocational school or a four-year university. The more you know, the better prepared you'll be to make the educational choice that's best for you. Here are some questions that will help you learn about the schools you're considering.

• What is the student to teacher ratio, and what is the average number of students in a class? Knowing this will give you an indication of how much individual attention you can expect.



• How many students enroll each year? This helps you know whether the school is very large, very small, or somewhere in between, which can impact the type of educational experience you have.



• Does the school have a Career Center or career counselors for students to talk to? These services can be invaluable when you are looking for a job. Career counselors can help you with resumes and cover letters, as well as to research jobs and companies that would be good for you. Additionally, many schools organize job fairs and invite local and national businesses to attend in order to recruit new employees. This is great opportunity to share your resume and practice talking to prospective employers.



• Will the school put you in touch with current students you can ask about courses, professors and the school culture? You can learn a lot about a school from the students enrolled there, and they are usually happy to share their experiences and opinions with you.



• Can you have a campus tour, and/or sit in on some classes? Actually visiting a school and sitting in on a lecture will give you a feel for whether you like the atmosphere and could imagine yourself doing well there.

Community College Facts

Are you considering going to a community college? You might be surprised how much you have in common with your classmates. For instance:

• 57% of community college students are women



• 46% of community college students are at least 25 years old, and the average age of a community college student in 29



• 46% of undergraduates in the US are enrolled in community and technical colleges



• 32% of community college students are people of color



• 52% of community college students are in the first generation of their families to attend college



• Nearly 63% of community college students attend college part time



• 95% of businesses and organizations that use them recommend community college workforce education and training programs

Statistics taken from the Community College Survey of Student Engagement (www.ccsse.org).

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