Two-year universities, also called junior or community colleges, provide associate degrees. Students can choose a community college if they want or need only an associates degree or if they are choosing to take general classes before moving on to a four-year university. Community colleges often have less expensive tuition than four-year institutions.
Four-year universities (sometimes called "institutes" if they focus on technology or engineering) provide bachelor of the arts and bachelor of sciences degrees and often master's and Ph.D. degrees as well. Many four-year public universities have multi-campus systems with a large central campus and many smaller campus locations throughout the state. Tuition for a four-year university varies based on whether the college is public or private.
Public universities are funded by tax dollars from the state, so they often have lower tuition and more opportunities for funding. Private universities are not primarily state-funded, so the tuition is more expensive and there are fewer resources for scholarships and loans. Religious colleges are all privately funded, as are any non-coed colleges. Unlike large, public, four-year universities, private colleges generally have one central campus without satellite campuses. Although they are more expensive, public universities generally are more competitive.
Since the 1990s, some colleges have started to offer their degrees completely online. Most online colleges provide both associates and bachelor's degrees as well as some advanced degrees. Universities such as Kaplan University, University of Phoenix and Ashford University provide a wide range of associate, bachelor, and advanced degrees. Many online colleges also have on-ground campuses. When looking into online colleges, make sure to take accreditation, price and the ability to get government grants or loans into consideration.