70% Students work while studying
Working while taking classes is common for community college students, which means time is shorter for studying or tutoring. Virtual tutoring and flexible class offerings can help balance these pressures, along with academic counseling that can streamline course selection around career goals and fixed schedules. Working students often need accommodations that are best met by the agility of community colleges.
Source: AACC 2026 Fact Sheet
“I’ve learned so much through doing public outreach and social media for the fire company, through my work with the New Media Lab, from my classes here, and from professors who have advised me. … I know what I want to do and who I want to be.”
— Sarah Lieberman
Delaware County Community College, PA
For Juan, community college is the crucial bridge between dreaming of working with robotics and actually building new innovations.
— Juan Salazar
Saddleback College, CA
“There’s just no way I could afford to attend a university without taking on a lot of debt. Attending GateWay allows me to take classes and pay for them without taking on that huge burden.”
— Austin Higbee
GateWay Community College, AZ
“I wanted to become the person who could stand between cyber criminals and the people who don’t know how to defend against them. That’s still what drives me.”
— Scott Cochran
Washtenaw Community College, MI